Career Change to Healthcare: A Journey in Emergency Medicine

Dr. Alan Rice’s story is a testament to the possibilities of a career change to healthcare, particularly within the emergency medicine career path. Starting his medical journey at 38, Dr. Rice transitioned from construction and IT to becoming an emergency medicine physician at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital. His path highlights the value of perseverance, diverse experiences, and the rewarding nature of emergency medicine.

Every once in a while during his medical training, Dr. Alan Rice would hear classmates in their mid-20s make comments like, “I’m too old to be in medical school. What was I thinking?” The first thought that raced through his mind? “You have no idea.”

“I didn’t start medical school until I was 38 years old, but I wasn’t the oldest in my class. I had classmates who were in their 50s,” he points out with pride. “It’s never too late, and as an older student, you bring assets to the experience. There’s something out there for everyone.”

Now an ApolloMD emergency medicine physician at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, Ga., Dr. Rice acknowledges (with pride) that his career change to healthcare was, in his words, “pretty circuitous.” It also represents the kind of work ethic and passion for patient-centered care that describes ApolloMD’s approach and philosophy to meaningful healthcare employment and service.

From Construction to IT to Emergency Medicine

When he was a junior in high school, Dr. Rice’s girlfriend – now his wife – became pregnant, so he dropped out and worked construction jobs for two years. “I loved building things with my hands,” he recalls, “but we were dirt poor and paid for our apartment with a credit card.”

He eventually found a job working in IT, not because he had a passion for technology but because it paid the bills. In the evenings, he played in local rock bands – even opened for Dave Matthews once and performed at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. His career in IT progressed, but furthering his education was always in the back of his mind.

“They Just Let You In”

“My mother was a CPR instructor, and I used to help her with classes at the American Red Cross,” says Dr. Rice, now 47. This sparked a life-long interest in medicine. “So, I decided to apply to college with the ultimate goal of going to medical school. For a high-school dropout, that idea sounded crazy. But the nice thing about being older when you apply to college is that … they just let you in.”

At age 28, he started classes at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, GA, while also working full-time and traveling for his IT job. At age 38, he was accepted to Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon – a choice that allowed him to stay close to his home and family while pursuing his dream to be a physician.

From Surgery to Emergency Medicine

Originally interested in surgery as a specialty, Dr. Rice ultimately chose the emergency medicine career path. He recalls that physicians in some of the other medical specialties struck him as tired and discontented, but the tone was different in the breakroom one day while shadowing emergency medicine physicians at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.

“They were all watching Sharknado and laughing and rooting for the shark…and I thought to myself, ‘Oh, these are my people.’”

Kennestone is where he fell in love with the specialty of emergency medicine. Since Mercer did not offer emergency medicine as a 3rd-year rotation, he shadowed physicians from ApolloMD and ultimately matched at Kennestone for his residency training.

“I immediately loved the variety of the emergency department, and everyone else around me seemed to be happy. I’m very hands-on, and I enjoy performing procedures,” he points out, the pride in his work evident in his voice. “Today, I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Upon graduation from residency, he worked in emergency medicine for a year at Piedmont Healthcare before joining ApolloMD and the Kennestone emergency medicine team in July 2023. Wellstar Kennestone is one of the busiest emergency departments in the U.S.

Why ApolloMD? A Fulfilling Career

Dr. Rice recounts a list of factors that drew him to ApolloMD. “First, it’s a great place to work, which is evident by the fact that very few of our attending physicians ever leave,” he says. “ApolloMD also has a good reputation. It’s physician-owned and -operated, and there are a lot of opportunities to get involved and advance within the company. Employees can invest in the company and become a part owner. Things run smoothly at ApolloMD, from the recruiting process all the way to providing care.”

His career path from near-poverty to a demanding medical specialty is also delivering other benefits, too. His oldest son is now in his second year of medical school. “There’s something out there for everyone,” Dr. Rice says, “and I love emergency medicine. It’s a very fulfilling career. It was a long path to get in, but now that I’m here, I’m really, really happy.”

Find out more about careers at ApolloMD at ApolloMD.com.