Not all medical graduates pursue a career in medical practice. Turning away from emergency rooms and laboratory testings, however, doesn’t mean that you have to throw away everything that you learned during your four years in medical school. You can still use your medical education in a non-hospital setting. Here are some alternative career options for medical graduates like you.
Genetic counseling
If genetics was your favorite subject in medical school, then you should probably consider a career in genetic counseling. Genetic counseling is a health profession that involves the provision of medical information and emotional support to families with histories of genetic disorders. Your job as a genetic counselor is a mix of doctor duties and social work: you investigate a family’s hereditary background and analyze genetic patterns to help them understand the risks of genetic disorders and implications of birth defects.
Important courses: genetics, biology, psychology, and public health
Medical examiner
Do you enjoy watching CSI more than House, M.D.? If you do, then put your medical education to good use by becoming a medical examiner like Al Robbins. Your job as a medical examiner is like your typical activity in gross anatomy class: you cut up cadavers. The only difference between the two, aside from getting paid lots of money, is that medical examination requires you to determine the person’s cause of death. Your role is very essential in forensic science because it will be the main focus of the investigation.
Important courses: physiology, anatomy, pathology, and biochemistry
People develop dreams of becoming of doctors because they wish to do good in this world by saving other people’s lives. Wearing a scrub suit, however, is not the only way to do that. You can still touch other people’s lives by applying the knowledge you gained in medical school to counsel people and giving expert advice to different organizations and companies. So, if you feel like traditional medical practice is not for you, then don’t worry. You can still save lives.
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After graduating from medical school, you have to make another difficult decision: the choice between practicing in government hospitals and in private hospitals. The choice between the two, of course, is subjective. It all depends on what matters to you most – equipment, facilities, or salary. So, which one is better: a government hospital or a private hospital?
Government vs. private hospitals
Government hospitals or public hospitals are medical institutions that are owned and funded by the government. The money used to pay for the services of medical practitioners, supply of medical equipment, and maintenance of medical facilities all come from the national budget. The types of medical institution that are funded by private owners, medical insurers, and hospital fees are called private hospitals.
Medical facilities and equipment
Because they have very limited funds, government hospitals lag behind private hospitals in terms of medical equipment and facilities. Private hospitals, thanks to the medical service fees paid by the patients, have enough funds to purchase the latest medical equipment. If you’d rather work in hospitals with high-tech facilities, then you should work in private hospitals. You are also assured of the availability of supplies, cleanliness of rooms, and efficiency of facilities.
Salaries and debts
In terms of salary, private hospitals offer higher salaries than government hospitals. Working in government hospitals, aside from not getting paid enough for your efforts, is extra stressful. Because the medical rates are either free or relatively cheap, more patients flock to government hospitals than private hospitals. As a doctor, you have to do your best to attend to all their medical needs – even if it means cutting your vacation short.
If you relied on government scholarships for financial support when you were in medical school, working in government hospitals is an effective way of immediately paying off your debt. Although you will not earn much money, working in government hospitals allows you to pay off your student loan in the form of public service. So, while your former classmates are still trying to figure out how to extend their payment terms, you are actually paying off your debt by simply doing what you love best – saving people’s lives.
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