Exploring Creative Careers in Medicine
Medicine has long followed well-worn paths: clinical practice, specialist training, research, or hospital-based roles. Yet an exciting shift is underway. Through networks like Creative Careers in Medicine (CCIM)—a community founded by trailblazers such as Dr Amandeep Hansra—health professionals are exploring paths that defy convention, blending clinical passion with artistry, advocacy, education, entrepreneurship, and more.
This growing movement thrives on reimagining what a medical career can be, unbound by traditional expectations. Within this vibrant community—numbering well into the tens of thousands—members support each other in forging paths aligned with their values and interests.
Unconventional Paths, Unique Rewards
Physicians are pursuing roles that fuel creativity and impact:
Advocacy and social enterprise—using their medical expertise to drive change beyond the clinic.
Art, writing, podcasting, and media—sharing stories, educating, and reaching audiences in new ways.
Health tech entrepreneurship—building solutions for better access, efficiency, and patient outcomes.
Education, leadership, and administration—reshaping systems from within.
Report writing, digital health, and legal medicine—areas where medical insights offer a fresh lens on complex challenges.
Research—participation in high quality research and clinical trials
These creative paths enrich professional lives in multiple ways: rekindling passion, offering flexibility, enabling broader influence, and providing personal fulfilment.
Maybe your path isn’t traditional?
CCIM Conference 2025: Let’s Create
The recent CCIM Conference at the Pullman & Mercure Melbourne Albert Park highlighted the diversity of career paths that clinicians are starting to explore.
Attendees heard from inspiring clinician-creatives including Dr Janice Tan, Dr Tony Schiemer, Dr Preeya Alexander and others, and featured interactive breakout sessions such as From Idea to Impact: Clinical Entrepreneurs, From Bugs to Breakthroughs: Technology and AI in Medicine, Medicine & the Arts: Stethoscopes & Stage Lights, Going Viral: Media Medicine and Lights, Camera, Medicine: YouTube Stars, Write What You Know: Doctors & Writers, and Medicine with a Mission: Social Enterprise & Advocacy.
The CCIM conference is not to be missed if you find yourself looking for something different to the traditional college paths.
Osler was privileged to be a sponsor of the event, and our staff met many people with incredibly creative careers at our booth.
The Challenge of Traditional CPD
Yet the journey along the less well trod paths in medicine isn't without friction. Professional isolation, lack of college oversight / support, uncertain career progression and security are just a few.
Another limitation is Continuing Professional Development (CPD)—the rigid framework for which creates challenge for some. Many creative roles like teaching, administration, health writing, or tech projects don’t always align with standard CPD categories or offer enough accredited learning opportunities. Nor is it easy on those at the margins - those who work sporadically, or those towards the ends of their careers.
This misalignment creates hurdles: it can be difficult for non‑clinical or hybrid roles to meet mandatory hours or to have their work recognised within the established frameworks of CPD.
But it’s possible.
Meeting the challenge
The key is to ask yourself the following questions
What do I want to be?
How do I get there?
How do I know I’m doing a good job?
The answers to these questions should guide your CPD plan.
In particular, the answer to the last one is the secret sauce for ensuring you meet your Reviewing Performance and Measuring Outcomes targets. Many don’t realise that you can analyse your performance and outcomes for any type of work you do that requires your medical license and skills, for example :
self reflect on the research grant you wrote
gather feedback from the students you teach in medical school
undertake a quality assurance project for your medical device company
As they say, where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Why Now Is the Time to Rethink Medicine
Medicine’s future lies not only in innovation and technology, but also in the creativity and diversity of those who walk through its doors. Creative paths offer deeper engagement, adaptability, resilience, and wider societal impact.
But without structures that validate these roles—like more flexible CPD—many potential pioneers risk being held back.
That’s why CCIM’s work matters now more than ever. Through its Facebook group, podcast, job boards, and the annual conference, the community builds support structures for those forging alternative paths