The healthcare industry has long faced staffing challenges, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the issue. Reports indicate that over 100,000 nurses left the workforce after the pandemic. For doctors and other healthcare professionals seeking a change of scenery without abandoning their calling, numerous exciting medical career paths involve travel. The question isn’t just “Can Doctors Travel?” but “where can doctors travel and what opportunities await?”
A survey of physicians, registered nurses, and advanced practice providers revealed that 25% were considering career changes, with burnout cited as the primary reason by 89%. This article explores various medical jobs that offer the chance to travel, provide crucial care, and combat burnout through new and stimulating experiences.
Doctor in a remote setting providing medical care.
Understanding Travel Healthcare
Travel healthcare encompasses a range of medical roles performed outside traditional healthcare settings. While travel nursing is well-known, the industry extends to diverse fields, including extreme medicine.
Extreme medicine involves delivering medical care in challenging environments such as conflict zones, disaster areas, remote wilderness locations, or extreme weather conditions.
Stephen Wood, program director for the extreme medicine certificate program at Northeastern University’s Bouvé College of Health Sciences, notes, “The travel landscape is more vibrant than it’s ever been. Now that there’s more mobility for providers, there’s a real opportunity to provide health care in settings that might not have traditionally received quality care.”
Several factors contribute to this increased mobility:
- Technological advancements: Improved communication and access to information in remote areas.
- Increased weather-related disasters: Creating a greater need for disaster relief and medical assistance.
- Emphasis on global health prevention and education: Driving demand for healthcare professionals in underserved regions.
- Medical research and innovation: Leading to new treatments and approaches suitable for deployment in diverse environments.
Medical jobs that travel offer unique rewards, including empowering communities and fostering an appreciation for the environmental factors impacting health outcomes.
7 Exciting Medical Career Paths That Involve Travel
For doctors seeking a career change that incorporates travel, here are seven compelling options:
1. Remote Medicine
Remote medicine focuses on providing medical care where access to standard medical services is limited or non-existent. This demands efficient and effective basic care.
“You may not be able to do everything you can in an urban emergency department, but providing the basics of airway support, controlling hemorrhage, and wound care can make a huge difference in patient outcomes,” says Wood.
Common roles include remote doctors, remote nurses, and remote paramedics. The remote environment necessitates specialized skills, such as improvising with limited resources.
Doctor in a remote setting providing medical care.
2. Military Healthcare
Military healthcare provides excellent career opportunities with financial and educational benefits. The military offers “really high fidelity training” according to Wood.
The U.S. Army has over 31 different types of medical and emergency jobs, allowing medical professionals to contribute globally.
“The training is really second to none,” adds Wood. “They’re also engaged in a lot of research around working in austere environments—everything from testing different clothing types to what medications are viable at certain temperatures.”
Before enlisting, it’s crucial to consider the service commitment involved. Alternative options for similar training and research include government agencies like the National Park Service and U.S. Border Patrol.
3. Expedition Medicine
“Expedition medicine is the practice of medicine outside of a hospital in extreme environments,” explains Eoin Walker, an advanced paramedic practitioner (APP) who has trained students in expedition and wilderness survival and has served as a pre-hospital delegate for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
These environments can range from wilderness settings and polar regions to deserts, rainforests, underwater environments, high altitudes, and even space exploration.
Medical expedition jobs often complement existing careers. Healthcare professionals often find opportunities through colleagues, international travel, and community service. Thoroughly vetting organizations is crucial.
4. Humanitarian/Disaster Relief
Humanitarian medicine provides essential relief to communities destabilized by crises, including natural disasters, conflicts, epidemics, and man-made disasters.
This career path often requires international travel. A shift towards long-term, sustainable infrastructure building means more diverse job opportunities.
5. Emergency Management
Emergency management involves assessing public health risks, planning for disasters, and implementing emergency strategies.
Disaster medicine focuses on these areas and intersects with emergency management. Leadership skills are essential in this field.
Understanding the psychological components, sleep deprivation, and food scarcity is critical in leading effectively during emergencies.
6. Film and TV Medical Support
A lesser-known option is providing medical support on film and television sets, often as a set medic.
These professionals provide short-term care for smaller projects or long-term care for film units, particularly on sets in extreme or dangerous environments.
7. Ship and Vessel Medical Support
Cruise ships and research vessels offer unique medical career opportunities. Medical staff provide healthcare services to passengers and crew members on cruise ships. Research vessels require medical personnel to ensure the health and safety of scientists and crew in remote regions like Antarctica.
Taking the Next Step in Your Traveling Medical Career
Continuing education is vital for a traveling medical career. Extreme medicine demands skills beyond traditional healthcare programs.
“Make sure you have a good educational foundation so you’re well-prepared to work in austere and resource-poor environments,” advises Wood.
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Experience is also essential. “Gaining some practical experience through our experiential courses prior to going out and doing these things without any experience can be incredibly valuable,” concludes Wood.
