The most popular article on this website is...

The most popular article on this website continues to be this article that I wrote in 2008 titled, "Jobs for Physicians with No Residency Experience." This article continues to draw a tremendous amount of traffic from search engine visits when people type "jobs for doctors without residency."

Now that interns and residents have been in the full swing of things for roughly 2 months, it's also roughly the time when some of them seriously consider dropping out and quitting. Residency is tough, even with these new work hour restrictions.

Back in 2008, I was writing about all types of topics on a single blog. Then, on Feb 15, 2009, I created a dedicated URL for non-clinical jobs and began writing on http://NonClinicalJobs.com.

If you encounter interns or residents who are thinking about dropping out, make sure to encourage them to research all their options before they quit.

The Color of Atmosphere: One Doctor's Journey In and Out of Medicine

Here's an interesting book that you may want to read this summer: The Color of Atmosphere: One Doctor's Journey In and Out of Medicine


If the medical profession you'd devoted your life to was completely taken over by liability concerns and insurance regulations, would you stay a physician?

After Obama's speech last night, will more physicians look for non-clinical careers?

I listened to Obama's speech last night. The Q&A is what took the majority of the time (and the last question about Henry Louis Gates Jr. seemed out of place to me, considering that it was supposed to be a focused speech about healthcare reform). CNN quotes Obama saying that the Cambridge police "acted stupidly" when they arrested Professor Gates.

Many doctors don't like what's being proposed about healthcare reform. They know that things want to change, but they don't want to have further reductions in reimbursement. I wonder how many physicians are now planning on exiting clinical medicine to do something non-clinical. I know many medical students and physicians who've been exploring various non-clinical options, but so many of them don't know where to begin. Many physicians are even looking for non-clinical mentors, but they don't know where to begin. Well, I have some good news for those who are looking to make a transition into the non-clinical side of healthcare. I've recruited several career coaches from various industry sectors and they are willing to provide mentorship/career coaching services for physicians and other healthcare professionals who are interested in making that transition. If this interests you, please read: Find a Non-Clinical Mentor and contact me.

Don't forget that I have a dedicated site titled: http://www.nonclinicaljobs.com/

Top Posts for April 2009

Here were the top posts for April 2009:

1. Jobs for Physicians with No Residency Experience

2. Non-Clinical Careers and Opportunities for Physicians

3. Using the iPhone or iPod Touch in Healthcare

4. Tragic Story: Philip Markoff, the Craigslist Killer?

5. FREE Epocrates Cardiology through Cardiosource

Blogging for Supplemental Income

You've probably heard that you can make money by blogging. It's a great non-clinical opportunity if you enjoy writing. But how do you get started? What type of blog should you create? Can you make more if you write a medical blog? These are some of the questions that I often get asked.

Blogging can be a hobby (that may result in some supplemental income) or it can be a full-time career. There are people who have left six-figure salaries to go into full-time blogging. Remember the story about the nephrologist Arnold Kim who left his clinical practice to be a full-time blogger? I'm sure that KevinMD also makes a significant amount of money through his blog. I often wonder if he will leave clinical medicine to devote his time fully to his writing.

Blogging is a great option for retired physicians and other healthcare professionals who enjoy writing about different things. Keep in mind that the largest revenue generator are advertisements. However, there are other unique opportunities if you capture the right audience with your blogs.

To get started, I suggest that you use Blogger on Google. It's free and easy to create a Google account. Plus, after you create your blog, you can use Google Analytics to see what type of traffic you're getting on your blog. Many people also use WordPress for their blogs.

Join a FREE Social Network of Non-Clinical Healthcare Professionals

We currently have 487 members on the free social network titled, "Non-Clinical Healthcare Professionals." My hope is that we'll reach over 500 members by the end of this month. There are many new and exciting things that I'm working on to help those of you who may be looking for non-clinical job opportunities, supplemental income, and complete career changes into the non-clinical world. Right now, there are many jobs in Health IT (information technology), but you may not feel like you have the right skills and training for that industry. I may be able to help you with that. Join the FREE network and tell others about it so that we may collaborate and help each other find the right types of opportunities.

Improvements at NonClinicalJobs.com

Over the last few years, I've been approached by many physicians and other clinicians who are looking for either full-time or part-time non-clinical jobs (either as a complete career change or to find for some supplemental income). As a result, I've decided to leverage my personal contacts in the healthcare industry to provide a platform where employers and employees can come together.

Stay tuned by frequently visiting NonClinicalJobs.com and telling others about the FREE non-clinical healthcare network. We currently have almost 500 members registered on that growing network.

Making the Non-Clinical Transition

I often get asked, "how do you make the transition into the non-clinical world? Isn't it risky?" The answer is that change can be risky. But, you have to be certain of your talents and interests. If you find yourself very dissatisfied working in clinical medicine, then ask yourself why you're dissatisfied. I try to encourage people to look for another opportunity in clinical medicine where the work-life balance might be a better fit. Many physicians who wish to leave clinical medicine are simply burned out and they need a break. If that's you, then make sure you take a break and be comprehensive as you plan your future. It's important to remember that it can be very difficult to re-enter clinical medicine after you leave.

Top Content in March 2009

According to Google Analytics, my post on "Jobs for Physicians with No Residency Experience" had the highest amount of traffic. I often get asked about this on the Student Doctor Network, so I see that many people are also finding this content helpful.

