Interventional radiologists are uniquely experienced to transition into nonclinical roles—even ones they’d never image doing.
On Tuesday, five IR panelists discussed their experiences transitioning out of clinical IR practice and into non-clinical opportunities. Moderated by Meridith Englander, MD, FSIR, the panelists discussed their paths, skill sets, challenges and successes in a casual session geared toward helping attendees identify potential career paths.
The panelists spanned a range of such career paths. Alexander Ding, MD, MS, MBA, is a physician advocate for a health insurance company that is transitioning into becoming a healthcare company. Eleni Liapi, MD, is a scientific review officer for the National Institutes of Health. Aneesa S. Majid, MD, MBA, FSIR, is the CEO of a tech company, and is also an executive coach. Michael D. Dake, MD, FSIR, is the senior vice president for health sciences at the University of Arizona, overseeing six different colleges within the system. Venkat Tummala, MD, is the vice president for medical affairs at Inari Medical.
Each panelist found their path to their current job in a different way. Some were intentional, like Dr. Liapi, who was looking to transition from a full-time career in IR research to the other side of the coin, and found a listing for her current position on a job site. Dr. Ding also found his job via LinkedIn and applied. Others said their job found them, like Dr. Dake, who was encouraged by colleagues to apply to his current job, as well as Dr. Tummala, who had sought part-time opportunities with industry and was then quickly offered a full-time position.
But all agreed on the incomparable impact of networking. Each panelist acknowledged how helpful it had been to talk to other physicians who had made the leap, or to connect with colleagues who worked in similar sectors. Networking opened up doors and provided knowledge that helped the panelists make their decisions.
“The first rule of networking is to know what you’re looking for, and then to tell everyone,” said Dr. Majid. “If you tell 50,000 people that you want to sit on a board, eventually someone will know someone who did that, and they’ll connect you. And things snowball from there.”
Dr. Ding agreed. “That first step into networking is hard, but once you take it, things gain momentum quickly and you’ll begin to see opportunities.”
He also encouraged interested physicians to seek out mentorship.
“Unlike with traditional medical training, there is no clear path to success in a nonclinical role because they are so varied,” he said. “You truly have to reach out and talk to others who have done this.”
One concern many physicians may have about transitioning out of the clinic is that they may not have the skills necessary—but this shouldn’t be the first concern, the panelists said.
“People think that having a secondary degree is a pre-requisite for pivoting out of a space, but that’s not true,” Dr. Ding said. “In many ways, having an MBA is like going to medical school. You learn the theory, but you need to do a residency to put that theory to the test and actually learn the skills. But there’s a lot of life experience gained in the clinic that will teach you the theory you’ll learn in business school and build those muscles, like practice administration, leadership or even owning a private practice.”
Much of it, the panelists said, comes down to convincing the market that you have the qualifications, experience and confidence to succeed. There are specific skills and value that an IR can bring to a nonclinical position at every stage—be it just out of medical school or after 20 years of practice.
There are also many leadership and training opportunities beyond a secondary degree, Dr. Dake said, citing the countless leadership courses and academies that are out there. These can build a resume, fill in knowledge gaps and also serve as an excellent networking opportunity.
The best approach, Dr. Majid said, is to be specific about your skill set and blind spots, and seek out additional training or education if you feel it will truly be beneficial.
Like Dr. Ding, Dr. Majid believes that IRs are uniquely poised to succeed, though. “IR is the best specialty to be able to transition to nonclinical work,” she said. “We have to go from micro to macro, to look at the big picture, and then break down the operational steps at every stage. IRs can be in the middle of a case and have to get creative in a high-stress situation. We’re always on our toes and learning new things.”
IRs shouldn’t overlook the “soft” skills that can be instrumental to success as well—skills like leadership, communication and creativity. “This is what our former practices prepped us for,” said Dr. Liapi.
Transitioning isn’t without its challenges, though. Dr. Liapi suddenly found herself responsible for hiring and focusing not on clinical skills, but on the communicational and interpersonal skills needed for reviewers. Dr. Tummala called his experience “humbling” when he realized all that was involved in taking a product from idea to realization.
Dr. Dake agreed that it’s important to be humble. “In any job, when you start, you have to listen. Go around and talk to people. Learn the mission. Figure out how you fit in. Then develop tactics and strategies. Use your IR skillset, find the problems and solve them.”
And don’t be afraid to ask for help, Dr. Majid said. “Acknowledge what you don’t know and ask for help,” she said. “You don’t have to do it all and know it all. ‘I don’t know’ is a great answer, because it allows you to find help and learn.”
Dr. Ding agreed. “As IRs, we are deep experts in a certain area of medicine. When you’re in an administrative or executive leadership role, it’s uncomfortable to realize that you’re not going to be the expert on something,” he said. “You have to learn to trust the people on your team. You may not understand everything on an expert level.”
Though all panelists support the transition to nonclinical work, they agreed that it’s not something that should be done without deep consideration—and shouldn’t be pursued just because an IR is burnt out in their practice.
“If you feel burned out, running from what you’re doing won’t work,” Dr. Liapi said. “You need time to recharge. So don’t react to something in a short period of time. The grass is not always greener. Take your time and consider your options.”
What’s most important, Dr. Ding said, is being thoughtful and reflective of what you want to do. “Figure out what you want,” he said, “and pursue something that will interest, challenge and fulfill you.”
Missed this session? Watch any time at home by purchasing SIR 2023 On-demand.
