The case for medical school non-clinical career education and training

Demand for non-clinical career opportunities is growing. Unfortunately, medical school education and training initiatives in non-clinical careers has not.

The conventional mindset is that medical schools should train clinicians to serve the needs of their communities and they should "stay in their lane", leaving such things as the business of medicine or alternative non-clinical career development to others.

Why should the medical education establishment change and include non-clinical career subjects in the curriculum map?

1. There is an increasing demand from students, particularly women.
2. Understanding the business of medicine, entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, alternative careers, and technology transfer makes better doctors, whichever career pathway they pursue
3. Curriculum design and development should be more market and stakeholder responsive
4. There are significant gaps in the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of graduating medical students to compete in a world that is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous
5. The future medical student debt to future income ratio is uncertain and might require supplemental income from non-clinical activities. During COVID, it already has.
6. COVID and the 4th industrial revolution have forced a reset of the world of sickcare work
7. The present business model of medical education is unsustainable
8. The undergraduate sickcare workforce pipeline has changed and many are coming with significant business and social enterprise experience and interests
9. The premed and doctor persona has changed
10. The academic medical center model is under stress
11. As more and more graduates become employees of consolidated delivery systems, healthcare administrators will hold them accountable and compensate them for creating value.
12. There is no corporate loyalty. No job is safe and many doctors will, by chance or by choice, need to do something other than see 40 patients a day if and when they are discharged, disabled, divorced, disaffected, or disciplined.
13. Career ladders are so 50's There are many ways to help patients other than direct patient care.

Medical students should oversee their career development and medical schools should give them the clinical and non-clinical tools they need to choose their own path.

Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA is the President and CEO of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs

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