Are you wanting to pursue alternative careers with a medical degree? Maybe you are thinking about pivoting out of clinical medicine, but are not sure where to start? In today’s podcast, I interview Dr. John Jurica, founder of the Physician Non-clinical Careers Podcast which has over 250 episodes about various nonclinical careers. In the show, we talk about
- How following his curiosity. even when it didn’t seem relevant, it led him to every next step in his career
- Some of the most interesting non-clinical careers he’s witnessed are from actor to advertiser to health care advocate
- The biggest mistakes he sees clinicians make as they try to pivot into a non-clinical career
In this episode, I really pick Dr. Jurica’s brain to uncover all the helpful nuggets of wisdom he’s picked up through his years of experience in the non-clinical world.
Use the audio player above to listen, or tune in on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Dr. John Jurica’s Career Journey
Dr. John Jurica began his career in Family Medicine and then transitioned to an executive/leadership role as VP for medical affairs, Chief of Medical Service, and Medical Director for various organizations. At present, he is an expert in alternative careers with a medical degree. He has a blog, podcast, Facebook group, and membership site. He helps clinicians who want to transition into non-medical career opportunities.
John started his career as a family physician and was seeing patients in several clinics as he started to build his practice.
In his free time, he explored his interests in other things and got to work as a medical director part-time. He took on more and more of those jobs when he realized that he could still earn money without the need to see patients.
Then he met a mentor who got him interested in doing work as a chief medical officer (CMO). He then started working as a CMO for the hospital he was affiliated with.
After 14 years, he left the job to become an entrepreneur and opened his own health facility. He also began a blog about physician leadership and then a podcast about alternative careers with a medical degree.
Why should you pursue alternative careers with a medical degree
Practicing clinical medicine can lead to burnout quite easily. John admitted that there was a point in his medical practice when he hated seeing his patients. There were too many changing demands and additional unpaid work involved in the medical practice.
Pursuing alternative careers with a medical degree helped him find a way out of clinical medicine and his burnout. He was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time when there was a need for people to step up in physician leadership. The burnout he felt served as a motivation to look out for opportunities and perform new roles.
Knowing When to Move on to the Next Thing
Initially, he chose to ignore the urge to step away. He experienced many negative feelings and events in his life but chose to ignore them until there were too many “signs” that had to take action.
Working outside of clinical practice gave him much-needed free time to actually go on vacations, unlike other doctors who could not afford to take the time off.
It is very important for medical organizations to ensure that their staff makes use of their vacation time appropriately. Clinicians should assert what was stipulated in their contracts in terms of the work schedule and not let the organization abuse them in certain situations.
Curious about Alternative Careers With A Medical Degree
John was naturally curious about options for alternative careers with a medical degree. He developed the firm belief that there was no harm in trying new things. Learning new skills that may at first be irrelevant to you will eventually add up and be helpful once you build them and add them to your expertise. These new skills can become your key to opening new doors to opportunities.
The Most Interesting Alternative Careers with a Medical Degree
In his podcast, John has been exposed to some very interesting alternative careers with a medical degree.
There was one clinician who went as far as becoming an actor. He had a guest who became involved in advertising and then, later on, became a career strategist. Another guest who was a pediatrician turned professional health care advocate following her personal experience of advocating for the healthcare and needs of a close family member.
He talked to a cardiologist who made a business out of creating videos to help medical students pass major evaluations/exams.
He emphasized that medical professionals are among the brightest people and they can do many great things if they just put their minds to it.
Common Mistakes Made By Clinicians when Shifting to Nonclinical
The biggest mistake clinicians make is forgetting about taking the much-needed pause to clearly think about the best solution for them. Asking for help from a mentor is very important to gather relevant insight into potential alternative careers with a medical degree. Networking has been key to some of his podcast guests’ transition.
For those who come up short in terms of network, John suggested taking a look at different Facebook Groups now that offer support and community.
Taking advantage of LinkedIn to connect with other professionals is another great idea.
Pause and Reflect Before Seeking Alternative Careers with a Medical Degree
Most clinicians are so busy that they don’t take the time to stop and think. Taking the time off to clear your head and do something that is not work-related can help a person get their focus.
Doing nothing or avoiding the urge to multi-task actually gives a person the time to meditate and think. People tend to forget that we are actually the ones in control of our time, not others or our circumstances.
Advice to Medical Professionals Feeling Burnt Out and Unfulfilled
It’s seriously so important to stop and reflect in order to figure out the root cause of burnout. Get help from a mentor or a coach and realize that there is always a lot of help available out there.
What you are experiencing is similar to so many others so you are not alone. All you need to do is reach out and get helpful insight from others.
