for those that dont want to practice

[peroxidase]

I'm almost near the end of my Ophthalmology residency (1 year of training left) and am realizing that I don't want to practice clinical medicine. What are my options outside of practicing that I should consider? Where should I start my search?

Options I am aware of - work for insurance company, work for pharma company, work for consulting, work for FDA/government - are there any others? and how would I get started on any of these?
Also, I'm not interested in research.

Thank you so much for your time
- Peroxidase

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[sab3156]

Go into investment banking. Investment firms love people with medical training due to their unique knowledge and insight. If you do an MBA or something, you'll be able to land a pretty high paying job. But please finish residency! Not only will it give you the option of coming back to clinical practice, but it looks better for these jobs.

 

[MstaKing10]

Do you even want to stay in the medical field? What is your passion since ophthalmology isn't it? Would another medical specialty get the juices going? What do you want to do for the rest of your life? Need more info

 

[KHE]

I'm almost near the end of my Ophthalmology residency (1 year of training left) and am realizing that I don't want to practice clinical medicine. What are my options outside of practicing that I should consider? Where should I start my search?

Options I am aware of - work for insurance company, work for pharma company, work for consulting, work for FDA/government - are there any others? and how would I get started on any of these?
Also, I'm not interested in research.

Thank you so much for your time
- Peroxidase

This seems like a peculiar realization to come to this late in your training. What is it that is not fulfilling to you?

 

[ophthope]

This seems like a peculiar realization to come to this late in your training. What is it that is not fulfilling to you?

I think most MDs/DOs have these thoughts during training. Especially those in surgical subspecialties or acute care settings (ED, ICU) due to the nature of the work. It's hard work, you see a lot of really advanced pathology -- and operate on it, you work twice as much as your friends outside of medicine and make less than if you would have taken a job straight out of college.

Peroxidase I would say that if it's a surgical issue - give it another year and see if you feel more confident in the OR. You will.

And consider that it may not be practice itself that makes you feel this way but may be in large part your current setting. If it's tiring clinical volume - consider finding a low volume job, maybe even part time, with some other people who seem happy. It would let you to see what the lightest of all options would be like.

Also keep in mind that the stuff we're seeing in residency is not the same as typical private practice patient population. At a referral center you see a lot of trauma, advanced pathology, difficult cases, etc - because all the hard stuff comes to you. It's great for training, but it slowly drains you over the years. Getting out into a different patient population may surprise you when it comes to your level of happiness. Some people call the first job out of training "IGB job #1." (It Gets Better). Don't forget that.

And for non-clinical jobs, there is an organization called DropOutClub that links MDs to non-clinical jobs in industry.

I doubt you're going to find an investment banking position on there, but I also doubt that if you go down the investment banking / finance road that you'll be able to make $250-300,000 /yr with a reasonable workload. Maybe it's lucrative but it's risky, and Ophthalmology is far more likely to produce that end result. Plenty of unhappy people in finance working longer hours than we do.

 

[kwr7126]

I think most MDs/DOs have these thoughts during training. Especially those in surgical subspecialties or acute care settings (ED, ICU) due to the nature of the work. It's hard work, you see a lot of really advanced pathology -- and operate on it, you work twice as much as your friends outside of medicine and make less than if you would have taken a job straight out of college.

Peroxidase I would say that if it's a surgical issue - give it another year and see if you feel more confident in the OR. You will.

And consider that it may not be practice itself that makes you feel this way but may be in large part your current setting. If it's tiring clinical volume - consider finding a low volume job, maybe even part time, with some other people who seem happy. It would let you to see what the lightest of all options would be like.

Also keep in mind that the stuff we're seeing in residency is not the same as typical private practice patient population. At a referral center you see a lot of trauma, advanced pathology, difficult cases, etc - because all the hard stuff comes to you. It's great for training, but it slowly drains you over the years. Getting out into a different patient population may surprise you when it comes to your level of happiness. Some people call the first job out of training "IGB job #1." (It Gets Better). Don't forget that.

Agreed. 100% agreed. First year of ophtho residency is a low point for a lot of people. At least half of my class talked about quitting. Second year is only marginally better. Private practice is a different world. The patients are different, the pathology is different, the support staff is better, you generally get to sleep, etc. You'll always have the option to leave medicine but it may be tough to go back if you leave right after graduation, especially if you want to operate. I would seriously consider giving it a shot for a year or two and if you're still unhappy then by all means get out. People say not to make major life decisions when you're depressed. I think the same thing applies to residency. It's tough to know how you actually feel about clinical medicine when you're only seeing the worst of it and sleep deprivation makes everything unpleasant. You may also be in a better position to get a consulting job or something similar with a few years of practice experience on your resume. Finally, idk if you have loans but finding a non-clinical job that pays well enough to make payments may be tough. A couple of years in practice while living like a resident could put you in a financial position to take more risks and find something really fulfilling. Just my 2 cents. Whatever you decide, it will get better!