Here's what past attendees have to say about SEAK's Non-Clinical Careers for Physicians Conference:

Praise For SEAK’s Workshop: How to Find and Land High-Paying Non-Clinical Jobs

"Thanks to you I now have a job with [Company Name] (whom I met at one of your conferences). I am doing remote neuromonitoring ( I am a neurologist), and make enough money that I no longer need extra income. It is my ideal dream job and again I thank you."

"I want to thank you for your courses and contacts. I am now closing my practice of neurology and have been offered a wonderful non-clinical job with Surgical Monitoring Services, a neuromonitoring company I met at your non-clinical course. I dragged my husband Gary (an ER doc) to the course also, and he is starting next week with EHR, whom he met at your course. We are SOOO happy. Again, thank you. We are now able to have the mobility we have always wanted, while still doing medicine, without the hassles of clinical work."

"I want to thank you for your courses and contacts. I am now closing my practice of neurology and have been offered a wonderful non-clinical job with Surgical Monitoring Services, a neuromonitoring company I met at your non-clinical course. I dragged my husband Gary (an ER doc) to the course also, and he is starting next week with EHR, whom he met at your course. We are SOOO happy. Again, thank you. We are now able to have the mobility we have always wanted, while still doing medicine, without the hassles of clinical work."

"I have accepted a part time position with [one of the companies recruiting at your Conference]. I should be out of clinical medicine by 2/12. Your meeting was extremely helpful."

"I just wanted to drop you a line with an update. A few weeks ago I accepted a position with [a company who was recruiting at the SEAK Conference], and I've resigned from my practice as of January. This was the first goal in my action plan, so I'm very excited both about this new position and about pursuing the rest of my goals! Thanks very much for your assistance ... the SEAK conference was definitely a major source of inspiration and resources for me."

"The SEAK Conference in Chicago this weekend was, as always, inspiring."

"The conference was incredibly useful and just what I needed to get moving."

"Great conference and very eye opening! Well worth it. Just what I needed to get the ball rolling."

"Thank you for the Non-Clinical Careers for Physicians course. It was wonderfully informative and a great experience! The networking opportunity alone was worth more than the price of the course! Will keep you posted on my career transition. Thanks again!"

"Thank you for the Non-Clinical Careers for Physicians course. It was wonderfully informative and a great experience! The networking opportunity alone was worth more than the price of the course!"

"I attended the conference September 2010 in Chicago. I successfully interviewed and was offered a job with a company. I start October 2011. I wanted to say thank you for offering the conference which led me to my current company. I am going to be working part time for now until I can transition from my current job as a Family Medicine Physician to a Physician Expert Level I. I am excited about this opportunity."

"I wanted to take a minute to thank you.  Don't know if you'll recall but I took your non clinical careers course a couple years ago in Chicago and we talked during the course and on the phone after that.  I also wrote a review for the second edition of your book on negotiating. At any rate about 4 months ago I took a job as Medical Director in the Johnson  and Johnson system and today I got a significant promotion (announcement below is marked confidential but cleared for general distribution).  I am appreciative of the time you took with me and the advice you gave me which I think has gone a long way toward making my transition go smoothly. I think outcomes like this speak very highly of your approach to helping physicians obtain a successful non clinical career. "

"Just to let you know, since I attended the conference my healthcare consultant business has continued to find new clients and new projects. I have also enrolled in a healthcare management degree program at Harvard and I plan to use the skills and training, among other things, to launch new venture projects."

"I wanted to let you know that I accepted a contract position with Community Health Systems, a national hospital corporation, as a Healthcare Informatics Advisor in January, 2011, and am expecting to be offered a permanent position over the next two months. I report to the Chief Medical Officer, work out of their Corporate office, did not have to move, travel less than 5 days per month, and have made a successful transition to a nonclinical career. I work about the same number of hours, but no longer work nights, weekends, and holidays. I also am paid quite a bit better, and expect that to improve still with my next negotiating opportunity. I wanted to let you know that Joe Bormel was very helpful, and continues to be one of my networking contacts. I thought you might be interested to know that I got this opportunity through networking, while attending a Christmas party sponsored by a professional society, HIMSS, that I joined at the advice of Ron Ribitzky. It was an unpublished opportunity that CHS had been trying to fill with a consulting company but hadn't found a good match. I also wanted to let you know that I have read your book on negotiating, and plan to use your advice when I negotiate my employment terms, and have already started using your negotiating strategies in other situations.

