Please help!!

[koonafa]

Hey everyone. I recently graduated from med school and am doing my IM residency; however, I believe I have come to realize that I do NOT enjoy what i'm doing (and it's not just b/c i'm doing about 100 hrs/wk, or b/c being an intern generally is terrible), but b/c i realize that I really don't see myself enjoying life, even as an attending practicing medicine, nor do i find it nearly as interesting/stimulating as I anticipated.
So i have recently begun to think of what other options are out there for someone w/ an M.D. degree. I know there probably are plenty, but I just have no idea what they are. I've heard of people going to work for pharmaceuticals, but I have no idea what that would entail or what exactly an M.D. typically does when they work for pharmaceuticals.
Or for "consulting" companies. First off, what exactly does "consulting" mean - I've asked many people and no one can give me a straight answer, so I'm beginning to think it's a wastebacket term. Does anyone know what they do, or how to get involved, or even just where to get more info??
I came into medicine b/c I like working w/ people, but i think i've recently become very honest w/ myself, and realize that working w/ SICK people isn't exactly what I was hoping it would be. I've always been fascinated w/ medicine and studying it, but I now understand that just b/c I enjoy learning it, it doesn't mean I'll necessarily enjoy doing it.
Thanks for any help, everyone...I really appreciate ANY advice, and hope I can straighten this out before I get stuck in a job for the rest of my life.

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[bluejay68]

So there are many nonclinical things you can do with the MD.

Consulting is an industry wherein clients (read managers, executives) hire a firm to perform an analysis that provides an insight into a problem that is facing the client's company. I know that sounds vague, but there are several things that make consulting work well as a business:

1. sometimes a deadline has to be met and the only way to get the job done in time is to hire extra man power
2. sometimes a "non-biased" outsider's view can produce an analysis that is superior to anyone inside the client's company can provide
3. sometimes a client wants to hire a consultant to confirm an answer that he/she has believed all along but needs validation from a consultant in order to get that idea accepted
4. sometimes there are unique skills or knowledge required to solve a problem that the client does not possess

some examples....a medical device company is having quality control problems with a product line and hires a consultant to fix it....two pharma companies merge and hire a consulting company to help integrate the two companies into one....a new piece of Medicare legislation is passed and a pharma company hires a consultant to recommend a new brand strategy for those products most affected....and so on.

These are some of the main reasons why consulting firms exist (any why they will continue to do so). As you know, health care is a huge business in this country. As a result, there are many "clients" out there with problems, and lots of consulting firms trying to solve them. There has been a trend over the past decade to try to include more clinicians (MD's) in consulting, so there are firms looking for docs out there. As a consultant, you work with a team with several other consultants, usually 3-5 and spend your weekdays at the client site (meaning lots of travel, living out of a suitcase with your laptop at the Mariott M-F), and then you come home for the weekend. You work hard during the week (12-16h days), but (in general) get weekends and holidays off. You get paid well with lots of benefits (lots of nice dinners out, bonuses, etc); starting base salary usually 75k-120k. This salary increases substantially every year, but most people only stay in consulting for 2-3 years before moving on. The exception to the rule is to stay in consulting forever; the vast majority leave. They "cut their teeth" in consulting and move onto other jobs in industry, finance, etc.

However, there are a couple of caveats...first, there is a lot of competition for the top firms, and second, pedigree counts for a lot. Check out some of my past posts on consulting for more info on top firms, the interview process, etc. Good luck!