What Are the Different Medical Careers To Consider?  

If you are looking for a career where you can make a significant amount of money while also making a positive impact on the world, you might be thinking about a career in medicine. ¹After getting a bachelor’s degree, you can find a job in entry-level nursing positions like a nurse educator or a clinic nurse. You may also be positioned in managerial roles and expand your career path. Search for phrases like “PRN jobs near me” to access various job vacancies and choose the position depending on your specialization and professional background.

When people think about going into medicine, they usually think about becoming a doctor.

Even though becoming a doctor does mean you are at the top of the food chain, there are plenty of other viable careers that pay well while also allowing you to make a difference. If you are looking to start your medical career, what are some of the top career paths you should consider?

Take a look at a few of the options below.

1. Surgical Tech

One of the first options that you might want to consider is becoming a surgical tech². It is the job of a surgical tech to pass the tools to the surgeon. When the surgeon is operating on someone, he or she does not want to take his or her eyes off of the surgical field. Therefore, the surgeon will simply extend a hand, ask for the tool, and the surgical tech will be responsible for putting the right tool in the hands of the surgeon. The surgical tech is also responsible for turning the room over between cases. The surgical tech will need to go to the autoclave, pull out the tools for the next case, and make sure the room is set up for the next operation.

2. Pharmacy Technician

Another option you may want to consider is a career as a pharmacy technician³. It is the job of a pharmacy technician to put the right pills in the container. A strong pharmacy tech program also means a close working relationship with the pharmacist, so this is a great option if you want to become a pharmacist one day. You get to learn about different medications, you get to learn about which medications do not work well together, and you get to help doctors identify which medications are right for certain purposes. There are plenty of educational opportunities out there, so consider taking a look at a few programs.

3. Patient Tech

You might also be thinking about becoming a patient tech. A patient tech is responsible for working with nurses and doctors on the floor to take vital signs. For example, if there is a patient on the floor who needs to have his or her blood pressure taken every 8 hours, the patient tech will be responsible for getting these readings. If anything is off, the patient tech will also need to notify the doctor or nurse that something is wrong. That way, the appropriate measures can be taken to rectify the situation.

4. Medical Assistant

Another option you might want to consider is a career as a medical assistant. A medical assistant often works in an office setting with a doctor and a nurse. For example, if there is a child being brought back for a school physical, the medical assistant might be responsible for checking the height, weight, heart rate, and blood pressure of the patient. The exact job might vary from patient to patient, but a medical assistant will get to work closely with the doctor, learning a lot about what it is like to work with patients on a daily basis. This could be a great way for you to jumpstart your career in medicine as well.

5. EMT

There are a lot of people who desire a career in medicine who start off as an EMT. An EMT is an emergency medical technician. This is someone who works on an ambulance and responds to 911 calls. For example, if there is someone who has gotten shot, an ambulance might be called to transport that person to the hospital. The EMT will be responsible for stabilizing the patient as much as possible on the way to the emergency room. An EMT handles a wide range of phone calls ranging from trauma issues to allergic reactions and even drug overdoses. This is a great way to learn a lot about emergency medical care.

Start Your Medical Career

If you are ready to start your medical career, these are a few of the top options you should consider. There are plenty of choices available in the medical field, and you need to think carefully about which option is best for your needs. Even if you are thinking about becoming a nurse, nurse practitioner, or doctor down the road, you may want to start with one of these options first. That way, you will have work experience on your resume when you decide to go back to school in the future. You may want to reach out to someone who can help you explore the educational opportunities⁴ in these areas.

1. Ratanawongsa, Neda, Eric E. Howell, and Scott M. Wright. “What motivates physicians throughout their careers in medicine?.” Comprehensive therapy 32 (2006): 210-217. ↩︎
2. Fuller, Joanna Kotcher, and Joanna Ruth Fuller. Surgical technology: principles and practice. Elsevier Health Sciences, 2012. ↩︎
3. Mattingly, Ashlee N., and T. Joseph Mattingly II. “Advancing the role of the pharmacy technician: A systematic review.” Journal of the American Pharmacists Association 58.1 (2018): 94-108. ↩︎
4. Griffin, Kimberly A., et al. “Those who left, those who stayed: Exploring the educational opportunities of high-achieving black and Latina/o students at magnet and nonmagnet Los Angeles high schools (2001–2002).” Educational Studies 42.3 (2007): 229-247. ↩︎

Last Updated on February 21, 2024 by ayeshayusuf