In 2020, the UK recorded a whopping figure of 3.6k registered doctors. Out of this figure, 39,411 of these doctors were between the ages of 20-29. These figures indicate the number of people who have perhaps asked themselves the same question: What can I do with my degree in medicine. Just as obtaining a law degree does not mean you have to be a lawyer; getting a degree in medicine does not automatically mean you have to be a doctor. Several opportunities await you with your degree in medicine; here are a few.
Health journalist or writer
If you have a side hobby of writing, you can start a career as a health journalist or writer. Although journalism is a competitive field, your educational background in medicine gives you a tremendous advantage in this profession. Some medics adopt this career path as a side-hustle to their actual clinical jobs. You can also educate the public on various health-related topics by becoming a health, or medical, writer. Unlike a medical journalist, you would usually work for a regulatory body like IQVIA, writing informative and factual medical articles.
Mental health nurse
Not all patients are physically ill. In the UK, 1 in 6 people reports an experience of a common mental disorder like anxiety and depression in any given week. As a mental health nurse, you would have the obligation of working with patients who suffer some form of mental illness, such as anxiety and depression, eating disorders, personality disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc. Working alongside psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and other health professionals, you would help your patients (whether young or old) overcome or manage their various mental illnesses to improve their quality of life and overall well being.
Medical lecturer
After your years in medical school, it would be an excellent service to pass down your knowledge to young, eager medical students. Becoming a medical lecturer allows you to relive your younger medical school days through matured and learned eyes as you teach students at the university level. You can also choose to teach science subjects like biology and physics at the secondary school level. If you are passionate about educating others and learning more as you do, you should consider this a career path.
Health economist
Health economics is a branch of economics that promotes healthy lifestyles and positive health outcomes by focusing on improving the efficiency, values, and behaviours of healthcare providers, managed care and public health activities, and hospitals and clinics. This means that as a health economist, you would need to offer practical solutions to public health concerns. You must provide the government and healthcare providers with information that would help achieve a proficient healthcare system. In addition, you must ensure that the solutions you offer are practical and cost-effective. This job is suitable for the medical graduate who likes to think critically, solve problems, and has excellent long-term planning skills.
There are endless career choices for you with a medical degree. So be sure to explore your options.
