If you are looking to apply your medical skills in a setting that takes you beyond the work of the NHS you might want to consider some of the following career areas:
Medical officers in the Armed Forces
Both the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force accept applications for Medical Officers straight from medical school. The Royal Army require you to have completed professional training (usually F1/F2, sometimes specialist training) before you can apply. Employment prospects are currently good but be prepared to work in war zones around the world and to undertake some basic military training.
See the Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy careers websites for more information or make an appointment at your local Army Careers Office (Peters Street, Manchester).
Sports medicine
If you are keen to apply your medical skills to patients that are generally fit and well you could consider gym/sports team roles. Work patterns tend to include evening and weekend work and the potential to travel. The British Association of Sports and Exercise Medicine offer postgraduate qualifications, most commonly studied alongside specialty/GP training, for those interested in a career in this area. See the BASEM website and also the UK Association of Doctors in Sport for more information.
Travel medicine
If your career wish list includes international travel, you might consider travel medicine. Prior clinical experience in tropical and infectious diseases or general practice is generally sought in this area as you will be dealing with immunisation programs and managing and treating infectious diseases associated with overseas travel.
Pharmaceutical medicine
Options in the industry range from working for large multinational firms such as Pfizer to smaller specialised biotech facilities such as those based on Manchester Science Park. Roles particularly relevant to those with medical training include clinical research posts, drug safety officers and medical advisers. Whether you want to work at the bench or prefer the challenge of communicating with scientists every day there are a diverse range of roles in the industry. The Association of British Pharmaceutical Industries has a fantastic careers website listing in excess of twenty different roles! Often graduates entering these areas will have some previous research experience.
Medical writing
If you have a passion for communicating scientific concepts to others, be that academically, journalistically or in an educational capacity, you may consider medical writing. There’s potential for freelance work here as well. Start building a portfolio of written work as soon as you can to demonstrate your style. For more information the following organisations are helpful; the Medical Journalists Association, the European Medical Writers Association, and the Association of British Science Writers.
Medico legal work
There are opportunities to work in medical protection, defence, risk management and forensic medicine however most medico legal roles require a number of years of previous clinical experience.
If you are looking for a complete move into the legal field, then you could consider training to become a solicitor or a barrister. As with any career change, this would require a good deal of forward planning. Postgraduate legal education is expensive (most courses cost in excess of £6000) and competition for initial training positions is fierce with approximately twice as many students qualifying as there are training places. It is possible to specialise in medical law at the end if you want to use your knowledge of the healthcare system, but with two years of postgraduate legal study followed by two years working as a trainee ahead of you this is a lengthy and expensive option.
Medical posts in overseas aid organisations
Posts in this type of work (particularly in developing countries) tend to require substantial prior clinical experience, after all, you could be working in a far flung part of the globe, managing a team on limited resources and responding to a wide range of medical emergencies. There are a number of medical aid organisations placing doctors in such posts, these include; Medecins Sans Frontieres, Merlin, the Red Cross, and Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO).
Expedition medicine
If your desire to travel and experience the great outdoors surpasses your desire for a large (or any) salary you might consider expedition medicine. Safari, marine and polar expeditions for scientific or even charity incentives all require accompanying medics. It goes without saying that this is another area where experience in emergency medicine and infectious diseases is sought after. See www.expeditionmedicine.co.uk for more information.
Management
As a new graduate you can apply directly to the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme alongside graduates of other disciplines. The GMC also have a Graduate Management Scheme as do some of the providers of private healthcare.
It is most common for those involved in clinical management to have worked as a doctor for some time before moving into management. The British Association of Medical Managers has some useful resources online.
Academic Medicine
If you are thinking of embarking on a career in research or would like to combine clinical practice with research, it is now possible to undertake a dedicated training pathway in Academic Medicine starting at foundation level. If you are not sure at this stage whether you wish to commit to a career in academic medicine it is also possible to organise a foundation rotation.
Public Health
If you are interested in public health policy and strategy, consider looking in to the Faculty of Public Health training programme. Once you have completed your foundation training you will be eligible to apply for training to become a registered specialist in public health.
Filed under: Alternative Medical Careers | Tagged: Academic Medicine, Alternative Medical Careers, army, medical writing, navy, pharmaceutical medicine, public health, RAF, sports medicine, travel medicine
