Glimpse at a Career as a Physician Consultant
Physician consultants improve the human condition at the macro level, one business at a time. They use critical thinking and problem solving skills to identify an issue or apply medical knowledge in industries that are not led by physicians. Consulting is focused around the industry-client relationship, as opposed to the patient-centered relationship of direct medical practice.
For example, a physician consultant may use medical knowledge and real-world experiences to aid the insurance industry in providing better services to its clients. Medicine and consulting easily dovetail, as both use a team approach to solve a problem.
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Physicians work in medicine-related industries such as health care information technology -- perhaps with electronic medical records software design, sales, demonstration or teaching. They also work in fields including pharmaceutical, product development, insurance or financial services.
Physicians also consult with attorneys to enlighten them on the mind of a physician and determine a standard of care. Physicians provide testimony to federal panels for new medication approval, serve as expert witnesses on criminal and medical malpractice cases, and can help define the etiology of injury or disease.
Physician consultants work as employees for consulting firms or as independent contractors who determine their schedule and types of assignments to accept. Physicians tend to respond better to other physicians whom they view as a peer with knowledge of the day-to-day experience of a practicing doctor. However, some physicians view consultant physicians with suspicion, assuming those who aren't actively practicing are out of touch with medicine.
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Like a good physician, the best consultants are confident, patient and knowledgeable with keen assessment skills who can form and maintain good relationships with people. Communication skills including writing, public speaking and listening are key in situations from strategizing in a boardroom to translating scientific and medical information to a lay audience. Being flexible and present-moment oriented while maintaining sight on the overall situation is integral to consulting.
To follow the route to consultancy, you must first become an excellent clinician and then determine if being a consultant is for you. Some medical school graduates elect to skip residency and practice entirely and go directly into consulting.
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Undergraduate education that provides a good basis for consulting should contain a broad-based curriculum including English, rhetoric, science and social science classes.
Seek opportunities to develop and refine critical thinking skills in undergraduate education. An example would be taking a summer internship at a company not classically associated with medicine, such as a biotechnology, engineering or manufacturing organization. Re-envision your laboratory classes with renewed enthusiasm toward sharpening problem-solving skills.
One of the many advantages of medicine as a career is that the training has application in many fields and the knowledge and practical experience can be morphed to fit other industries. Work experience can be used to reinvent yourself in a new career where new skill sets can be learned without extensive retraining to help people from a different purview.
Medicine is a lifelong learning career, and consulting affords a physician both variety and a wealth of potential opportunity.
Sylvia E. Morris received her M.D. from Georgetown University School of Medicine and Master's in Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. A former assistant professor at Emory University School of Medicine, she is currently an independent health care consultant and medical director at CVS Minute Clinic as well as a community health advocate. Find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.
