Were you a student who loved Biology in Chemistry? Do you want a career that helps people? Maybe you’ve seen every episode of ER and always dreamed of working in a hospital. If you’ve been thinking about a career in medicine, does this mean it’s the right option for you? Here are some important things to consider first.
What Is Your Motivation For Pursuing This Career?
What do you want to gain from this? Do you want to help people? Do you enjoy math and science? Is money motivation for you? These are all good reasons that might prompt you to consider a career in the medical field. A medical career is very rewarding and can be financially lucrative too, but it is also a stressful industry to work on, requiring a lot of commitment, endurance, and hard work.
If you’re considering it because your parents are doctors, this is fine, as long as your goals line up with theirs. You are the one who has to live with your decision. Knowing your motives for considering this will help you to stay focused. Don’t forget, there are options other than being a doctor or nurse. You could work in hospital admin, medical sales of anything from medicines to a vaccine fridge, or in research, among others.
How Will You Get Education And Training For Your Career?
Learn about the options for degrees, diplomas, and training that are required for different medical jobs. Being a doctor or a nurse at a high level will require an investment of both time and money. Make sure you consider how you will finance your education, and how you will balance this with the time you need to complete all of the required work. If you want to be a physician, but don’t have years to put into schooling, there are alternatives. You could become a physician’s assistant or a nurse practitioner, which don’t require as many years of training. If you’re set on a career that requires an expensive degree, plan ahead to save the tuition or apply for financial assistance.
Do You Have The Right Skills And Strengths For The Healthcare Industry?
Each health career will require a different skillset and different personality traits. However, there are some attributes that will benefit you in most careers in the healthcare industry. Most roles in this industry will require you to have excellent interpersonal and communication skills. You will likely need some level of technical or mathematical skill, and a strong work ethic. Most medical jobs also need you to be mature and responsible. Your patient’s well-being or even their lives could depend on you and the quality of your work.
If you are the kind of person who enjoys learning new things, this will also be a very useful attribute to have in the healthcare industry, as this field is one that is changing all the time, with new technology, procedures, treatments, and illnesses being discovered all the time.
Team TDP