What Alternative Career Options Are Available For Doctors?


Many doctors these days are frustrated with healthcare.

This frustration mostly stems from decreasing reimbursements.

Now, saying that makes it seem that all doctors are just in it for the money, and that is almost universally not true.

But the decreased reimbursements cause problems for good-hearted, conscientious physicians. 

Most doctors enjoy taking care of patients. That's why they chose healthcare.

They like spending time with patients, getting to know them, diagnosing their problems, and getting them back to health, out of pain, and having a good quality of life.

The problem is that most doctors today can't spend the time they would like with the patients, because of the decreased reimbursement issues.

If they are employed, there is the pressure of RVU production.

If they are self-employed, there is the pressure of meeting overhead expenses and still having some income remaining. 

In order to handle these pressures, they must see more patients in a given time frame.  They can't do that and spend the time they want with the patients.  

And patients usually don't understand these dynamics. They just think the doctor doesn't have a good bedside manner.  

That creates friction between the doctor and the patient when neither of them were the source of the friction.

And there is nothing the doctors can do to solve these issues. 

That's why so many doctors are frustrated.

So, many are leaving healthcare and choosing other careers.  

But what types of alternative career options are there for doctors?

There are many options.  They include:

  1.  Administrator

  2.  Author

  3.  Healthcare communications

  4.  Consulting

  5.  Research

  6.  Insurance

  7.  Expert witness

  8.  Entrepreneur

  9.  Healthcare IT

  10. Medical device consultant

  11.  Drug companies

  12.  Healthcare writer

  13.  Technical writer

  14.  Physician advisor

  15.  Physician inventor

  16.  Healthcare marketing

  17.  Teaching

  18.  Pharmaceutical sales

  19.  Medical examiner

  20.  Medical director

  21.  Politics

  22.  Sales

  23.  Resort doctor

  24.  Cruise ship doctor

  25.  Prison doctor

  26.  Speaker

  27.  Public health

  28.  Locum tenens

  29.  Social media influencer

  30.  Sports science

  31.  Telemedicine

  32.  Aesthetics practice

  33.  Regenerative health practice

  34.  Nutrition consultant

  35.  Real estate investor

  36.  Stock/Bond investor

  37.  Real estate development

  38.  Disability exams

  39.  Wound care specialist

  40.  Physician life coach

That is by no means an exhaustive list.  

However, it does give lots of options. 

Most of the options listed here are in the healthcare field. 

There are many options outside of healthcare.   

The most important advice is to seriously evaluate what makes you want to leave your practice.

Do you want more control? Then, don't be an employee.

Do you have other passions beyond healthcare that you "must" pursue?

Do you only want to work part-time?

Are you tired of patients?  It can be hard to hear everyone else's problems when you have your own problems, and no one seems to care.

Is your side business getting so busy that it needs more of your time?

Just be honest with yourself on why you want to leave your practice.

Then, be sure your new career path solves those problems.

Ultimately, most doctors just want to practice the way they choose.

They want to see the patients with diagnoses they love to treat. Or to see patients who need the surgeries they love to perform.  

The path to that type of control of your practice is through financial independence.  

How would your practice change if you didn't need the income from it?

Then work on your spending and investing so you can reach financial independence sooner.

Then practice the way you choose!


​Ben Holt, M.D.