It is true that most doctors have many different skills and talents. Yet, many doctors cannot easily find non clinical positions. At the same time, I also hear regularly from recruiters who tell me that they can't easily fill their well-paying positions. Why are there so many doctors who want non-clinical jobs while there are unfilled jobs? The reason is that doctors and recruiters often don't speak the same language. I have learned that there is a wrong approach to looking for a non-clinical job and there is a right approach. Sticking to the right approach saves time and prevents disappointment.

Wrong Way
There are no job descriptions for 'a doctor who wants to change direction.' Recruiters are very specific in their needs. One of the first questions recruiters ask me is, "do you know someone who is a good fit for this position?" They typically describe the experience and skills they are looking for.

The wrong way to transition out of clinical medicine is to look for, ‘anything else’ without specifying what it is that you are looking for. If you state that you can do anything (especially that you want to provide advice) you are less likely to be taken seriously than if you are specific and targeted in your approach.

Managers and recruiters try to avoid hiring people who seem like they want to 'get away' from something.

Right Way
The right way to obtain a non-clinical job is to:

1. Honestly evaluate your goals and professional priorities. There are so many options, and there is no reason to pivot to a position that will not fit in with your life goals. This includes your level of interest in the work, as well as other priorities you might have (stability? flexibility? working from home?)

2. Study your options and narrow down your choices to the type of jobs that match your professional and personal objectives. Finding the right fit is the most important part of landing the right job. Doctors who are changing direction need to reevaluate their goals before, not after, they start looking for the right non-traditional job.

Each type of non-clinical job requires a different approach. Before applying for any non-clinical position, it is helpful to become familiar with the work environment, typical salary, work expectations, and, of course, the best approach for finding a job in that specific field.

Find out if you are qualified for what you are looking for. Learn how to become qualified for the most common non-clinical jobs to see if you have the time and interest to make yourself a good candidate.

You could sabotage yourself by offering to do 'anything' or 'provide advice'. You can use nonclinicaldoctors.com and the many resources for physicians who are looking at non clinical jobs to find more details about how to effectively tailor your job search for the job you really want. This will give you a huge advantage as you look for the right fit.

• Writing- Many doctors consider writing to be fairly tedious, but for those to whom writing comes naturally, it is an appealing source of revenue. In general, breaking into non-medical writing jobs takes dedication and time. Here are tips about self-publishing for physicians. And medical writing, another interesting route, requires some planning, as discussed here. Medical writing jobs can involve writing for pharmaceutical or biomedical device companies, CME, or educational writing.
• Teaching- Medical education is a wide ranging field that includes many different roles. Working as an adjunct professor is among the most beloved part time pursuits for physicians because it offers a community of creative colleagues and a young, energetic university or medical school environment. Generally, finding a teaching job requires networking within your local education community. Find out more about how to use your medical qualifications to find a teaching job here. Additionally, physicians can work as clerkship directors, test prep writers, and can give lectures in medical school or other health professional schools.
  
• Concierge care- Concierge care is patient care, but with a somewhat different arrangement than usual. There are companies that help physicians with the logistical aspects of setting up a concierge practice and. A physician explains how he integrated concierge care into his practice here.
• Disability exams- While performing and documenting disability exams is patient-based, it does not require on call duties, and thus is an attractive option for doctors who want to add a generous extra income without incurring additional patient follow up commitments or medical malpractice exposure. You can potentially do this type of work along with clinical care or full time. More information here.
  

• Product affiliations- Doctors have varied degrees of involvement when it comes to product affiliations. Some physicians directly sell products in the office or on social media, and some endorse products or serve as a spokesperson. You can contact a leader who guides physicians through the process here and a physician who has built an expanded her team here.
• Investments- Investing in the stock market, in real estate or in start up companies can provide a revenue stream for doctors who already have a reasonable financial foundation and an interest in spending the time necessary to thoroughly vet potential growth opportunities.
• Franchise ownership- As with investing, franchise ownership is a route chosen by people of all backgrounds and professions. There are so many franchises in a variety of different areas, and some companies, such as this one, for example, help people sift through the options to select the best fit.
  

