If You Didn’t Complete a Medical Residency, Career Options Still Exist

If you did not complete a medical residency, or obtain board certification, you are not alone. This is a very common situation, and there are a multitude of opportunities awaiting you.

A List Won’t Help You

checklistBut the question “What jobs are available for doctors who have not completed residency” is not the best question to ask to begin moving forward towards a new medical career.

It isn’t the best question, because the answer to the question is a list. A list won’t help you for several reasons, some of which are:

  1. There is no such list that has every possibility. There are endless career opportunities.
  2. The opportunities which are available at any given time are constantly changing. By the time you select something from a list, it may not be available.
  3. While the common issue is lack of residency/board certification, there are many other individual factors to consider when exploring career options: other experiences, personality, interests, skills, etc.
  4. To increase your chances of success, you should pursue multiple options.
  5. Sometimes unique opportunities get created for unique individuals.
  6. “Picking” the next career is not the first step in finding career options.
  7. Submitting job applications is not the best way to land a new career.

“What career can I obtain without a medical residency/board certification” seems like a simple question, but it is the wrong question to ask because it infers that the answer to the question (“You can have a career as a _________”) will move you forward in your career. The answer to that question will do very little to push you ahead towards a career.

You Need to Change Your Mindset

new mindset = new resultsInstead, one must change their mindset that to find a career one must first pick the job, then submit a job application. This is not the correct method. Unfortunately, this is the only method of obtaining a new career that most doctors are familiar with.

Finding a non-clinical career requires in-depth knowledge of branding, marketing, and selling a product/service/commodity – selling YOU to the world. You can find a non-medical career that pays very well, allows you to make a difference in the world, gives you work-life balance, and fulfills other life goals. But you need to plan and strategize.

Too much valuable time can be wasted trying to first select a certain job title to pursue. The key – the secret to successfully moving forward quickly – is to begin moving forward to a new career before you pick the career. Some of the first steps include identifying skills, strengths, interests, and goals to clearly define what you want. Then you must effectively market yourself. The key is to make people see your value and want to hire you.

Learn Strategies to Seek Out Opportunities

Time should be spent learning the strategies of seeking out opportunity. While the strategies of career-searching are more complex than most realize, it is fun to learn, and doesn’t take extensive time and a lot of money (it is much easier than obtaining another degree!).

No residency or board certification? Stop wasting time wondering what options exist, and spend that time taking specific steps that will move you forward from your place of inertia.

Seeking Opportunities