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Non-Clinical CAREERS
Transitioning: What Not to Do
Continued
Thinking they must finish their internship and residency to have a viable
non-clinical career
The sad fact is that private practice experience and board certification are
generally not overly helpful in the long run for non-clinical careers. We have
seen numerous examples of highly successful physicians who found out early on
that a clinical career in medicine was probably not for them. Physicians who
have left clinical medicine during their internships and residencies have gone
on to hugely successful careers. On the flip side, a story we hear over and
over again is the physician who wanted to leave during their training, but
because they didn’t want to disappoint their parents or spouse, stuck it out through training and
through many years of unhappiness practicing clinical medicine. Post
transition, when we ask such physicians if they have any regrets, their most
common answer is, “Yes, I should have left clinical medicine much, much sooner.”
Not recognizing their transferable and valuable skills
As a physician, you have numerous transferable and valuable skills. You must
recognize these skills and be prepared to articulate them when selling yourself
at a job interview. Physicians should make a detailed list of their core
competencies and skills to use during their career transition and job
interviews.
Having unrealistic short-term expectations and not thinking long term
Depending on your situation (specialty, stage of career, geographic location,
non-clinical career selected) you may have to take an initial pay cut
associated with your first non-clinical position. A good number of physicians
we have worked with have experienced this. You should think long-term, however.
Many, if not most, such physicians meet or exceed their clinical earnings
within two to three years and end up earning far more than they ever could have
earned had they stayed in clinical. For many physicians, it took many years of
education, training, and experience to reach their current income level. It may
not be realistic to expect to start your non-clinical position at the same
income level.
Not positioning themselves financially for a career change
Careful prior financial planning can greatly empower a physician’s ability to make a successful career change. Physicians are well advised to
live well within their means and save as large of a cushion as possible to
protect them from any initial drop in income. Physicians need to accurately
assess their financial situation and their financial needs to determine how
long a career transition they can sustain without undue hardship for themselves
and their family.
Being unduly concerned with what your parents will think if you are “no longer a doctor”
If you are staying in clinical medicine to not disappoint your parents, you are
making a common mistake. From the doctors we work with we have found that the
parent’s initial shock of their star child no longer “being a doctor” is almost always transformed into pride in their child’s new career and success and the immense satisfaction of seeing their child
happy.
Not taking every opportunity to gain non-clinical experience while still
practicing clinical medicine
It is a mistake not to seize opportunities while practicing medicine to position
yourself for a non-clinical career. For example, one of the physicians we have
worked with positioned himself for a highly successful career in disability
consulting by taking the opportunity to perform independent medical evaluations for insurers
while he was a practicing neurologist. Another physician we have worked with
positioned herself for a career in administration by publishing, speaking, and
generally establishing her reputation in a particular topic she was very
interested in. Another example of this is a physician who agreed to intern at a
TV station and positioned herself to become a medical affairs TV reporter.
Leaping into a new career that you might like less than your current clinical
position
It is a serious mistake to jump into the first non-clinical opportunity that
presents itself without thorough due diligence. You do not want to end up in a
job you actually like even less than your current clinical position. It took
many years of hard work to become a physician. Physicians making a successful
career transition realize that, done correctly, the transition to a
non-clinical career may take six months to several years.
Not getting the “buy-in” of your spouse or significant other
Physicians who obtain the full support of their spouse or significant other are
much more likely to make a successful transition to a non-clinical career.
In the end, the transition to a non-clinical career for a physician is not
simple and easy. However, recognizing and avoiding the common mistakes made by
other physicians can facilitate a painless and successful career transition.
Then the true benefits of trying something new will become reality. END
Steven Babitsky, Esq., and James J. Mangraviti Jr., Esq., teach at the annual
SEAK Non-Clinical Careers for Physicians Conference. This year's conference
will be held in Chicago on Sep 12-13, 2009. For a free copy of the book, Do You Feel Like You Wasted All That Training? Questions from Doctors Considering a Career
Change, e-mail stevenbabitsky@seak.com or visit www.seak.com.
