Non-hospital Jobs for Medical School graduates

[pkgulati]

Hello,

I am on track to graduate medical school in June 2007. I have decided that I dont want to pursue a career in medicine, at least in the typical sense. I want to use my degree to allow me to work with a pharmaceutical or biotech company, or possibly even working for a company that invests in new ideas that involve medical issues or new technologies. I do not want to do the Foundation years in the hospital or even get my name on the medical register. I know this is a late realisation and that the majority of medical students of course go on to be practicing doctors, but I feel that having an MbChB also opens the door for other career opportunities.

Does anyone know of any companies or jobs or non-hospital careers that can be pursued once you graduate from medical school? I assume there must be lots of companies willing to take on a medical school graduate as the degree in itself (and the knowledge acquired) can be applied to lots of different areas and disciplines. Plus in order to graduate I would assume you have to be somewhat clever and hardworking, and possibly well organised as well. Plus you need good self-directed learning abilities.

If anyone can get back to me regarding this it would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

[theicemaiden]

Medicine is a degree so there is no reason you should not apply for any graduate job like a graduate from any other discipline. A medicine degree will probably (at the moment at least!) have a novelty value as companies are unlikely to have many candidates with that degree. As you say, it should also be a selling point as it does demonstrate some intelligence and definite diligence and dedication, not to mention the ability to communicate well, work as a team and analysise things.

Just be careful because a medicine degree also traditionally stands for arrogance (not a trait an employer is necessarily looking for!)

Also, depending on the job you are going for, you may be disadvantaged by having a less purely analytical/mathematical degree than an engineering or science graduate.

All in all, I'd say its a good degree and you have lots of options but you'll have to sell yourself well, and remember applications for 'milkround' jobs happen quite early, some even in sept/oct the year before you want to start working.

Finally, think very carefully about not doing the foundation years... having got this far, you may regret not doing them...

Best of luck!

[DrKK]

I think big companies from the city actually target medical students and try and tempt them away from medicine by offering lots of money. Someone i know (a medical student) spent a summer doing an internship type thing with a big city company a few years back.

[jason1000]

This is a comedy thread, right?

[Mac5800]

not necessarily. People can (and do) decide to leave medicine. Its whatever makes you happy.

[correctomondo]

i know its not what you want to do in the long run but wouldnt you better doing your foundation years and getting registered then pursuing other paths. that way wouldn't it be less hassle if you change your mind in the future?

[jason1000]

Yeah, I know, I was just being cheeky, didn't mean to be rude.

But what are the stats on people dropping out or not registering at the end of the course anyway?

Jason.

[Bambi]

I agree with correctomondo, I think it would be a better idea to at least get registered just in case you do ever want to go back to medicine, it will make things so much easier for you. You never know after being out of medicine for a year or so you might really miss it. Also you might really enjoy actually practicing medicine rather than just studying it and decide to stick at it.

[pkgulati]

Well, thanks to everyone for your replies so far.

I looked at some degree options I might consider after medical school (you may indeed be crazy to do more Uni after doing graduate medicine) and I found one interesting program called MBiotech. It is a 2 yr masters of biotechnology degree that teaches about various methods of biotech development (there is also a thesis component). Since I am a Canadian student studying in the UK i checked my Undergrad uni first and found out a little about it. The website is www.utm.utoronto.ca and then search for MBiotech. I dont know if there is any similar/equivalent program in the UK but I am going to check some websites and have a look and see.

I emailed the course director for more info and found that they have even have a PhD student who did his thesis in Chemistry, so it seems that people do indeed do advanced degrees and then specialise in Biotech. I asked him if it mattered to have to be a registered doctor or would a MBChB on its own be sufficient to excel in the industry. I guess it was my fault to ask this semi-vague question and his response was that there were advantages to being registered and other advantages to joining the program straight out of medical school. I havent explored what exactly these pro's and con's are as of yet, but it at least suggests some doors are open if i decide not to pursue the F1/2 years. Also, I am not really willing to get a job I would have been able to get after doing my BSc or MSc. I want the knowledge I learned in medical school allow me to excel in my job, a job I perhaps wouldnt have excelled in if I hadnt gone to medical school and gained all that extra knowledge.

I think actually doing the F1/2 years , getting registered and then seeing what opportunities are available if i still want to jump ship is a good idea. The only thing that is holding me back from this option is that if I really decide I dont want to do medicine as a career then those years spent in the foundation program may just end up as waste of time and may contribute to further indecisiveness. I guess in the end I try to convince myself that I did the degree in the first place with the intention of working as a doctor but in the end for some reason I dont think thats what i want to do. I do think the knowledge you learn in medical school (about the body as a whole and also about how to manage your own health, that of your family, and just seeing how things happen behind the scenes in the hospital/GP surgery) is priceless. I was talking to a Canadian medical graduate who decided to jump ship half way through medical school (and who did so when she graduated), and she told me she ended up getting a job with a firm that gives advice to other companies and tries to solve their problems (it's a Business Consultant position but she started as an Intern and moved up through the ranks). Im not sure that her degree will necessarily help her in her job, but i guess if she is working with a company within the medical industry it is definitely possible. The firm was McKinsey and Company if anyone was interested.

I guess in the end I am going to try and see what options are available, whether theyre worth considering given the massive time and energy spent attaining the MBChB degree, and my own fondness for maybe pursuing a hospital/GP career if indeed I decide that maybe that it is something I would be willing to do for a career.

[Renal]

But what are the stats on people dropping out or not registering at the end of the course anyway?

Something like a fifth I heard.