1. Evaluate why you want to get out of clinical medicine. Each doctor has a unique story. Start by evaluating current goals. Some doctors want more money, some want more recognition, some crave free time, and some want new challenges. You can use Careers Beyond Clinical Medicine or this list identify your goals. You must remember - your own personal goals are valid and worthy of follow through. Identify your goals and be proud of your career goals.

2. Learn about the options in the non-clinical world. There are many important roles for doctors in health care besides patient care. Non-clinical jobs for doctors is a catch-all label that covers a wide array of choices. Explore the resources around you to find out as much as you can about the different options and what to expect in terms of salary, time commitment, work environment, and future prospects for promotion. There are also opportunities completely outside of healthcare that you can excel at. You can find a substantial amount of useful information here on nonclinicaldoctors.com and there are useful links to help you find other online resources as well.

3. Match your goals to the available career options. Find the right fit for you. Narrow your career search to focus on the jobs that suit your current, and possibly future, career goals. You might decide to stay in patient care, but make some adjustments to your job. Or you may decide to stay in the medical field in a job that does not involve as much patient care as your current job, you might decide to leave patient care completely, or you might even decide to leave medicine completely. These physician success stories can help you get an idea of the day to day life of a non-clinical physician.

Personal Qualities 
Most university and graduate school department chairmen receive numerous inquiries from highly qualified professionals who want to teach. If you want to be considered for a teaching position, you should have evidence of certain personal qualities in addition to your medical degree. And, a chairman or departmental committee will check your references to see if you have these qualities. 

• Experience in teaching: Most physicians have taught junior residents or medical students in hospital rounds. You have probably also given a few grand rounds or prepared morbidity and mortality meetings. You may have also given a few lectures or case study sessions in the medical school setting. 
  
• Good feedback from students or peers: If you have taught before, it is likely that your teaching skills have been formally assessed. Recommendations that reference your teaching evaluations can be valuable when you are applying for a teaching position. 
  
• Demonstration of organizational skills: Teaching a course for a whole semester requires organization of lectures, exams, and creating a syllabus. While it may be difficult to demonstrate this ability if you have not previously taught a whole semester class before, experience with tasks such as organizing an on-call schedule or a clinic schedule can demonstrate that you are capable of preparing a course for students. 
  
• Attentive to learning goals: This one can be difficult for physicians. As a high achiever, you may have strong opinions about your teaching objectives. However, while your goals are probably commendable, teaching a course isn’t about you. It is about ensuring that your students learn what is necessary at their educational stage. 
  
• Encouraging and fair: Students learn when professors empower and challenge. Students need to be given instructions, opportunities to demonstrate skills, balanced feedback, and chances for improvement.
  

What to Expect 
It is also important to know what a teaching position may entail. 

• Full time vs. part time: If you want to teach undergraduate or graduate level courses, you may qualify for an adjunct position if you don’t want to do research, or for a full time tenured position if you want to do research. Sometimes, there are full time teaching positions for non- researchers, but these are not at common. 
• Compensation: The pay for university teaching varies, and it is typically calculated per credit hour or per course taught. The hourly rate may be competitive, particularly as you gain seniority and if you are knowledgeable about the subject matter and organized in your work. 
  
• Vacations: There are typically built-in vacations, as you will rarely be expected to work when school is not in session. 
• Professional development: Most universities provide opportunities for professors to learn new skills and stay up to date. The university setting is generally more updated when it comes to technology than a small medical office or a small company, and you will quickly learn how to use the most efficient and updated systems. You will also have the opportunity to learn about updated teaching strategies. 
• Smart colleagues: One of the major benefits of teaching is the exposure to creative and energetic colleagues who are devoted to students, their research, or both. 
• Student interaction: Teaching can be a great option for physicians who like interpersonal interaction. It does require patience, kindness, and the ability to grade and evaluate students fairly. If you want to leave medicine to escape from anxious patients, then teaching may not be a good fit, because students can be anxious as well. 
• Professional opportunities: University professors are highly sought after as experts in industry. Publishers, medical manufacturers, and conference organizers are likely to offer you well compensated consulting opportunities. 

