Earning a degree is tough for pretty much everyone. But medical school is a league of its own. It's expensive, requires extreme dedication, and you could spend a lifetime studying one field. Yet, upon graduation and after putting the work in, you may feel that you don't want to be a doctor despite holding a valuable medical degree for which you toiled so hard. You may be thinking of some alternative uses for your medical degree.
Fortunately, medical knowledge and skills are easily transferred to other professionals. Therefore, you can still help people in different ways without becoming a practicing physician.
Transfer the Skills
If you have a medical degree, you know all too well the vast knowledge involved in earning it. However, medical knowledge is a fantastic subject, and as such, it can be applied to other areas of study. For example, a drastic change in your career could see you use your medical degree as a medical malpractice attorney. While holding both law and medical degrees, you would be formidable in this field due to extensive knowledge of both subjects.
Put the Knowledge to Good Use
Have you ever noticed how medical segments in movies are vague or unrealistic? That's because most people don't have the time to read about medical stuff, even when researching a film, novel, or video game. This is evident in the quality of the final product since minimal research is carried out. This is usually down to time constraints, budgeting, or simple laziness. Fortunately, you can contribute by becoming a medical consultant for a movie or TV show.
Brand Yourself, Not Like Cattle
Andy Warhol once famously stated, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes”. That future, or present, is here. YouTube and blogs are an excellent way to grab your fifteen minutes. You can use your medical knowledge to help people, especially given medical insurance and privatization issues that deprive some people of basic medical care. Many will Google a symptom and inaccurate self-diagnose. Even if you don't want to practice, you can use your knowledge to help people as a brand like Dr. Mikhail Varshavski.
It's Not About Can't, but Those With Passion Will Teach
Is there a more noble profession than teaching? I think not. Everyone learns from somewhere, right? Unfortunately, practicing medicine isn't for everyone, even those with a medical degree. Around 10% of graduates walk away from the field and pursue another career far from a physician. Yet, holding a degree means you are qualified to teach in a medical capacity. However, you will need to further study teaching before being certified to teach at an educational establishment.
The Pen or the Keystroke is Mightier
While you could quickly go down the blogging rabbit hole and create a fantastic medical blog, you could just as easily professionally divulge your knowledge. Contrary to popular, misinformed belief, journalism is still alive, and medical expert knowledge isn't typical among the rabble. Magazines, newspapers, and medical journals are always looking for professional contributors to their articles and stories. So there's no reason you couldn't head in a creative direction using the knowledge you gained while at medical school.
