Is Medicine Right for Me? Career Paths in Modern Medicine
Written By: BOSS Editorial
Reading Time: 5 minutes
According to industry statistics, healthcare is one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S., and by 2034, the job growth rate will reach 8.4%, adding around 1.9 million new jobs annually. One of the main reasons for this surge is that around 44% of active practicing physicians are approaching or already at retirement age, so the entire industry faces an urgent demand for talent at all levels. This fact makes this sector one of the most lucrative ones across the U.S.
Is Medicine Right For You?
Whenever we hear the term ‘medicine’, we automatically picture a doctor in a white coat with a stethoscope dangling down his chest, or a nurse in her green scrubs checking on patients. The image itself is not wrong, it’s just wildly incomplete and one-sided because the medicine and healthcare sector is much more vast.
If you think the clinical side of medicine is not for you, there are so many other fields you can choose from, like research, leadership, public health, digital health, etc. As long as you have a genuine interest in human well-being, this industry welcomes you with open arms.
Here are the most sought-after career paths among some major fields for you to consider.
Clinical Careers
Let’s start with the more obvious careers, the ones that deal directly with patients;
Physicians (MDs & DOs)
For those who dream of experiencing life-saving moments firsthand, this role is for them.
However, importantly, this is the highest-barrier role in the healthcare industry. You need to complete 4 years of undergrad, 4 years of medical school, and 3 to 7 years of residency training. The AAMC has over 200 specialty profiles, so there’s a path for nearly every interest.
The most in-demand specialties right now include:
- Psychiatry
- Oncology
- Cardiology
- Neurology and Neurosurgery
- OB/GYN
- Dermatology
- Anesthesiology
- Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging
Nurse Practitioners (NPs)
If you want clinical authority in a shorter timeline, aim for a nursing career path. To become a nurse practitioner, you need a BSN plus a master’s or doctoral degree. This is a highly competitive field, and you may be stuck searching for how to get a nursing job. But once you specialize in a specific area like psychiatric mental health, acute care, family health, or women’s health, there are plenty of open roles.
Physician Assistant (PAs)
This is a very flexible role, and great for people who want to have the liberty to switch fields easily. To become a PA, you’ll complete a 3-year master’s program from any reputed institute and practice across any speciality you want.
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs)
If you want to earn well in the healthcare industry without becoming a physician, a CRNA is your answer. Their practice privileges and salary levels rank second only to subspecialist physicians. However, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetics (AANA) has made it necessary to hold a DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) degree to work as a CRNA.
Research and Population Health Careers
Some people love to help people with their medical knowledge, but can’t cope with the hectic hospital life. They can play a great role in several non-clinical areas.
Physician-Scientist
A physician-scientist plays a very important role in making bench-to-bedside discoveries. For this career path, you’ll need an MD with a PhD.
Biomedical PhD Researcher
A biomedical PhD researcher is equally qualified as a physician-scientist. But this role is more focused on the hottest problems in genomics, immunotherapy, oncology, and AI-driven drug discovery.
Epidemiologist
Although these roles have always been present, their demand rose to great lengths during the COVID-19 period. Ever since, this field has seen an increasing interest from both the government and students. As an epidemiologist, you will be researching both old and new diseases at a population level.
Healthcare Administration and Leadership Careers
This is the sweet spot between healthcare and the systems that run it. If you want to run the system and make changes for the betterment of the medicine industry, this career path is for you.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO)
Many senior physicians entrust the direct frontline clinical diagnosis and treatment in the hands of youth and transition into the CMO role. They bring clinical knowledge to the board of directors and help them with better decision-making.
Chief Nursing Officer (CNO)
As a Chief Nursing Officer, you can manage the entire nursing system. You will oversee adequate staffing, implement service standards, and ensure nursing strategies across all clinical settings. It is a great career path and well-suited for nurses who are skilled in holistic organizational management.
Digital Health Careers
This is an especially advanced career pathway, and could be the perfect fit if you love both health and tech.
To be a clinical informaticist, you must be a clinical practitioner who knows about technology and is skilled at problem-solving. You will be responsible for designing and optimizing medical systems such as electronic health records and more.
–
It’s easy to become trapped in the traditional stereotype that only doctors or nurses are a part of the medicine industry. But the field of medicine is boundless. Even if your interest doesn’t lie in facing patients, you can still find many career pathways to improve the healthcare sector.
The U.S. healthcare system is facing a massive staff shortage, which means right now is the ideal time to enter the field and match your interests and skills to specialized subfields within the healthcare sector.
