Determining what you want your career to look like post-training is one of the most exciting, yet intimidating aspects upon receiving that final certificate. For many of us, our career paths are well-defined up until this point: undergrad, medical school, residency and fellowship. But next it's time to define your own path and what you want it to look like. This often includes some balance between clinical time and research. Defining a career in medical education has become an alternative pathway to getting what you want out of your career.

One of the most important things you can do as you prepare for your next step and start to interview is to really think: What do you want out of your career? Medical education encompasses a broad field, so one of the first things to decide is what exactly medical education looks like to you. This may include curriculum development, dedicated teaching time, leadership roles in a residency or fellowship program, medical education research, formal assessment of learners or administrative tasks. Similarly, knowing what level of trainee education you want to be involved with is important. While most clinicians at both academic and private institutions have the opportunity to give lectures to trainees, knowing if you want to focus your work on medical students vs. fellows is important. Different hospital systems may have better contact with one level of medical education over another, so knowing this in advance can help focus your search and find the right fit. Defining your niche also helps those interviewing you put you in touch with the right individuals to get your practice started. Furthermore, having your name on the list of those interested in a specific topic helps when such opportunities arise.

Another important aspect in defining a career in medical education is having an idea of how you want to spend your time. While a typical division of clinic and research time is likely well-defined at many institutions, having time specifically dedicated to education may be something new for potential employers. In other words, if you could break up a typical work week, how would each half day be spent? Clearly defining what your ideal distribution of time between clinic, a procedural lab and dedicated research/education would look like helps the interviewer understand your goals and priorities. Knowing this in advance also shows those interviewing you that you will take this role seriously and have adequate time to deliver on your ideas.

Many people who want a career focused on medical education may not know where to start or know others who have roles similar to what they are looking for. Reaching out to mentors or contacting individuals in roles similar to those you are seeking is one helpful way to prepare for the interview process in addition to building a community of medical educators. Knowing how others got into their role and how they spend their time helps to better define potential pathways for your own career.  Furthermore, many online resources exist, such as recorded ACC webinars like, "Teaching in the Clinical Setting," or websites such as MedEdPORTAL through the Association of American Medical Colleges. Such role models and resources are important as you start your career and reach potential hurdles. At many larger academic institutions, formal educational programs such as a Master in Education are available and can be negotiated as a part of your contract.

Overall, deciding how you want to define your career after completion of your training is a difficult but important step. Luckily for our generation of physicians, there are more opportunities to pursue pathways of particular interest such as medical education. You can define what your dream job looks like!

This article was authored by Heather Wheat, MD, a FIT at the University of Michigan.