How to Find a Job
In general, most teaching positions in higher education require a PhD. Physicians are not the typical applicants, but some are able to find teaching jobs in college, medical school, or another type of graduate school. There are some helpful methods to keep in mind in your search.

• Applying: If you want a teaching position, it is best to apply widely to several universities. Finding a job in a prestigious university may take longer, as you wait for job openings. However, if your objective is to gain experience in teaching, it is best to apply to a variety of universities, even those that are not especially prestigious. 
  
• Networking: If you are interested in teaching, it is helpful to network and to mention your interest to physicians and professors so that you can learn about openings, and so that people will know to contact you when teaching positions become available. Chairmen and professors often know about opportunities that come up in other departments and universities, and may share information with you when a good fit comes up. 
• Clarity: It is not uncommon for physicians to teach a few lectures on a volunteer basis. If you are looking for a paid position, you need to be clear about your goals and objectives. 
• Accepting a compromise: Depending on the universities in your area, it may be difficult to find a full time position right away. However, an adjunct teaching job can open the door to a full time position after a while. But if your goal is a full time position, it is best to confirm that it will be an option at some point in the future before you accept a compromise that cannot lead you to your long term goals.

 
Many doctors express a desire to teach. Teaching can be enjoyable, and it opens many doors professionally. However, teaching requires dedication so it is important to decide if you really want to teach before you start looking for jobs.

There are a number of effective ways to master healthcare regulation. You can use the following approaches to build regulatory expertise. Most doctors do not need to use all of these methods, and instead mix and match these tools at a self-appointed pace.

• Join one of your decision-driven hospital or university committees (such as pharmacy committee or payer relations or compliance or resident education or CME) You might not get appointed right away, but if you show interest, ask to attend a few meetings as a 'guest,' and contribute usefully to the discussion (or, at least, don't anger too many people) you are likely to get an appointment in the next appointment cycle.
• If you are offered a part-time consulting job, consider it. Most doctors turn their noses up at chart-review jobs or consulting opportunities that pay $150-200/hr. However, the experience of doing 'behind the scenes' work provides more insight into the realities and complexities of healthcare policy than most formal courses.
  
• Attend programs sponsored by your professional specialty association. Most regulation centered programs do not count as CME- but they can be worthwhile for your own educational and practical benefit. These presentations are generally well designed and relevant.
• Take a course in healthcare policy at a local college to fill in the gaps of your regulatory knowledge and to tailor your learning.
• Use free online resources. Almost everything anyone would ever want to know about healthcare laws, rules, regulations, payment, licensing and so forth is available online. Here are some links to introductory resources to get you started.
  
• Consider getting an MBA, healthcare MBA, executive MBA or MPH. So many doctors are getting these extra degrees now, that many administrative positions unofficially require them. In considering whether to get an extra degree, it is important to keep in mind that these programs can provide a mechanism to help you understand healthcare regulation- but they might not. It depends on the curriculum of the program you are considering. There are some advantages to studying for an MBA, a healthcare or executive MBA or an MPH, and these different degrees are not all the same. You should carefully examine the curriculum of several programs to get insight into what the programs have to offer- and then decide whether a program can help you in achieving your objectives. A doctor shares her decision making process and experience with the dual MD/MBA degree.
  

Overall, expertise in medicine is not enough to catapult you to the next step in your career. The details of regulatory and policy issues are unfamiliar to most healthcare professionals. However, a mastery of these laws and rules is a necessary step if you want to attain a leadership role in the medical world.