Christa Maurer ⋅ Princeton, NJ Bristol-Myers Squibb ⋅ 18 years experience

Consider exploring careers with a Pharmaceutical company. Many companies have scientific roles in the clinical research space that could leverage your scientific training (Clinical Scientist roles, for example, design or operationalize drug development protocols and do not necessarily require a MD), Business Operations or Continuous Improvement roles could benefit from your MBA and Green Belt experience. Business Ops and Continuous Improvement roles can be found across the development and commercialization space.

Walt Overfield ⋅ Virginia Beach, VA United Healthcare ⋅ 15 years experience

Steven,
Consider looking at Health Insurance companies for career opportunities. I started with a large, local Medicaid insurer about 15 years ago where I was able to use my MBA and computer skills and develop medical skills. I was able to develop my own niche identifying overpayments that I used to find work as a consultant to many insurance companies. If you are like me when I retired from the Navy and didn't know what I wanted to do, consider changing careers often until you find what you love. Health care is rapidly changing and growing. Focus on the skills you most enjoy using. Write up your perfect job description and Google to see if it is out there. It's hard work because you have so many choices. Put in the time and you will be rewarded.

STEPHEN HURT ⋅ Westminster, CO U.S. Navy Reserve, Chief Petty Officer ⋅ 20 years served

Thank you both for the suggestions. I am at a crossroads career wise, and I am quickly realizing it is not what you know, but who you know. I interview well, but I can not seem to get in front of the right people.

Ben Tiede ⋅ Basking Ridge, NJ Johnson & Johnson ⋅ 9 years experience

Hi Stephen,

I would also look into the pharmaceutical sector as well. You could look into jobs related to Medical Affairs/Scientific Affairs or look for ones that deal with payers/reimbursement. Some will require a MD, but not all. I would suggest starting by looking at companies that have products in your specialty area as a good place to start. Best of luck.

Barry Sosnick ⋅ Greenlawn, NY Great Whites Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics ⋅ 5 years experience

You are not only bright, but hard working. It also seems that you are comfortable with statistics if you mastered six sigma.

I am sure that you considered hospital administration and possible managing senior care. A growing segment is urgent care chains. You can pursue working at their corporate office. Another segment that has potential are private surgical centers. These facilities allow specialists to perform outpatient surgery. For example, several eye doctors pooling their resources to do cataract surgery in one facility rather than their individual offices. Operating room time is a precious commodity at a hospital, so having an alternative to using a hospital's OR is appealing to doctors. This last idea is more entrepreneurial than the others.

Best of luck with your career! I hope that this helped.