Who we are
We are a dynamic doctor-led organisation empowering talented doctors to access diverse careers beyond boundaries.
We do this by:
Raising the visibility of careers available to doctors beyond traditional medicine.
Working with ambitious high growth companies recruiting talented doctors by raising the visibility of their brand as a rewarding opportunity for doctors.
Supporting and advising doctors in developing invaluable skills, networks and mindset shifts to achieve their career ambitions beyond conventional clinical practice.
Leading as an specialist authority in recruiting or attracting doctors to diverse, high impact organisations
Our Values
- Nurture great talent
- Be inclusive with compassion & empathy
- Foster long lasting relationships
- Learn, innovate & be authentic
Are you a business looking to attract the best in medical talent?
Our Founder’s Story
In 2014, I was an NHS Urology Specialist Trainee working in Blackburn (North of England for those who don’t know.. north of Manchester. It’s ok.. I didn’t know either!).
I’d spent my medical career thus far climbing the prescribed career treadmill and found myself hitting a significant roadblock.
Not in my career progression, but in my general mental health state.
Having graduated from medicine at the mere age of 22 at Nottingham University (I look back at this and gawp at how young I was!), I had worked for several years as a doctor and surgical trainee in the NHS.
Although I thoroughly enjoyed some aspects of my work, I was yearning for something more.
I found myself crying most nights (particularly in the cold dark winter), but it wasn’t clear why and I was fairly ignorant about how, as a doctor, mental health concerns could affect me.
It wasn’t clear what that was and why, but it led to that low period of my life where I began to seriously consider leaving medicine and questioned whether I was a good doctor at all.
New challenges breeds new opportunities
This ignited a drastic change for me.
I moved to South Africa and worked as a trauma surgeon for nearly 2 years; revitalising my love with medicine and realising that the power a new challenge and experience had helped me to gain the real satisfaction I needed to develop as a professional and individual.
Motivated by personal reasons and needing to be closer to her family, I decided to return to the UK where I noticed that many doctors were experiencing similar issues I had faced myself;
Stress and burnout, feelings of doubt in their career, low self-worth, considering leaving the profession and in the worst cases suicide.
The worst aspect of this was that they all felt trapped in their careers, and were unable to find the right support networks, wellbeing support and most importantly insight, to do anything about this.
Hence I created Medic Footprints with my amazing school friend Sara Sabin; as a community and network for doctors exploring alternative careers and wellbeing support in 2014.
Medic Footprints has since developed as a dynamic UK and global community and hub of information, support and opportunity, with our newest hub opening in Malaysia in 2019. This has far surpassed my wildest dreams!
Our focus is not only on alternative careers and wellbeing support, but enabling doctors to develop a lifestyle that works for them – whether they work as a clinician, develop a portfolio career, or have decided to leave medicine entirely.
We recognise that everyone is different and graduating with a medical degree merely serves as a unique solid foundation for fluid, limitless opportunities and pathways..
determined by you!
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Connecting talented doctors with amazing alternative career opportunities
What happens to the doctors that leave medicine? What happens to the doctors that try lots of other exciting things?
We answer those questions!
Working in your current role, you may not have a chance to meet them. That’s why we focus on content that is primarily experiential, so you can hear and see for yourself first hand, what other doctors are doing. If they’re doing it, then you can do it too.
Our events provide you with invaluable networking opportunities, whether you’re just curious what’s out there or whether you’re looking to move into a new job.
We also work closely with a range of companies from startups to global organisations who are looking for talented doctors to join their team. Check out our live opportunities.
Stay in clinical practice and still make a difference elsewhere
Alternative careers for doctors means many different things to different people.
There are other exciting career opportunities within the NHS or with your current employer that you may not know about because they don’t necessarily promote these to doctors – why not explore what they could be for you?
Many doctors have portfolio careers – they will continue their clinical work but will also do other things on the side. Such as setting up their own business; volunteering, writing a book, developing multiple streams of income, teaching, car designing and more. All of these are real life examples!
Even if you leave medicine, you can return (and many doctors that we know do!) In this case, you are choosing to be there because you want to, not because you feel that you have to.
The grass is not always greener! Trying something else will inevitably open up more and very different challenges hence make sure you’re in the right frame of mind to start with to take the leap and ensure you’re fully informed on the options.
Your working life is much longer than your predecessors and pensions aren’t as great as they used to be. One job for life is rarely the case for most people now. So take your time to do what you love! If you’re not sure (like most of us!), take a calculated risk and try lots of things so that you can find it.
Remember, your needs and desires in life will continually change – and your career and lifestyle choices will change with them.
Helping you get a foot in the door
We are passionate about alternative careers for doctors and helping you to achieve the career & lifestyle satisfaction you deserve!
We organise networking events and webinars, with an experiential speakers. Many doctors find the connections they make here invaluable. Check out our Past Events and more importantly our upcoming ones!
We organise a fantastic annual Alternative Careers and Wellbeing Conference. With exhibitors looking to recruit you, companies offering courses, lectures, seminars, and workshops going on simultaneously, so that you can pick and choose what you’re interested in!
We have a Career Opportunities Board, with a selection of interesting opportunities for you to apply for.
Services which include individual non medical CV, LinkedIn profile, interview advice and handpicked career coaches.
We are strong advocates for wellbeing for doctors hence have plenty of content and signposting to services relating to this and…
… fantastic membership packages which enables you to save money and benefit from all the perks of the Medic Footprints community and beyond which includes a dedicated Whatsapp group with the MF team and over 50hrs of webinar content on diverse careers and wellbeing support for doctors
How Medic Footprints can help you get started in your new career journey
Alternative careers for doctors means many different things. Doctors, unlike many other professional groups, will often feel the draw back to clinical practice. At the end of the day, you’re making a real difference.
Browse this site – start off with our main page and/or make use of our search bar at the top of our site – we have hundreds of articles, career guides, case studies, webinars, videos and more that is guaranteed to inspire you.
Join our community by registering on this site as a free or premium member (MF Pass or MF Premium).
Talk to as many people as possible and find out what they’re doing. This may be your first foot in the door.
We have a list of mentors who specialise in doctors and medical students changing careers. This is exclusively available to our MF Premium members.
Get support and clarity from a career coach
Do your homework – don’t just think does this career sound good on paper, think would it suit me?
Once you’ve decided what you want to do, learn how to whip your CV and LinkedIn profile into shape with our dedicated webinars and services.
Network, network network! Most career opportunities are borne out of connections made from in-person contact rather than applying directly for jobs. Check out upcoming event opportunities for this.
Start looking and applying for jobs.
Common questions answered
Aren’t you simply taking doctors away from the NHS?
We believe in opportunity, choice and informed decision making. Many doctors leave the profession oblivious to the limitless options available to them, having been unable to access adequate unbiased support in doing so.
We don’t ‘poach’ doctors or co-erce them in any manner. Many find us because we provide a service they are already looking for – resources, career opportunities and community. Medicine is changing; career options are endless and can be achieved in parallel – whether doctors utilise their medical skills 1 day of the week or 7 days of the week!
Notably, our Founder and Director still works as a doctor, doing work for the NHS.
Which organisations do you work with?
A diverse range of high impact organisations recruiting or attracting the best in medical talent.
We are your competitors!
We believe less in ‘competitors’ and more in potential collaborators. All businesses have different strengths and weaknesses and we are just as keen to work with similar organisations with the objective to achieve our greater agenda; providing a resource and community focusing on alternative careers for doctors. The power of diversity should not be ignored, so get in touch!
Start your journey here
Browse hundreds of articles and guides to discover more!