A Guide to Careers in Medicine

Have you always wanted to help people? Thought about being a doctor but not sure if it's exactly what you're looking for? Well, there are many other health-related professions beyond being a doctor. There are even different types of specialties within the scope of being a doctor.

Careers in Medicine - Doctor

Doctor is the first medical profession that comes to mind when you think of medical students. However, there are many different types of doctors and specialties. A doctor can be a general physician, or specialize-which will also help them get an even higher paying job. Specialties include fields like surgery, which has its own specialties. You can specialize in a certain area of the body, such as podiatry or ophthalmology (feet and eyes.) Some doctors specialize in fields where the patients have unique characteristics like obstetrics, pediatrics or gerontology (pregnancy, children, and older patients.)

Careers in Medicine - Nurse

To get an RN license, which you need to be a nurse, you have to go to nursing school. You can enter nursing school if you have a high school diploma. Nursing school is usually a four year Bachelor of Science degree. Studying nursing takes less time than learning to be a doctor, but it pays a lot less than being a doctor. However, you get to interact more personally with each patient. Nurses need a lot of stamina and patience as they will be under a lot of stress and are on their feet for a long time each day, but still have to interact well with doctors and patients.

Careers in Medicine - Pharmacist

To become a pharmacist you need a four-year bachelor's degree, and a two-year pharmacy degree. Pharmacy pays well, but less than being a doctor. Pharmacists provide the prescriptions that doctors decide the patient needs. Sometimes they get to make the medicine themselves, but most of the time the medicines get to them already made. The pharmacist has a lot of responsibility to make sure that the patients get the right drugs, dosage, and instructions.

Careers in Medicine - Research

Medical research is important to help advance the field. There is little interaction with actual patients, but you will be helping the world. The best way to work in research is to become a college professor. At big research universities, teaching is secondary to the research and research papers that professors write. You can do a PhD in a science like biology or genetics to get a start into medical research.

There are many more careers in medicine, from dentists to psychiatrists. Any careers in medicine take a lot of effort, both to get the qualifications to enter the field, and to have the job. Despite the effort, if you really want a career in medicine, the job will be worth it.