A medical degree has broad and diverse applications within and beyond the hospital setting. For doctors, choosing a best-fit role means examining their personality, skills and values. Experts say a good match can result in a more fulfilling career.
Some doctors are drawn to direct patient care, while others gravitate toward management and consulting. Then there are doctors who pursue education and public health. Some take on a mix of clinical and nonclinical roles.
While certain careers may attract certain people, experts urge doctors to keep an open mind.
“If you really want to do something and have the passion for it, it’s well worth exploring,” says Dr. Joel Shalowitz, adjunct professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Illinois. “Sometimes, you grow into the role.”
When navigating career options, here are some aspects to consider.
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Clinical Careers
Doctors who want to see and treat patients can explore various clinical roles.
“Some people may be better suited to certain specialties,” says Dr. Tania Heller, clinical assistant professor at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. and a medical school admissions consultant. “When deciding on a specialty, and a future career in medicine, students should reflect deeply on their interests, goals and lifestyle.”
Medical specialties
Medical specialties tend to emphasize clinical reasoning, experts say. When choosing a speciality, assessing personal interests and values can be helpful.
“For example, are they interested in a field that allows them to develop long-term relationships with patients over time?” Heller says. “That may be someone who’s more suited to a career in primary care medicine, such as pediatrics, internal medicine or family practice.”
Doctors who are interested in gaining deep knowledge in a specific area of medicine might choose to specialize.
Doctors should also identify what patient populations they want to work with, Heller says. Pediatricians, for example, should be comfortable interacting with children and their parents. Geriatricians should be comfortable working with the elderly.
Surgical specialties
Surgical specialties, like orthopedic surgery and plastic surgery, require a high level of technical skill and procedural expertise.
These specialties attract people who enjoy working with their hands and seeing immediate results, experts say. Surgeons need to have good hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, be comfortable in an operating room and perform well under pressure.
Because of the high cost of a medical degree, doctors may consider future earning potential when choosing a specialty. Generally, surgical specialties have higher compensation.
Mixed specialties
Mixed specialities combine surgical and medical care. However, the pace and variability of these specialties may vary, experts say.
Dermatologists typically work in offices during standard business hours and have scheduled appointments. Emergency medicine doctors, on the other hand, treat a range of medical emergencies in a fast-paced environment.
“People who have a good tolerance for ambiguity, uncertainty and surprise tend to do well in emergency medicine,” says Dr. Arjun Venkatesh, chair of emergency medicine for Yale School of Medicine in Connecticut and chief of emergency medicine for Yale New Haven Hospital.
They might “go from one patient who might be having a stroke, to the next patient who’s having a heart attack, to the next patient who cut their finger in the kitchen and needs three stitches,” he says.
Some doctors consider flexibility when choosing a specialty, Venkatesh says. In emergency medicine, shift-based schedules — as opposed to on-call work — may be a better fit for certain lifestyles.
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Diagnostic specialties
Doctors in diagnostic specialities, like pathology and radiology, have limited engagement with patients. This tends to perpetuate a stereotype that these are introverted professions, Heller says, but these physicians regularly interact with others.
Doctors in diagnostic specialties should be comfortable spending time in labs, experts say, and are often curious and detail-oriented.
Nonclinical Careers
Doctors can also leverage their medical education outside of clinical medicine, in fields like pharmaceuticals and public health.
For those with specific goals in mind, additional degrees can help shape career trajectories. Doctors can pursue degrees in business administration — as well as public health, public policy and law — in addition to, or alongside, their medical degree.
“Each profession has not only its unique set of knowledge but its own way of thinking about problems and the world at large,” says Shalowitz, who is also former director of the health industry management program at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Administration and management
Doctors interested in the business side of health care might consider leadership roles like chief medical officer or medical director.
“The people who go into delivery system management and administration are doctors first and foremost,” says Michael Zubkoff, director of the M.D.-MBA program at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. They combine a strong commitment to patient care with strategic thinking and execution abilities, he says.
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While a medical background is valuable, these roles demand unique skill sets. This is where an MBA could come into play, experts say.
Corporate and consulting
For doctors who don’t want to see patients but enjoy problem-solving, corporate roles may be a better fit.
These “change agents” typically want to broaden their impact beyond individual patients, Zubkoff says. So they engage with the system in different ways — by consulting, starting new companies, leading innovation efforts and working in venture capital.
Similar to administration and management, these careers tend to require strong leadership and analytical skills.
Public health and policy
Doctors who gravitate toward these fields tend to be interested in the larger health landscape, says Dr. Kyu Rhee, president and CEO of the National Association of Community Health Centers.
Physicians are driven to fix and improve patients’ health. People in public health and policy, on the other hand, are driven to fix and improve systems, he says.
“It’s someone who’s willing to go beyond the exam room, understand the broader system and advocate for system change,” says Rhee, who has an M.D. and a master’s in public policy.
Doctors who have patient care experience — and understand issues at a patient level — can offer valuable insights on health policy, experts say.
Education and research
Academic medicine is a good option for doctors who enjoy teaching and interacting with others, experts say. Positions like professor and department chair allow doctors to balance clinical medicine and research interests.
“There’s some evidence to show that when doctors choose something that aligns with their interests, as well as their strengths and talents, there is much more job satisfaction and happiness going into a career that spans many years,” Heller says.
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Choose a Medical Career to Suit Your Personality originally appeared on usnews.com