Your course paid off in my case, you are very good at what you do, and wanted to say thanks."

"A few years ago I attended the Non-Clinical Careers for Physicians conference. Since then I have been actively seeking such a position. Now, through a lead on the SEAK LinkedIn discussion group, I have just been named the Chief Medical Coordinator for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. This would not have been possible without not only your LinkedIn group but also the skills I learned at your conference and the connections I made there.  Thank you, and if I can ever be of assistance to you, your firm, or other physicians looking to transition to a non-clinical career please do not hesitate to contact me."

"Just wanted to let you know that I am officially the new Medical Director at Johnson&Johnson/Ethicon/Mentor. I start at the end of March. I certainly owe a large part of this to your course, your advice, and you personally."

"I signed up for the Thursday pre-conference, and at the suggestion of my banker, went ahead and registered for the whole deal. I found this to be very beneficial and allowed me to fully utilize the mentors, in a more organized and informed manner. They are a HUGE resource, and very encouraging. Since the conference in September, I have interviewed for, and received one nice, non-clinical job offer, and currently in the early stages of another opportunity with a smaller firm that may offer significant opportunity for advancement. Dr. Kohn is an excellent resource and continues to supply encouragement and guidance. Entire course is money well spent-period. I never would have imagined the opportunities available and enjoyed the matter-off-fact presentations"

"I had the pleasure of attending your SEAK conference at the end of September in Chicago this past year. It was a very helpful conference, I learned a lot and I was able to get offered a new job outside of clinical medicine; with a lot of help through your conference."

"I would like to thank you for the excellent conference presented by SEAK in Chicago last month. I was able to attend all four sessions from Thursday through Sunday. It was, by far, one of the most well organized, informative conferences that I have ever attended. I am sure that the logistical requirements necessary to insure a "smooth" conference must be formidable.

I was unsure of my expectations when I enrolled,. I am a 62 year old Board certified obstetrician and gynecologist. After practicing for 11 years, I opted to rejuvenate my career by completing a two year fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. After 17 years as an IVF specialist, I decided to retire from clinical practice 2.5 years ago. I soon realized that my retirement may have been premature and my work was actually an integral part of my identity. Attempts to reenter my subspecialty were not promising because of the recession (infertility is usually a non covered third party benefit), my age, and -to some extent- my gender. I became increasingly bored and frustrated. However, your conference has provided me with information about options that I had not previously considered. In short, you and your presenters have given me hope and new avenues to explore."

"Thank you for holding the conference. I cannot tell you what a relief first to find out that I was not alone. I think that is the biggest obstacle when a physician first realizes that they want to leave the clinical practice of medicine. I attended the conference because I had no idea what I could do with a medical degree outside of clinical medicine. This conference helped me to see all of the opportunities available. Some of them are very appealing. This is giving me a place to start. I have started the process of converting my CV to a resume, which is a bigger challenge than I thought it would be, partly due to the fact, I have not touched it in about 3 years. Thank you very much. I have new energy to start my journey."

"I found the conference extremely useful! Lots of good information,encouragement, and also a sense of realistic expectations as I plan my future. I have recommended it to a colleague for next year. I may even attend it again myself. Thank you for providing this unique and high quality conference."

"I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate the quality of the conference. I bought your book, "Non-clinical careers for physicians," a few months ago, and refer to it often in preparation for my interviews, but participating at the conference was a completely different experience. I hate to be dramatic, but it feels like it has changed my perspective on the world, and I am very excited. I scheduled 2 more interviews yesterday!!!"

"This is Sue from the SEAK conference in Chicago ("the unofficial spokesman for all the ED docs and for those who are very early in, and very naive about, this whole process we are all beginning"). This was the most interesting and most informative conference of any I've attended since perhaps my first year in practice. The information provided is substantial but invaluable to me personally and I'm sure to all the other docs. It's especially noteworthy that it the content is applicable no matter what part of the process one is at in the quest for a non-clinical job. I now have the tools to actually make this happen."

