“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
A realization that despite being outstanding in her work would not see her slated for specialization to become an Orthopedics Surgeon was a clear indication to Dr. Viroshini Hari Krishan that she needed to chart her own career course. A firm believer in Goethe’s concept of boldness as mentioned above, she stepped out into the unknown with courage. Her reputation for consistent, quality work at the MOH had preceded her and one of her bosses informed her of an opening at Columbia Asia Hospital. She was snapped up by Columbia Asia Hospital after a quick interview.
Today she is the Medical Director at AXA Singapore, a French insurance company based in Singapore. Dr. Viroshini sat down with Medic Footprints Malaysia (MFM) to talk about her pivoting experience to the field of insurance and how doctors can make successful transitions to new careers. These are things she never knew but has learned along the way which doctors can greatly benefit from.
Consider your Reasons for Pivoting Are you leaving because you’re being enticed by the industry or being pushed out from your present place of work? Your reasons for leaving will determine what happens in the next phase of your life. If one is being pushed out, then the next best move is to step out in boldness and chart your own course in life. This is what Dr. Viroshini did for herself. The transitioning experience will be somewhat different for doctors who have been enticed to join a particular industry.
Build Your Brand Equity Pivoting out of clinical medicine to another field will be easier if a doctor possesses a good reputation and character. “If you do the right thing, the right result will follow,” says Dr. Viroshini. A doctor’s reputation and character will precede him/her to their new career. If a doctor is consistently recognised for his/her quality work and has substance, ‘It takes all but two minutes for someone to size you up to determine if you’re a fit or not.” says Dr. Viroshini.
Dr. Viroshoini urges doctors to be consistent in their good performance and to continue building their brand equity. “If the industry speaks of you in the same impressive way, it will not be difficult for you to get offers”, notes Dr. Viroshini. But a good reputation takes time to build and is something she continues doing for herself. Within a few years of moving to AIA Insurance, Dr. Viroshini was head-hunted for the position of Medical Director at AXA Singapore and she believes her brand equity had a lot to do with it.
Locate Where You Belong in the Medical Ecosystem Doctors are able to make it in their career of choice as they have the intellect and the time to figure out what’s right for them. Having intellect and time makes up 50% of what’s needed for successful pivots.
“If doctors put medicine in the middle as medicine is your primary degree and begin plotting around it, there’ll be the pharma, insurance, government policy-makers, private policy-makers, medical devices companies etc., and as you plot, you will realize that the opportunities are abundant.” says Dr. Viroshini.
In finding their niche area, doctors are advised to look for the pathway that offers the most amount of leverage. The most amount of leverage implies a pathway that has many branches. For example, doctors who are interested in financial services could find a role in policy-making, public health, the Asian Development Bank, WHO etc. But knowing the pathways and their branches require a great deal of research. Doctors are urged to take time to research on the pathway of interest to them.
When Dr. Viroshini realized that her inclination was towards healthcare financing and policy-making, she pivoted to the field of insurance. For her to proceed to the arena of policy-making which involves organizations like WHO or the Asian Development Bank requires that she complete a public health masters. Her seven years of experience in financial services via the insurance sector coupled with a public health masters will open doors for her towards policy-making. Dr. Viroshini is emphatic that doctors are able to plot their career trajectory!
There’s more from Dr. Viroshini on Thursday…
Disruptive Doctors sincerely hopes that this article has enlightened you and given you the confidence for your career move. If you’re interested in learning more about our Career Development Mentorship Program and other learning and development opportunities, please visit us at https://disruptive-doctors.com/academy/
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the doctors Disruptive Doctors has interviewed and are based entirely upon the information provided to us by them. Disruptive Doctors is not responsible for any inaccuracy of the information conveyed to us.
Join us at our annual Healthcare Revolution Conference & Exhibition (HealthRev) where we have a plethora of topics for addressing all your clinical/non-clinical questions and opportunities! Can’t wait? Check out our upcoming workshops and courses at Disruptive Doctors Academy also!
Be part of the Disruptive Doctors Community by getting your premium membership to get full access to all our articles and services like our career coaching, opportunities to connect with like-minded doctors, and discounts on all our workshops and events! Be part of the movement and let’s disrupt health together!
Wanting to explore the options you have out there? Do download Dr Selina’s Switching Careers for Doctors eBook here to get you started on your journey and don’t forget to catch our podcast and videos on our Spotify and YouTube channel
