I’m a former PGY2 in pediatrics. I quit residency a few years ago, after which I moved back to my hometown with my fiance, got my state medical license, and started working as an MD consultant at a COVID testing company. I was able work part time and still make more money than when I was as a resident (it’s almost like residents are underpaid). This setup afforded me the luxury to spend time pursuing passion projects, the first of which you are looking at!
I chose to leave the consultant job in search of a more stable income, career growth opportunities, and benefits. Fortunately, I was able to land a full-time job as a Healthcare Data Scientist after almost a year of building my portfolio and job searching. Now I get to make good money and still work less than 70 hours a week! With a 40-hour week, I have a boatload of free time to continue pursuing all kinds of passion projects.
I still have a very special place in my heart for preventive medicine. Specifically, helping others determine the best strategies to eat well, sleep well, exercise, and maintain good mental health. This is obviously much easier said than done and we still have a LOT of work to do as a society. Unfortunately most of the top 10 causes of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. have pretty significant lifestyle-related risk factors. This goal will always be in the back of my mind as I navigate through this new career path.
I’d also love to continue creating tools to support residents and even ultimately help reform medical training, but this would take some serious politics and lawyering, neither of which I have experience in, so I’d need to meet the right people first!