What if I quit after residency?

[questionableapp]

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My apologies, I meant 'after internship'

I know this is a ridiculous question - and probably obvious to most...but I have no clue as to what the answer is.

If I complete medical school as well as my internship but don't go on to complete the rest of my residency...what can I do with my medical education and experience (albeit very limited)?

Any thoughts?

 

[IMdocT]

well first it depends what kind of internship you've done. i'm going to assume IM. i've tried looking up answers to this question. this is what i've got so far.

1) clinical jobs: near zero chance of finding a job or starting a practice because few insurance companies and hospitals/practices will hire a board-ineligible MD/DO. i've read about FMG's who work as surgical assistants or midlevels in an unofficial capacity but not sure how those work. they probably work in a small private practice with people they know, probably relatives, because again institutions want to hire fully certified midlevels and cover them with malpractice etc. i've tried looking into moonlighting but it's the same story.

2) finish residency: some people go back to the same specialty and others apply to a different one, they usually find out they're happier in either case

3) non-clinical jobs: writing, research, pharm/device, law, business, consulting. that dr. joseph kim guy, if he sees this thread will post his standard reply. i believe he founded an IT or communications company. he will say that it's not as difficult as MD/DO's think it is to transfer their skills to a different career. i haven't had much success in finding out how to do that, but it's probably because i have no experience outside of the medical career pathway. i have heard of people having prior research or business experiences who used that to get back to work. some people did totally different stuff like teaching elementary school.

 

[Law2Doc]

My apologies, I meant 'after internship'

I know this is a ridiculous question - and probably obvious to most...but I have no clue as to what the answer is.

If I complete medical school as well as my internship but don't go on to complete the rest of my residency...what can I do with my medical education and experience (albeit very limited)?

Any thoughts?

While there are a whole host of jobs for which having an MD could theoretically be helpful, there really aren't non-health employers out there recruiting people with an MD. So you will forever be having to market to employers why they need someone with an MD, and assuring them that you aren't going to leave for a higher paying doctor job at some inopportune moment. Basically you are going to have to be a mover and shaker, someone who can pitch yourself effectively. Most physicians don't fit this bill. Thus very few people who finish residency go into other fields, and the handful that do already had their feet in another world before they started. So yes it's possible to find another cool opportunity, but no it's not going to be easy to do.

 

[longroad59]

You might check out opportunities in the public health sector. There are research and administrative positions, even in government organizations, that require an MD/DO. I don't know if you would need to necessarily be board certified or even board eligible.

 

[hot sauce]

Never looked into it but maybe a job in the prison system or Indian health services?

edit: http://www.ihs.gov/physicians/index.cfm?module=corps does not mention board certification. http://www.usphs.gov/profession/physician/requirements.aspx states one year of post graduate training required so sounds like you could apply after internship.

 

[schussboarder]

My apologies, I meant 'after internship'

I know this is a ridiculous question - and probably obvious to most...but I have no clue as to what the answer is.

If I complete medical school as well as my internship but don't go on to complete the rest of my residency...what can I do with my medical education and experience (albeit very limited)?

Any thoughts?

In an office I was in last month, 2 docs would rent out space in my attendings building 3 days out of the week and would just do disability physicals for the state. They never completed residency- just their internship. They'd do around 2-3 disability physicals/hr. Talked to one of them and said he would typically make around 120k a yr and his only expenses were from renting out the office space and from hiring someone to type up his dictations which he paid around $5 per dictation. If you could have only seen the crowd that came in however. If I ever needed disability I'm pretty sure I would never come in to my appt drunk or smelling of weed.

 

[Buzz Me]

In an office I was in last month, 2 docs would rent out space in my attendings building 3 days out of the week and would just do disability physicals for the state. They never completed residency- just their internship.

I'd be a little worried that my cursory history and physical (with an intern's level of experience) would miss something important.

 

[gutonc]

I'd be a little worried that my cursory history and physical (with an intern's level of experience) would miss something important.

But that's because you're further along in training than PGY1. As you are no doubt aware, in medicine, the more you know, the more you know you don't know. The person in the hospital who thinks he's the smartest is the August intern.

 

[gman33]

With 1 year of GME, you might be missing tons of stuff.
Those guys weren't treating patients however.
Just making a recommendation regarding ability to work.

 

[Buzz Me]

With 1 year of GME, you might be missing tons of stuff.
Those guys weren't treating patients however.
Just making a recommendation regarding ability to work.

And if that intern's judgment is wrong and he/she accidentally clears someone for work who wasn't ready?

 

[michaelrack]

And if that intern's judgment is wrong and he/she accidentally clears someone for work who wasn't ready?

How would that be any different than what currently happens during disability exams?

 

[Buzz Me]

How would that be any different than what currently happens during disability exams?

I'd just be worried that as an intern I'd be likely to miss so many more things than someone with more experience.