Has anyone switched from corporate to healthcare. How did you go about it and how was it?

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TheAngryBad@reddit

It's not too young.

My wife switched from a corporate role to trainee paramedic at age 40, with zero healthcare experience. Ten years later she's an advanced clinical practitioner and very happy with where she is.

It's not been an easy road, but it's perfectly doable.

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AirSorvete@reddit

Go and do some volunteering/ get some experience. Healthcare is a broad profession.

It is important to get a bit of a reality check in terms of what its like to actually care for folk.

I have done care work in the past and it opened my eyes to some of the realities of care/health style work.

Few years older than you but its cemented my interest in nursing.

If you want to get in as a doctor, you have to do the degree. Nurse? University route or you can get on the job training while working in a support role. Nursing Associates

Do also consider the realities of working in the NHS. Salary and conditions; hours; finding work...

Both doctors and nurses are struggling to find jobs when newly qualified. Sometimes in those cases it may mean you need to be more flexible than usual just to find something (ie you live in London but there is a job in Belfast etc)

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honeydew4276@reddit (OP)

Thank you - I am due to start volunteering at my local hospital soon on the wards.

I have looked into GEM already and the requirements and the doctorsuk sub has opened my eyes to a lot of the issues facing the profession so I suppose it’s about weighing out those issues vs the issues I face in corporate

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AirSorvete@reddit

There you go, you're more than half way there!

Good luck OP

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Immediate-Log9917@reddit

What is it specifically about corporate that you don’t think you can continue with long term? And what is it about medicine that seems appealing?
Maybe just a change in roles to something that might tick more boxes for you?
The grass isn’t always greener..

That being said, if you are really passionate about medicine, then you can still do it! 27 is young, there will be people older than you starting too!

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honeydew4276@reddit (OP)

I will admit a big reason is AI destroying my field and I feel like I should make a transition to something safer while I’m still young with no partner/dependents so I can set myself up for the future. But I’m aware medicine isn’t something you just do on a whim - I’m due to start ward volunteering at my local hospital soon.

But even without AI, I’m just realising how unfulfilled I feel. And I think this is largely due to the company I work for and I feel like I could make a big difference elsewhere (I work in software design so software design for a health tech company for example would likely feel more fulfilling but then that goes back to the AI issue). And I think about the progression of corporate roles and I don’t want to be a manager at all where all I do is tell other people what to do without really practicing my field. I know consultants have managerial responsibilities too but they still practice their speciality.

The sheer number of specialities in med is appealing to me, as well knowing it’s inherently a job that makes a difference to people and is intellectually stimulating content with no boredom.

But I know it’s hard work and I’m likely romanticising it, and I’m also aware of the issues facing doctors right now especially around actually getting into speciality training.

Are you a doctor?

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Friendly-Writing8593@reddit

would look into trainee roles. for instance, on NHS jobs website, a Trainee Echocardiographer role would start at band 6 and then turn into a band 7 upon qualifying.

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StarShipYear@reddit

"Healthcare" and "Medicine" is so ridiculously broad. Infact, if you are trying to get away from "Corporate", you may very well be back in it again after you've completed your detour.

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honeydew4276@reddit (OP)

medicine=doctor

typically when you say healthcare though people don’t think of corporate roles, they think of jobs such as doctor, nurse, dentist etc

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StarShipYear@reddit

I don't think so. Healthcare could be a care assistant in a nursing home. It's ridiculously broad. Big difference between that and a doctor so it's better to be specific.

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honeydew4276@reddit (OP)

Yeah that is a good point - thank you

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InvestigatorSoft3606@reddit

Not exactly corporate. But I switched from being an R&D type engineer in a company to working in NHS.

There are pros and cons. Wont list them all but big ones are :

PROS

Real sense of mission and "doing good"
Pension is decent

CONS

Pay could be better
Understaffed - and there is an absolute expectation that you will sacrifice your home life / free time to make up for staffing issues by just working more / harder with no extra pay.
Always some level of crisis going on.

Overall I have no regrets about joining NHS.

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SeriousFortune1392@reddit

It depends on the area of healthcare you want to go into, and also on why you're leaving corporate.

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