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Career Change: Alternatives to Medicine

People consider changing their career for many reasons. Some of the most common include: the work has changed so that they are doing less of the work they prefer to do, changes in family circumstances, health issues or just seeking a new challenge. Whatever the reason, having a good long look at other occupations or professions can be a very positive and healthy experience, even if, as happens more frequently than may be envisaged, the decision is made to remain with the original choice of career. This can result in a more positive attitude and a willingness to explore opportunities within that profession. But what if you are considering a change? Where to start? Are there any realistic alternatives?

First the good news: having invested so much time, energy and financial commitment to medicine, there are other options open to you. Half of all graduate jobs are open to graduates with a degree in any discipline. Whatever stage you are at in your career, whether you have completed your medical degree, successfully completed Foundation, or have several years experience behind you in medicine, people can and do make a successful transition fro medicine into other fields. The reason for this successful transition lies in the skills and qualities you have developed and refined over time. Consider some of the most frequent skills and qualities asked for by employers:

  • Able to work well under pressure
  • Excellent interpersonal skills
  • An effective team member
  • Able to act on own initiative
  • Ability to manage self and others
  • Problem-solving and analytical skills
  • Responsible
  • Reliable…
    • Do you want to leave medicine and its associated careers altogether? Or would you prefer to use your medical knowledge and skills in a related career area? 
    • Public service or private sector?
    • What skills and qualities do you have that you feel are not currently being used but would like to use? For example: analytical skills, communication with other organisations and agencies, creative skills, financial management.
    • What skills are you being asked increasingly to use but feel less confident/ dislike

    • The list goes on and, as a professional with a medical background, you meet them all. You will have acquired many transferable skills which are highly prized in other areas outside medicine, so your problem is not going to be so much “What can I do? What choices are open to me?” as “How do I choose from the wide range open to me?”

    Where to start?

    You may be in the position where you either know or have some idea of the direction you would like to take. If this is the case, then your next step is to find out more about how to do this. If you are not sure, then this is where the hard work begins as you will need to ask yourself a number of questions. The following list is not intended to be exhaustive, but may provide a useful starting point:

    There is a useful website which has a generic career planning interest inventory. This is on Prospects which is the UK’s official graduate website. A guide to using the site can be downloaded here.

    “I have some ideas. How do I find out more?”

    The internet has a huge range of information about different careers and what is involved. The Learndirect website has some useful information about opportunities for mature entrants, Prospects is another good general resource and has a very good information sheet under their ‘Options’ series. A search using the words ‘medicine’ and ‘options’ will bring this up. Some of the job vacancy websites claim to have careers information but this can be variable in terms of accuracy and reliability.

    Another useful source, particularly if you would like to talk through the implications of career choices, is a qualified careers guidance practitioner. A full careers guidance consultation is usually carried out on an individual basis in person. Universities have a careers service for graduates and many will offer this service to their graduates for between two and three years after graduation. Deaneries also have someone with a responsibility for careers guidance, but this may not always be a qualified careers guidance practitioner. The BMA offer a careers guidance service to their members and use a nationally accredited careers service to provide this. In addition there is always the option of using a private careers consultancy, but always check the qualifications of the person you will be speaking to before parting with your money! Careers guidance qualifications include the Diploma in Careers Guidance, NVQ4 in Advice and Guidance and Qualification in Careers Guidance. If you are not sure of a qualification, you can always check this with the Institute of Careers Guidance.

    How hard will it be to make the change?

    To an extent, that depends upon what you decide to do and the career you move into. Some people will find it hard-going, adjusting to a change in salary, different working hours, a target-driven environment and change in status to name a few. Others find the change a liberating experience, their only regret being that they didn’t make the change years ago. A note of caution though: if undecided about whether you will want to return to medicine at some point, ensure you have a back-up plan or are sufficiently qualified to make the return a smooth transition.

    And finally…

    If you are not sure whether to leave medicine, don’t rush into a decision. All careers have aspects of their work which are mundane or stressful; everyone has days when they don’t want to do that job anymore. Weigh up the pros and cons, talk to people in the careers you are considering, talk to people who know you well but ultimately make your own decision. It may be that you just need some time out, or that you need to make a move within medicine, whatever the decision, make sure it is the right one for you.

    Useful Resources

    Regional Development Agencies are in all areas of the country and include useful information on jobs and training opportunities, also indicators of growth in the local economy. Included here is the South West Regional Development Agency.

    Another useful source for labour market information are the Sector Skills Councils, which focus on specific occupational sectors. Search under sector skills council and this will generate the sector skills web addresses.

    LearnDirect - National Information on learning and careers, where searches on local areas can also be carried out.

    A useful website for graduate career opportunities is TargetJobs and the UK official graduate website can be found at Prospects