"I truly enjoyed the SEAK Non-Clinical Careers Conference. I found it very informative, and it helped to relieve the anxiety I have been feeling for about 4 months. It was nice to know that there were that many options, some even part time as I am limited in what I can do at this time.  I am currently trying to follow my action plan, one of which being to rework my CV and convert it into a resume. Additionally, I am following up with contacts and recruiters that I met at the conference. I appreciate the help you have given me in this matter."

"I was really blown away by your conference. As you know, I have attended your fiction writing ones on the Cape which have been outstanding but never have gone to this one. Your breadth of covered topics and well chosen speakers was impressive. I enjoyed all of the sessions and found the information very helpful.  At 43, I am thinking ahead to whether I will want to get out of clinical medicine by 50 and choose a non-clinical career that will allow me to do more writing. Your course helped steer me on the right track. Thanks again for putting it together!"

"The conference last weekend far exceeded my expectations. The speakers were excellent, and the information and personal experiences were amazing. I can't imagine embarking on this journey without such insight. You and your staff did a wonderful job. This program is first class. Thank you."

"Thanks for your recent communication. I have successfully transitioned to a non-clinical career with a radiology benefit management company. Your program made this possible. Your action plan and financial and time-frame assessment tool were accurate and very helpful. I could not have made this transition without having participated in one of you prior programs. Thanks for all of your help and best wishes for the future."

"I attended your SEAK session last year. I learned a lot and have since successfully transitioned into a non-clincal career as a Physcian Executive for a leading Healthcare Information technology company. Thanks for helping me launch my search and good luck with this years conference."

"I am senior recruiter for a medically related company and manage the hiring process for my company.  I wanted to thank you for e-mailing our recent non-clinical opening to your alumni. I am happy to confirm that we were able to hire one of your alumni who received your notice and, as it turns out, we currently have another similar position that just opened up that we are looking to fill. We are again looking for individuals with a M.D. background.  Also, if there is anything else I can do to develop a relationship with your organization, I would very much welcome that."

"I attended your program last year and already have a non-clinical job thanks to your program. Thanks" - 2009 Seminar Attendee

"I attended the October 2007 Seak conference in Falmouth, MA. I went to the conference to decide if I should stop practicing medicine, get my MBA and try to transition into medical management. Seeing physicians from all over the country and representative of every specialty except dermatology (of course we know why they don't come, stupid us) was extremely eye opening. I realized I was among friends who felt the same way I did, disillusioned and looking for a way to make my medical education work for me in a new way. After the conference, I enrolled in an MBA program and transitioned into a management job at my local hospital the following year. I finished my MBA in January of this year and am going to be relocating to NC. I still have my book from the course and I am using it to create my CV for my next transition. It was the only conference I attended that changed my life!"

"The years of refining this conference show immediately: speakers giving a mix of practical information and a healthy dose of encouragement to break out of the clinical world.  The mentoring session lead to several job leads, the most promising of my job search.  I couldn't have asked for better preparation to transition into a non-clinical career."

"I had debated whether or not to go to the conference as I was not at the stage where I felt ready to make the drastic step of leaving clinical medicine...and I am definitely glad that I went.  I am still in the same practice but no longer feel trapped.  I now am there by choice, and know that I have other options.  My attitude has become more optimistic.  At the same time, I have gained the knowledge or "tools" to form a plan for the future.  I was surprised to see so many physicians from all specialties, all walks of life, and all areas of the country.  The speakers were excellent and it was truly a unique conference and experience.  Thanks again."

"Thank you again for the outstanding SEAK 2007 course. The opportunity to meet so many other physicians who are either contemplating or have successfully managed a shift to a non-clinical career was tremendous. By articulating the emotional and practical obstacles to a career shift and offering practical advice as well as specific information on numerous non-clinical areas, the speakers provided a tremendous "kick-start". Their availability for one-on-one discussion was a unique opportunity. An excellent course, well worth the time and money."

"Since I attended your SEAK seminar over one year ago in Chicago, I have started a new independent venture with a colleague. We have formed an LLC called Problem Solving Innovations. We are designing medical products that are targeted to provide simple solutions to common problems in medical practice. Our enthusiasm was driven largely by your conference and the program, "What's the Big Idea?" We have already obtained 4 US patents and have been working with a plastics manufacturing company in our hometown. We should have the first version of the stereolithographs for our initial product by Monday next week. We then plan to meet with particular medical companies interested in the market space for our product and sell it to them. Very exciting stuff. I am hopeful that success will come soon, and I can phase out of the medical profession (at least as a clinical service provider - the profession is damned I fear)."

