Nonclinical Federal Jobs for Physicians
Kathryn Troutman
April 4, 2022
In a recent interview, Kathryn Troutman explored this job option
for physicians ready for a career change.
The Resume Place’s Kathryn Troutman was recently interviewed by John Jurica MD of the Physicians Nonclinical Careers podcast. He was interested in talking with Kathryn about the nonclinical job opportunities for physicians in the Federal government. Jurica had created the Nonclinical Career Academy and the PNC podcast after experiencing disappointment in a career as a direct-care physician himself. He recognized that other physicians were experiencing burnout, and growing tired of working 70 hours a week, always being on call, having little personal time, and risking lawsuits from clients.
Listen to the Podcast Here:
https://resume-place.com/about/press-media/
ITunes: nonclinicalphysicians.com/iTunes
PNC Podcast on Spotify
Non-Physician Federal Jobs are Usually 40 hours per week
Kathryn did original research on how to find these non-physician jobs. This is an area of government that she had not explored extensively earlier, despite her decades advising on Federal employment. She agreed with Jurica that the quality of life after landing one of these nonclinical jobs could be much better. “Likely you’ll be working 40 hours a week,” she said. “It’s possible that the job could be virtual. The benefits are excellent. The flexibility is great. And in most cases there would be no more being on call for emergencies.”
Many Health and Public Health Agencies Have
Non-Clinical Physician Jobs
Kathryn noted that the agencies dealing with health and public health were among the best ones to explore for these types of positions. For major agencies in this category, she pointed to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Centers for Medicaid and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Relevant science-oriented organizations include the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Another important agency to check out would be the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
How to Search for Non-Physician Government Jobs:
Go Directly to the Agency’s Website!
This top Federal Jobs Coach did some sample searches, and she found that for these positions, it is better to go to an agency website for research than the standard source, USAJOBs.gov. She recommended that you search for “careers” on the agency site to look for the nonclinical jobs that are physician-related. Find out the job titles, which are different than in the private sector. Areas could include handling quality control, advising on medical devices, developing policy, advising the public.
She recommended that physicians look for jobs at the GS-14 or GS-15 level. Both are pay scales for top level Federal positions. The pay at GS-14 ranges from $95,973.00 to $124,764.00. The rate for GS-15 is from $112,890.00 to $146,757.00. There could also be a locality pay adjustment in addition to this. In some cases, a special GS level for physician employees might be applicable.
Sample Physician Job Announcement for
Non-Physician Position
Physician
This Direct-Hire position is in the Food and Drug Administration,
located in various centers throughout the FDA
Open & closing dates: 02/08/2022 to 12/30/2022
Salary: $159,573 – $188,634 per year
Pay scale & grade: GP 14
Job family (Series): 0602 Medical Officer
See job announcement here
The Federal Resume is VERY different than the Physician Resume
Kathryn warned that one of the biggest differences in applying for Federal jobs is in the resume. Federal resumes are longer and more detailed than Private Industry resumes. Typically a physician’s resume would be two to three pages, but the Federal resume version would be around five pages. She noted that it is important for you to match the required specialized experience described in the job announcement. Outside the direct-care part of your job might be training, mentoring, development of staff, supervision, equipment purchasing, work with pharmaceutical reps, research. Include any special areas of expertise. Samples of the distinct Federal resume format can be found in Kathryn’s Federal Resume Guidebook, 7th Edition, the 2nd best-selling resume book on Amazon.
“It is crucial that you get the details down on paper,” Troutman said. “Because HR does not assume anything that is not there. If you don’t include what they need, your resume will not get you anywhere.”
“My advice is to pick about five agencies that interest you and go to their websites,” said Troutman. Click on or enter the word career. See what jobs come up. Do your research. Expand your resume. Play the game and see what happens. Why not, especially if you’re looking for some other job options as a physician?”
John Jurica, MD, MPH, CPE, FAAPL Bio:
Medical Director, Blogger, Podcaster and Certified Physician Executive
PromptMed Urgent Care – Medical Director/Investor
Podcast Host – Physician NonClinical Careers Podcast
CME Resource, Inc. – Division Planner
Author and Blogger – John Jurica MD LLC · Self-employed
Riverside Medical Center – Senior VP and Chief Medical Officer
Bio – https://nonclinicalphysicians.com/who-we-are/
Kathryn is the Founder and President of the Resume Place in Baltimore, MD. Her firm specializes in writing the Federal resume, and in consulting on the Federal hiring process. Troutman recommended that physicians interested in getting help landing one of these Federal nonclinical jobs consider the RP $210 consultation. Order Here. This is a one-hour consultation, on what needs to change in the resume in order to apply for a Federal job announcement of your choice. Additional coaching is available to help you through the rewrite process. Some applicants decide to have the Resume Place rewrite their resume, and estimates for both the additional coaching and the writing of a Federal resume come with the $210 consultation.
