Curry
My question is this: what types of careers or jobs or work do these items below suggest to you?
Hoping this forum is appropriate for my question. I’m 55 years old and recently sold a successful Acupuncture office that my wife and I owned for 26 years in order for us to move across country to her hometown. I’m looking for a new career that would best utilize my skills, my areas of knowledge, etc.
Areas I’m most interested in:
1. A job that sits at the intersection of natural healthcare (I have a Master’s Degree of Science in Oriental Medicine) and International Relations (which is my undergraduate degree). I would love to represent Chinese Medicine as an advisor or policy maker for some international non-profit connected to the World Health Organization for example.
2. I love and am expert at composing Chinese Herbal Medicine formulas for individuals based on 2000-year-old theory and texts.
3. I love consulting business owners, ideally those who are in natural healthcare or other professions that are ethical and have as close to neutral or ideally a positive impact on the planet.
Skills I’m most interested in performing in this new career:
1. Working with numbers and statistics, computing and planning based on the data
2. Persuading, selling, educating, recruiting
3. Solving problems
4. Getting follow through on things from team members, getting things done, expediting actions that further the goals of the organization.
Thanks in advance!
2 answers
Sijoy Sagar
Sijoy’s Answer
Congratulations on running a successful acupuncture practice for 26 years. That's a fantastic achievement, and it's exciting to see you ready to start a new chapter with all your experience.
Here are some of personal ideas you might want to explore given the experience you have:
Global Health & Policy: With your background in Oriental Medicine and International Relations, you could work with organizations like WHO or NGOs focused on integrative health. You could help represent Chinese Medicine on a global stage.
Herbal Medicine Research & Education: You could use your expertise in Chinese herbal formulas in research, teaching, or creating educational content. Universities and wellness institutes value professionals who can blend traditional knowledge with modern science.
Consulting for Ethical Businesses: If you are interested in advising businesses in natural healthcare or sustainable industries, consulting could be a great path. You can use your skills to help businesses that make a positive impact.
Data-Driven Health Strategy: Since you like working with numbers, you might enjoy roles in health analytics or program evaluation. Nonprofits or healthcare startups could be a perfect fit for you.
Your strengths in persuasion, education, and follow-through suggest you would do well in leadership or advisory roles where you can guide teams and influence outcomes.
A good next step might be to look into fellowships or advisory boards in global health or connect with international integrative medicine associations. This could help you find the path that excites you the most.
You have a unique mix of wisdom, experience, and curiosity, which will open many doors for you.
Wishing you clarity and excitement as you begin this new journey.
Thanks, I will definitely continue my search in those areas with those organizations!
Curry
Sarah Cockrell, MBA, MSCM
Sarah’s Answer
Potential roles include:
* Research program or project manager
* Research operations manager
* Clinical research coordinator
* Program evaluation specialist
* Research or data analyst
* Implementation science program manager
* Global health program specialist
* Community or industry partnerships manager
* Grants or sponsored research coordinator
* Integrative health research consultant
* Regulatory affairs specialist
* Herbal medicine educator or product-development consultant
* Business consultant for healthcare and wellness practices
A research center could draw upon many of the skills you identified: working with data, solving complex problems, coordinating teams, educating stakeholders, and moving projects toward completion. Your 26 years of clinical practice and business ownership would also give you valuable subject-matter expertise and a practical understanding of patient care, operations, and organizational decision-making.
You may not need to begin as a primary researcher. Research centers also need professionals who can manage studies, analyze programs, develop partnerships, coordinate grants, recruit participants, communicate findings, facilitate training, and ensure that teams complete project deliverables.
Your most immediate fit may be a program management, research operations, or consulting role connected to integrative or global health. If you want to move more directly into data analysis or health policy, additional training in statistics, research methods, public health, or program evaluation could strengthen your candidacy.
You might also consider a portfolio career that combines university research or program management with consulting for ethical healthcare businesses. That would allow you to use the full range of your clinical, entrepreneurial, analytical, and leadership experience.
Sarah, thanks for the input, really appreciate it. Will dig into those ideas!
Curry