Medical degree holders are choosing alternative career paths for a number of reasons. Some simply need a change of scenery while others desire more lucrative choices.
Fortunately, a medical education offers a wide array of opportunities that go beyond a hospital’s four walls. From witness experts to policymakers, we’re here to help you explore your options.
- Educator
Many colleges and universities often seek medical degree holders to join their faculty. A medical background can be highly useful in developing course curricula or teaching scientific areas of study.
Additionally, members of the academe are often invited to conduct research, develop scholarly papers, and participate in conferences. Teaching offers a great opportunity to broaden your knowledge and share your expertise with future health care workers.
As an instructor, you’re likely to work longer hours including evenings and weekends. Apart from the actual classroom work, you also need to prepare lesson plans, check student output, and complete other administrative tasks.
- Writer
People with medical backgrounds have sound knowledge and credibility to discuss scientific information. As a medical writer, your job is to create and edit content for either print or digital publications like science journals or health care magazines and websites. In the education sectors, health experts can write content material for textbooks, reviewers, peer-review articles, and assessment materials. You should be able to write in simple and cohesive language that is appropriate to your target audience.
- Medical sales representative
A medical sales rep is hired by pharmaceutical or health insurance companies to act as the middle man between them and their clients in the health sector. As a sales rep, your job is to advertise and sell medical products, usually medication or equipment, to hospital nurses, doctors, and pharmacists.
If you’re goal-driven with fantastic networking abilities, a career in medical sales would suit you. Since it’s a sales job, expect loads of presentations, cold calling, and one-on-one appointments with potential clients. You may also be assigned in specific geographical areas to better hit the company’s targets.
- Research consultant
Health care consultants work with industries in developing the latest tech or drugs in the medical field. Pharmaceutical companies, insurance providers, and government agencies rely on medical experts to reduce errors in testing and successfully achieve medical breakthroughs.
As a healthcare consultant, you are responsible for giving specialist advice on product development, technology integration, or safety compliance. You might be asked to evaluate end-to-end processes and lead research efforts.
- Health care administrator
Health care managers or administrators oversee hospitals, health systems, and other types of medical organizations. They do not have direct contact with patients on a daily basis. Instead, they work on improving policies, preparing budgets, and ensuring all patients receive proper care and facilities.
Being a health care manager will most likely require you to take a health administration degree, but people who wish to push for bigger health care reforms might find this career path more rewarding than traditional clinical roles.
- Medical malpractice expert
Medical malpractice can take several forms including making mistakes during surgical procedures or prescribing a patient with the wrong medication. In a medical malpractice case, an expert witness should be able to provide well-informed judgments backed by medical facts. If you don’t mind being cross-examined and participating in a trial, being a medical expert could be a thriving career for you.
- Startup owner
If you’ve got a thing for business, then a medical startup could be perfect for you. A growing number of doctors have started to follow the startup route, either developing new medical devices or creating the next big thing in pharmaceuticals. Running your own business allows you to be your own boss. You get to follow your own destiny and choose the people you want to work with.
The key to winning in startups is patience and perseverance. You will likely face hardships that will not be solved by medical knowledge alone. It can take time for things to fall into place, but as long you focus on your goals, success will follow suit.
- Forensic medical examiner
A forensic medical profession could be a fascinating albeit unconventional career transition for you. Coroners or medical examiners are tasked to investigate and determine the causes of reported deaths. They may also advise on public health or safety to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Coroners must have extensive knowledge on forensic pathology. Since they will be dealing with sensitive cases, they must exercise extra precaution when communicating with families of the deceased. Being a medical examiner can be emotionally taxing so having the proper headspace is needed alongside medical expertise.
Being stuck at a career crossroads can be terrifying. It’s important to take an honest look at your priorities and be realistic about your goals. With a medical education under your belt, there’s no doubt that a bright future lies ahead of you.
