healthcare professionals are pursuing non-clinical careers
The role of healthcare professionals and their type of practice is evolving. Pursuit of non-traditional healthcare careers is increasing.
There has been a progressive increase, particularly over the past few years, of healthcare professionals both leaving traditional clinical practice and seeking non-traditional career paths. There is little indication that this trend will change anytime soon. The role and engagement of healthcare professionals is also continually changing. Elsevier Health released a report entitled “Clinician of the Future: a 2022 Report” in which it is estimated that by 2024 one third of current providers will consider leaving their current position, of whom one half are contemplating leaving the healthcare profession permanently. One in four providers consider support for wellness to be a top priority and one of the top skill sets for the future was estimated to be in the realm of technology capabilities according to the report.
The explanation for this change is most likely multi-factorial. In part it may be related to the progressive increase in healthcare professional burnout. It may also be the result of evolving expectations amongst healthcare professionals regarding the nature of their practice, the desire for increased ‘work-life balance’, and perhaps disillusionment with the nature of modern day clinical practice. Many professionals are seeking greater autonomy and fulfillment within their professional lives and an increased emphasis on wellness. It is also important to consider that many, if not the majority, of healthcare professionals have other roles outside of their professional capacity, including as parents. The issue of parental burnout is receiving greater attention and is another significant factor for consideration with respect to the reasons why healthcare professionals are contemplating, or actually, leaving traditional clinical practice. The combination of demands from a health-related profession and the role of a parent can contribute to a synergistic effect on burnout.
There are many potential implications related to the current, and anticipated, departure of healthcare professionals from traditional clinical practice. From the healthcare system perspective, there is substantial risk of an insufficient number of practitioners being available to provide timely care to patients. For those healthcare professionals who remain in traditional clinical roles, the workload may increase substantially as a result. This increased demand may lead to further professionals leaving traditional practice, if not health-related careers entirely.
The resulting impact on the timeliness, quality, and access to care for patients may be substantial. This impact, however, should not become a means with which to convince or negotiate with healthcare professionals to either stay within traditional practice or, for those remaining in a clinical role, to increase workload. The resulting increased need for access to medical care may result in opportunities for those professionals establishing non-traditional practices outside of the traditional clinical context. Evolution of models of care within the clinical context will be necessary if there is a shortage of professionals practicing within the traditional paradigm. In addition, it may become necessary for an appraisal of the nature of the healthcare system to be conducted with resulting strategies for improvement of the system for professionals to practice within.
Many healthcare professionals who make the difficult decision to leave traditional medical practice, choose to start a non-traditional healthcare-related career path. This may take many different forms, such as a consultant for health-related companies or as a coach for other healthcare professionals or the general public. In many instances, these healthcare professionals are starting their own respective business individually or with partners. This can be a daunting task as there are numerous skills and requirements for the start-up, growth, and management of a business which are not typically trained amongst healthcare professionals. There are related skills, such as social media management and content development, which are integral to the operation of a successful business that similarly may be unfamiliar to many, if not most, healthcare professionals.
For those who start and develop their own practice outside of a typical clinical context, assistance with many of the necessary aspects of business is available through other professionals and agencies. Just as there are executive coaches who work with individuals on personal growth and development of health and wellbeing, so too are there coaches focused on business growth and development. There are social media agencies that can work with healthcare professionals to start and promote their platforms. Legal and financial professionals are available to assist with these respective aspects of a healthcare business. It is important for the healthcare entrepreneur, the so-called healthpreneur, to connect with these professionals so as to ensure that the business aspects of the health-related practice are properly and appropriately organized and maintained.
While many healthcare professionals have reported burnout, decreased professional fulfillment and satisfaction, and a related desire to leave the profession, it is important to recognize that there are many potential health-related career paths if one chooses to leave a traditional clinical practice. Typically, individuals who decided upon a career in healthcare in the first place did so because of a desire to help other individuals combined with an interest in the subject and science of health-related fields. It is possible to continue to pursue and develop these passions outside of the traditional clinical practice.
For those healthcare professionals who are seeking to start a health-related non-traditional clinical practice, support with social media management and content development can be an important consideration. House Call Media provides healthcare trained social media management and evidence-driven content development. To learn more about these services, please visit www.housecallmedia.com.
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To learn more about the healthcare trained services provided by House Call Media, please visit www.housecallmedia.com.
REFERENCE
Elsevier Health. Clinician of the Future: A 2022 Report. https://www.elsevier.com/connect/clinician-of-the-future. Last Accessed January 9, 2023.