As a health care worker, is it possible to switch industries?

Career tracks tend to be fairly rigid in health care: With all the education and licensing some positions require, people often find it easier to stay in the industry segment they started in rather than try something new.

But switching specialties or professions isn’t impossible—it just takes a little creativity, work and patience, says Peter Moskowitz, executive director of the Center for Professional and Personal Renewal in Palo Alto, California, which helps physicians with life coaching and professional transitions. “You have to be willing to give yourself the time and do the work to be successful,” he says.

So if you want out of your current field and into something brand new, this is how you get that new job you’re after.

Look for new roles that apply your old skills

Many of the skills you have developed in your health care career can translate to positions in other fields.

Consider the path of Tony Gulley, vice president of O2 Fitness in Raleigh, North Carolina. He graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in exercise science and a plan to become a physical therapist, but switched to the fitness industry to work as a personal trainer. Similar skill sets; entirely different fields.

Being a part of the fitness industry allows Gulley to work with those who need corrective exercise, while also impacting the larger population’s health issues, concerns and goals, he says.

Keith Carlson, a nursing coach in Santa Fe, New Mexico, says doctors can also leverage their skills in a wide variety of ways. For example, a warm bedside manner and clinical knowledge in procedures, medications and medical devices could make a doctor ideal for working as clinical sales representatives, Carlson says. “If you have a new type of medical device, it’s better to have a clinician sell it—they’ll be able to teach other clinicians how to use it,” he says.

Try before you buy

If you’re unhappy with the job you have now, look for ways to test out other options before you commit. Reducing your hours in your current position as you train or study for a new one is an option, Moskowitz says. You may also find ways to volunteer in a different position to see if it’s something you want to commit to.

Gulley recommends interning or shadowing in the field you’re interested in. “Interning not only opened doors for me, but also allowed me to see how my classroom knowledge was being applied in the real world and whether or not it interested me,” he says. In addition, it gave him a chance to talk to leaders about what made them successful. Unsurprisingly, it came down to their passion and love for what they did.

Build on your previous education

Direct patient care roles, such as serving as a nurse or doctor, tend to have strict licensing requirements, and switching between them will require a return to school. If you’re a nurse but don’t have a bachelor’s degree, you may have to take some classes to prepare yourself for any med school requirements.

On the other hand, your previous training and experience can help you stand out among other applicants, says Julia Pewitt Kinder, doctor, author and physician career consultant from Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

“If someone with a degree in nursing happened to want to go to med school, the degree would help them stand out as unique in a very, very large pool of applicants,” she says.

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