Do You Feel Like You Wasted All That Training?

1. Autobiographical Note

In March of 2001 I did what was considered by many of my peers to be the unthinkable; I left my plastic surgery practice of four years at the age of 36 to begin working in medical communications.  If you are a physician reading this and are not familiar with the field of medical communications, there is no reason to worry; you are not alone.  Until one year before my career transition, I had never heard of my current industry.

By 1999 I was in a highly specialized surgical field, wanted to do something different with my life, and had no idea where to start.  I then spent most of my spare time during the last two years of my surgical practice struggling to identify and explore alternative career paths.  At first I did not know about the large number of industries that required physician expertise or where to find out about them.  Most importantly, I did not know anyone in these industries.  It was only through the mentoring of a relative who had made his own successful clinical-to-non-clinical career transition that I formulated a plan of attack. Eventually I learned about the education, advertising, and publication planning opportunities available within the medical communications industry.

Now, as co-owner of Peloton Advantage, a medical communications company, I frequently interact with physicians in non-clinical jobs, as well as countless clinicians who are interested in career transition.  Although I once considered myself an anomaly, I now have a better sense of the growing number of physicians in non-clinical jobs and the even larger number of opportunities available.  Unfortunately, an organized approach to bring these groups of physicians together has been lacking.

Several widely varying industries have increasing demands for medical expertise in both full-time and consulting capacities.  Companies in the pharmaceutical, communications, insurance, legal, public health, investment, publishing, and creative industries have constant need for such expertise.  There are numerous opportunities in research, hospital administration, public health, and non-profit organizations as well.  Numerous demands for medical expertise exist outside of clinical practice; the challenge is finding them.

The number of physicians working and consulting in non-clinical jobs continues to rise.  Students and residents are increasingly evaluating such opportunities, and many older physicians are reducing the percentage of their time in the clinic, or retiring from practice earlier to pursue these options.  Even more profound, however, is the rapidly rising number of physicians exploring such alternatives midstream in their careers.

The supply of physician expertise and the demand for this resource are equally impressive but at times appear to be divided by an impassable chasm.  Most physicians do not know what their non-clinical options are, let alone where and how to begin searching.  Even physicians who have entered a non-clinical industry have minimal opportunity to learn about other types of non-clinical jobs.  There is a large unmet need for cross-pollination of ideas and opportunities within the non-clinical arena. 

In 2004 I founded Physician Renaissance Network, a comprehensive resource for doctors with non-clinical jobs and interests, or a desire to explore such options.  Physician Renaissance Network focuses on education, career development, and networking opportunities.  For now I write the majority of the content for the web site (www.prnresource.com) but also encourage participation and interaction by physician visitors.  This involvement has been particularly rewarding to me.  I can relate to the obstacles faced by physicians visiting the site and hope to facilitate the evolution of their careers.

While speaking with many practicing clinicians considering a career transition, I have been impressed by how similar their challenges and questions are.  By writing this book of my answers to these commonly asked questions, I hope to help physicians who are in the situation where I once found myself. I hope that the readers will find some additional direction and practical advice in the pages that follow.  I welcome reader feedback and ideas and encourage you to contact me through the Physician Renaissance Network web site.