Career change as a surgeon

Career change paths

• Medical advisor in the pharmaceutical industry

  Also: Physician in clinical research

  With on-the-job training

  In pharma or medical technology companies, you assess studies, advise development and sales teams on medical questions and stay in contact with specialist doctors and clinics.

  What you bring:

  You know clinical presentations, therapies and the study evidence in your field first-hand.

  How to get there:

  Companies and research service providers hire specialist doctors directly and train them on the job in drug law, study planning and internal processes. Experience as an investigator in clinical trials is a big advantage.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an officeHome office possible

  €8,516gross per monthMedian salary

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• Medical controller

  Also: Hospital management consultant

  With on-the-job training

  In medical controlling, you ensure correct coding and billing, review inquiries from payers and help improve processes in the clinic.

  What you bring:

  You know diagnoses, treatment processes and documentation in the hospital precisely.

  How to get there:

  Clinics and consultancies train doctors on the job in billing systems and coding rules. Courses in medical controlling usually take a few weeks to a few months. The work is mostly done at a desk, and night and emergency duty no longer apply.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an office

  €5,576gross per monthMedian salary

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• Medical head of an MVZ

  Also: Medical director

  With on-the-job trainingPromotion

  In the medical management of a medical care center (MVZ) or a clinic, you are responsible for organization, quality and staff and represent the medical side to management.

  What you bring:

  In your field, you have been responsible for patients, teams and processes.

  How to get there:

  Such positions usually require several years of experience as a senior physician (Oberarzt) or in your own practice. If needed, you gain knowledge of health economics and leadership in part-time courses. Alongside management, you often keep treating patients yourself.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically light

  €14,269gross per monthMedian salary

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• Lecturer at a nursing school

  Also: Lecturer at a school for emergency paramedics (Notfallsanitäter)

  With on-the-job training

  At nursing schools, emergency services schools or technical schools for health professions, you teach medical subjects, often part-time alongside your medical work.

  What you bring:

  You can explain pathology, medicines and emergency medicine clearly.

  How to get there:

  Schools for health professions also employ doctors as freelance lecturers, and a short course in teaching methods helps. This fits well as a second source of income.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically light

  €5,140gross per monthMedian salary

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• Medical writer

  Also: Medical specialist author

  With on-the-job training

  As a medical writer, you write study reports, approval documents and specialist texts for pharma companies and research service providers, often with the option of working from home.

  What you bring:

  You can read studies, classify medical data and write precisely.

  How to get there:

  Pharma companies and agencies train doctors on the job in templates, guidelines and processes, and courses in medical writing lasting a few days help. Very good English is almost always expected.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an officeHome office possible

  €5,083gross per monthMedian salary

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• Medical journalist

  Also: Medical editor

  With on-the-job training

  As a medical journalist, you write for trade publishers, health portals, magazines or broadcasters and explain research and therapies clearly.

  What you bring:

  You can put health topics in the right context and know what questions patients really have.

  How to get there:

  Trade publishers and health portals often hire doctors with writing experience directly as editors. For general-audience media, the standard route is a traineeship (Volontariat), typically one to two years. You can start with freelance pieces alongside your work.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an officeHome office possible

  €4,728gross per monthMedian salary

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• Occupational physician (Betriebsarzt)

  Also: Occupational medicine specialist

  With further training

  As an occupational physician, you advise companies on health protection, carry out preventive examinations and support employees returning after illness, usually without night and weekend duty.

  What you bring:

  You can assess diseases, advise people and recognize health risks early.

  How to get there:

  As a specialist doctor, you can complete the additional training in occupational medicine (Betriebsmedizin) under the training regulations of your state medical chamber (Landesärztekammer), with a course and a training period with an authorized occupational physician. Employment with an occupational health service is already possible during this training.*Regulated by law (Occupational Safety Act (ASiG) § 4).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people

  €7,632gross per monthMedian salary

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Salary: median of all full-time employees in the job, gross per month excluding special payments, as of April 2025. Half earn more, half earn less. Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), table 62361-0030, license dl-de/by-2-0. Assigned to the jobs by quereinsteiger.de. No guarantee of accuracy.