"Prior to the conference, I felt trapped in a maze with no exit.  Your conference opened a world of opportunity, possibilities, and an exit.  Now it is up to each attendee to empower him/herself to walk out into the light."

"I found the conference great.  It helped convert a vague feeling that there was something more I wanted to do with my life into plans.  Then I learned how to put those plans into action. In addition I discovered I was not the only one who was frustrated by the state of medicine and that it was not a cop out to want more out of life.  Keep up the good work."

"I'm not certain when I first heard about a conference for clinicians seeking non-clinical careers, just that I had a vague awareness of one.  When I received a brochure in the mail describing this Cape Cod gathering, I signed up immediately.  My expectations were certainly surpassed, especially the "pre-conference" on negotiating.  That was exceptionally informative, even wildly entertaining.  My experience there helped me focus on my current practice of just gyn after 25 years of obstetrics and gynecology. While my current workload is much less strenuous,  I think that I simply survived to this point.  I wish that I had attended years ago.  I may have found a more rewarding job better suited to my attributes.  Enduring a job is not the way to go.  This conference readily demonstrates that and gives concrete advice on how to change your life."

"The conference was helpful to me in the following ways:

• It described specific non-clinical careers accessible to physicians and the steps needed to enter these fields.
• The presenters and your staff were very encouraging and motivating by showing that a career change is possible and only requires motivation and a proper plan.
• I met other physicians with similar concerns regarding clinical medicine and left feeling less trapped in my current career.
• I learned the value to the business world of skills I already have and how to market them.
• I would strongly recommend this conference"

“I didn't know where to start networking either. I didn't even know I should be networking until I went to the SEAK conference and everyone was talking about how important it was. I wrongly assumed that my purpose in networking was just to find a specific job (and I didn't need to do that because I am creating my own new career path). I started meeting and talking to people anyway and discovered that the purpose of networking for me was inspiration. It is great to hear what others have done and how they have done it; it gives me new ideas and keeps me motivated. It is a great feeling to have new friends who are going through the process of transitioning, too.”

“I also knew of the SEAK conference for years before attending. One reason I waited was because of the cost involved (conference registration, travel, time off work). I also hesitated because, honestly, I wasn't ready to tell the world I wanted to leave clinical medicine. Last, I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do so I thought I needed a better focus before I went. For several years I sort of just "treaded water." I knew there were things I wanted to do, but I didn't know where to start. I decided the conference would be my place to dive in. The cost involved was difficult for me; I planned months in advance and cut back in other areas. We postponed a family vacation. I had to convince my family that the money/time were an investment in our future. I considered just registering for the Saturday and Sunday main conference to save money, but then decided that I needed to take full advantage of the opportunity so I took pre-conferences on Thursday and Friday as well. The conference was well worth the money; it was the best money I have ever spent on myself and for my career. I have absolutely no regrets. I returned inspired, energetic, and creative. It is hard to put into words the impact it has had on my life. So my advice is if you can find a way to afford it, go. And don't miss the lectures on Thursday and Friday. Steve's lecture on negotiating skills changed my outlook on lots of things. The chance to talk to other doctors who want to leave medicine was invaluable. I realized I hadn't "wasted" time and money on my medical training. I no longer "felt guilty" for wanting to explore other options. I now felt free to explore my other options, if that makes sense. And it wasn't necessary that I have a plan in place before attending the conference; doctors there were in all the stages of leaving practice.”

"I went to it last year. I found it very helpful, even got a job in the pharmaceutical industry from the conference! Also note that I just got laid off last month. Not a big deal, it did help me realize that I REALLY like being out of clinical practice."

