Physician Non-Clinical Career Spotlight: Options For Physicians Without Residency Part 2
In this article, I review non-clinical career options for doctors without residency training in the US.
There are many options for physicians who do not have residency training in the US. What you choose will depend on your unique strengths, skills, available opportunities, and experience.
[For clinical career options for doctors without residency training in the US, please see Part 1 of this article.]
Suggested steps to find your best non-clinical option.
STEP 1:
Start with these 3 foundational questions:
Who do I want to become? What do I really want? Why do I want it?
STEP 2:
Determine the skills, experiences, and interests you want to take with you into your next career.
STEP 3:
If you want to do patient care, please read part 1 of this article.
STEP 4:
If you want to explore non-clinical careers, continue reading.
This list of non-clinical career examples is not intended to be an exhaustive list or an implied endorsement of any of the roles mentioned.
Salaries listed are estimates. Salary range will vary depending on your experience, the industry and location.
Pharmaceutical and device industry roles
Medical coding and billing. Clinical documentation integrity
Clinical informatics or data science
Diagnostic medical ultrasonography
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Pharmaceutical and device industry roles
– Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC)
CRCs play an integral role in the conduct and coordination of clinical trial research. These positions are available in the pharmaceutical and device industries, as well as university and government agency research centers.
Estimated salary range: $40,000.00-$85,000.00 /year (2024).
To learn more, go HERE.
For information about certification, go HERE.
– Clinical Research Associate (CRA), aka clinical monitor or trial monitor)
CRAs oversee and monitor the running of clinical trials.
Estimated salary range: $44,000.00-$146,000.00 (2024)
To learn more, go HERE and HERE.
For information about certification, go HERE.
– Medical Science Liaison (MSL)
The MSL plays an important role throughout the lifecycle of a pharmaceutical product. Their most vital function is to cultivate peer-peer relationships with subject matter experts at academic health centers and clinics.
For more information, including estimated salary, go HERE.
– Clinical research physician or Principal Investigator (PI)
PIs oversee the conduct of clinical trials. They attend to the health and safety of study participants, pay special attention to protocol adherence, data integrity, and ensure trials are executed according to Good Clinical Practice and Human Subjects Protection guidelines.
For more information, including estimated salary, go HERE.
– Safety scientist/drug safety scientist/clinical safety scientist/PVG scientist
Drug safety scientists are responsible for safety monitoring and reporting, safety data review. They support physicians in safety data review, product development, communication of findings, and writing safety reports.
Annual salary estimate: $128,733.00 (2024)
Medical Writing
There are a variety of rewarding careers available in medical writing.
Medical writing is the communication (written, audio, video) of medical and health-related content to a wide range of audiences, including health care professionals, regulators, patients, students, and the public.
To learn more, including the different types of writing and salary estimates, go HERE.
Medical Teaching
There are opportunities to become a medical instructor at local medical, D.O., P.A., or nursing schools.
Examples include basic sciences instructor, anatomy lab instructor, or physical examination skills instructor.
Coaching
Coaching offers flexibility, autonomy, remote work options, and an opportunity to use your gifts and experience to help others. There are many niches for physician coaches: life, health and wellness, career, leadership, business, financial, relationship, book-writing, sports, and more.
To learn more, go HERE.
Poison Information Specialist
Poison information specialists work at one of the 55+ poison control centers in the US. After a certain number of hours and specimens handled, they can become certified. Positions are typically full time with some weekend call responsibility.
The average annual base salary is USD 126,990.00. (salary.com)
To find out more, go HERE.
Medical coding and billing: Clinical documentation integrity (CDI)
Medical coders and CDI specialists review medical charts for completeness to make sure complexity and billing are matched and optimized. While not high paying initially, there’s potential for growth. This is a good option for IMG’s who have had clinical experience in their home country.
To find out more, go HERE and HERE.
Public health
Physicians occupy roles in public health at the State or Federal level. A career in public health typically requires further training, like an MPH or a public health certificate. There are many traditional MPH programs and online MPH programs available.
To learn more about jobs in public health, go HERE.
Clinical informatics or data science
The focus of Clinical informatics is to integrate technology with the clinical needs of the healthcare system. Physicians lead this integration and can improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery.
Median annual salary for a data scientist is $108,000.00 (2023)
To learn more, go HERE.
Step 5:
Take 1 or 2 of the options above that sound interesting to you and connect with someone who is working in this area.
For networking tips, read How to Build Your Network Part I and Part II.
Last words
If you’ve completed medical school, you have knowledge, experiences, and skills that translate well into a variety of non-clinical jobs. You have many options!
Start by defining what you want, what skills you want to use, and what (if any) additional training you want to pursue. Find physicians who have done what you would like to do and connect with them. Be open to “starting at the bottom” and working your way up!