My post on "Non-Clinical Medical Opportunities for Physicians and Other Clinicians" is still very popular among site visitors. I hope that most people recognize that I've created a site dedicated to the topic of non-clinical jobs and opportunities for doctors and other healthcare professionals. You can find it here: www.NonClinicalJobs.com

Re: Non-Clinical Opportunities for International Medical Graduates

Someone recently asked: "Tell me about non-clinical opportunities for international medical graduates (IMGs or FMGs)"

My reply:

The opportunities are mostly the same when you're looking at things related to medical communications, consulting, writing, etc. In most of these cases, you don't need an active US medical license. Hence, whether you are an international graduate or a US graduate, the opportunities may be very similar. I'm not going to get into issues related to getting a work Visa because that's an entirely complex topic in and of itself.

Inactive Doctors and Active Medical Licenses

LocumLife has an article on how many clinically inactive doctors hold and maintain active medical licenses. Many of these physicians are women who may take extended "breaks" from medicine to have children, raise a family, etc. Others are physicians who venture into non-clinical careers and they find themselves being drawn back to the practice of medicine. You may even get some physicians who pursue an early retirement, only to discover that they need additional income to maintain their current lifestyle.

The study was conducted mainly among pediatricians by the University of Michigan Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Unit and the American Board of Pediatrics. I suspect you'll get some skewed responses since many of these physicians are women and many either work part-time or they tend to take long career breaks. I think it will be interesting if a similar study is conducted among all the specialties.

Bureau of Labor Statistics on Healthcare Professional Salary

Here are the National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates from 2007. So many salary statistics tend to be inflated and completely inaccurate. I would hope that the government would provide more reliable data. By glancing through this list, you see physicians, pharmacists, nurses, therapists, and other clinicians.

It's very difficult to find salary surveys among non-clinical medical professionals because of the extremely wide range of figures that are out there. It's interesting to see salary ranges displayed within specific industries like: managed care medical directors; CME professionals; pharmaceutical physicians; finance/consulting/market research physicians.

NonClinicalJobs.com

Please visit this new URL for my dedicated blog about non-clinical jobs, opportunities, and careers for physicians and other healthcare professionals:
http://www.nonclinicaljobs.com/

I hope you'll find some of the information useful.

Non-Clinical Healthcare Opportunities

According to some job sites, here are some of the common non-clinical healthcare opportunities that are out there:

- Medical Receptionists
- Medical Collection Specialists
- Medical Billers (Medicaid,Medicare)
- Medical Coders (Medicaid, Medicare)
- Insurance Verifiers
- Schedulers

Blogging = Moonlighting

I used to do quite a bit of moonlighting in various hospitals, ERs, and ICUs. Now, I just sit back at home, open up my laptop, and type. This is my moonlighting. I'm not making as much as I did back then, but I get to stay at home, drink some green tea, watch TV, relax, spend time with my family, and enjoy life. Isn't that much better?

Blogging is my 2nd job. But I don't see it as work and it's more than a hobby. I have specific passions and I enjoy writing about them. If I can make a small amount of cash from it, then fine. I'll let it pay for my gym membership.

Do you have a passion? Why don't you start writing about it? You may really enjoy it.

Working part-time

I know many clinicians who keep a part-time schedule and fill their other time with non-clinical projects. Do you have an interest in doing some part-time writing or consulting? Perhaps even blogging? Well, the opportunities are out there and you need to search and find them.

Boutique medicine or non-clinical medicine?

Some doctors may be contemplating some serious career changes because of worsening reimbursement problems. Many are converting their practice to a cash-only boutique or concierge style practice. Others are moonlighting or doing some cosmetic laser surgery.

What about a transition to a non-clinical career? Pharma and finance aren't the only options out there. Yet so many physicians find themselves limited because they don't recognize what types of opportunities exist.

There are some serious questions to first consider:

• Are you willing to take some risk?
• Do you have the financial luxury to be unemployed for a few months while you make the transition?
• What do you really enjoy doing in life?
• Do you like to learn new things?
• What do you think about the corporate world? Of business?

At the end of the day, you may realize that a non-clinical path is better than simply converting to boutique medicine. It's important to recognize your options and to do your due diligence. Research your options. Meet people working in non-clinical settings. Prioritize what's important in your life.

Finally, make sure that you're really willing to leave clinical medicine. It may get difficult to go back if you change your mind.

Non Clinical Physician Jobs

Each month, I get visits from people typing "non clinical physician jobs" into Google search. Since I'm using Google Analytics to analyze my traffic, it's interesting to see what types of things people are typing to get here.

So, if you stumbled here by looking for information about non-clinical opportunities, I hope you gain some insight. Otherwise, I hope you'll leave a comment so that we can correspond.

I also invite you to join a free community of healthcare professionals interested in pursuing non-clinical opportunities by going here:
http://nonclinical.ning.com

Thanks again for stopping by.

Non-Clinical Careers: Traveling for Work

One of the major changes that may occur if you switch to a non-clinical career is that you may travel for work. It obviously depends on the type of position you have, but be prepared for that aspect of work. You may think that traveling is fun, but it can also get tiring very quickly. It can also make an impact on your family.

Soji's List

For those of you interested in an industry position, take a look at Soji's List. Chief Soji is a fictitious name, but claims to be a US-trained industry physician. Anyone know how Chief Soji actually is?

Do you plan to transition to a non-clinical career in 2009?