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Shaping Your Career

Practice

Medicine provides a myriad of practice options, ranging from the traditional private practice to large academic medical centers with hundreds of affiliated physicians. Obtaining a basic understanding of the types of practice settings available ensures you'll be equipped to choose a setting that suits your career and personal objectives.

Professional Development

Medicine is a field where its professionals especially must change with the times throughout a career. However, evolving in your role as a physician — or, professional development — ideally involves taking this growth and development to the next level. This level of professional development includes dedicating yourself to enhancing your medical knowledge and skills over time, effectively managing your education debt and general financial health, networking with other health professionals to broaden your horizons, and other topics.

 

Alternative Career

A small but growing number of medical school graduates are choosing alternative careers. These paths less taken often make good use of a physician's medical, scientific, and clinical skills — although success often hinges on other skills and qualifications a candidate brings beyond the medical degree. Many of these alternative options value the medical degree, but clinical skills and knowledge often make physicians more beneficial in these industries, so completing a residency and becoming licensed may still be important for pursuing an alternative career.

Choosing a road less traveled does not in any way reflect your knowledge and skills, but rather, your interests and values.