“Being able to talk to mentors was outstanding, this conference is what I needed to move on to a non-clinical career”

“Best of its kind”

“Coming “cold” into this venue, it was a very valuable first step, saving me lots of time and effort”

“Condensed, useful information”

“Conference is useful for getting an overview of the possible non-clinical career opportunities”

“Excellent and highly relevant”

“Excellent conference, great information”

“Excellent conference, very informative, lots of meaningful suggestions and ideas to consider”

“Excellent exposure to opportunities”

“Excellent for networking, great meeting other attendees”

“Excellent great info, good place to begin networking”

“Excellent idea and opportunity”

“Excellent info, well organized, inspiring”

“Excellent investment of my time and money. It should be mandatory training for residents”

“Excellent lectures”

“Excellent overall impressive”

“Excellent overview with a variety of ideas/topics/options available for a non-clinical career”

“Excellent speakers”

“Excellent speakers. Thorough handouts.  Higher quality than anticipated.”

“Excellent, Beyond my expectations"

“Excellent, delivers exactly what it promised”

“Excellent. Info applicable. This was a high yield investment in my opinion.”

“Exposure to all possible fields, references to web sites, books, people to contact in the future”

“Extremely helpful in focusing what I need to do & introducing me to new concepts & contacts”

“Extremely well organized”

“Extremely worthwhile and unique.”

“Fabulous”

“Fantastic, lots of valuable info”

“Good exposure to multiple areas of possibilities”

“Good method to get an overview of all the options in non-clinical pathways”

“Good overview of career options, I came here feeling trapped in my clinical career & I left feeling optimistic about my options.”

“Good presentation. A lot of information helped me to begin the process of transitioning out of clinical medicine”

“Good starting point to make a change of career”

“Good variety of speakers, recruiters and mentors”

“Good, hard, useful information”

“Good, useful information where little is available”

“Great beginning point to transition of new career”

“Great information, resources, mentors”

“Great overview of skills you need to develop to make a career transition”

“Helped a lot to define my thoughts”

“Helpful and empowering”

“Impressed about the accuracy and usefulness”

“Impressed with the very practical knowledge and techniques”

“Improved my awareness”

“Invaluable resource for me at this time of my life, has given me many of the tools I need to move my transition to non-clinical medicine.”

“It was wonderful”

“Lots of support, lots of information, lots of motivation”

“Meaningful, relaxed, top notch, accurate”

“My first venture into this and I think this is a useful jumping off point”

“Needed, useful, helpful, worthwhile”

"Our recruiters really enjoyed participating last year and hired 5 physicians from the event and are still in conversations with others from last year..."

“Outstanding”

“Overall, conference was very interesting, informative, and motivational”

“Packed with useful information”

“Phenomenally great idea”

“Presenters were excellent and gave very useful information”

“Probably the best overall experience of any conference I have attended”

“Really excellent, this was an information gathering conference for me & I got a lot of useful data”

“Really excellent. This was an information gathering conf. for me and I got a  lot of useful data”

“Really interesting and informative, I’m glad I came”

“So glad I decided to attend”

“Speakers addressed a wide variety of career options – everyone was generous with their time, all extremely helpful”

“Thank you for organizing this life changing experience”

“Thank you for providing this service”

“The conference was well run and informative”

“The lectures were really informative”

“These is something for everyone”

“This has given me hope that this transition is possible”

“This is my first SEAK conference and wish I’d had this opportunity 10 years ago. Wide variety of lecturers, some polished, some less so, very informative and enlightening”

“This is my first venture into this and I think this is a useful jumping off point”

“Valuable it taught me exactly what I wanted to learn”

“Very engaging, interesting and entertaining while being useful and valuable”

“Very eye opening as to the number of opportunities available”

“Very good enjoyed hearing lots of different ideas from many people”

“Very Good panel of speakers, very approachable people”

“Very helpful, concrete, lots of information”

“Very Impressive”

“Very informative, worth my time”

“Very inspiring and eye-opening.  I wish I had known about all this many years ago”

“Very practical.  I received more useful and practical information in two days than I found in 2 years of searching on my own.”

“Very professional, several aspects to appeal to beginning or advanced seekers”

“Very useful and eye opening”

“Very valuable”

“Very valuable information”

“Very worthwhile”

“Well organized & very good program”

“Well worth my time & money. A useful conference-glad I attended, good starting points. Eliminated areas that I had been considering while adding ones I never knew existed.”

“Would be interested in attending again”

“You’re on the brink of something huge.  The conference was very well organized and run”