Don’t Want to Be a Doctor? 9 Other Jobs You Can Get With a Medical Degree

After you’ve spent years and years of studying and schooling to get a medical degree, you may think that the only accessible path forward is the doctor route, but that’s not true. A person with a medical degree can secure plenty of other thriving professions, and some of these degrees require far less schooling than others.

You don’t have to work at an urgent care facility to follow your medical dreams. You don’t even have to wear a uniform or be around medical equipment. Jobs available in the medical field today can take you to sporting events or the workplace. You can even do some medical jobs from the convenience and luxury of your home, or even at the coffee shop.

You don’t have to be a doctor just because you have a medical degree, even if your parents were the people who encouraged you to become a doctor and get a medical degree in the first place.

Here are nine other jobs you can get with your prestigious degree.

Teacher

If you want to spread your knowledge and help prospective medical students, then you can become a teacher. Whether you want to teach a specialized subject (such as facts about lung cancer) or a broader genre (such as biology), many different avenues are available for medical/science teachers. You can also teach at different levels, from grade school all the way to higher education.

You don’t even have to become a teacher to teach. You can also become a guest speaker. You’ll find flexibility in the teaching field that will allow you to use your medical degree however you see fit. You can even teach other professionals in the medical field. However, depending on the level and type of teaching, different levels of degrees and certificates could apply. This is a profession that can take many forms.

Sports and exercise medicine

Have you always dreamed of working with sports and athletes for a living? That’s possible if you get a job in sports and exercise medicine. In this industry, professionals work on the treatment and prevention of injuries, as well as fitness, among athletes. Sports medicine is also growing, so be on the lookout for jobs if you’re interested.

This industry is not limited to professional athletes but athletes at all levels, and coaches and trainers are just a couple of the jobs available in sports and exercise medicine.

Occupational therapy aide

This job will take your talents to the office, where you will monitor the environment of the workplace to make sure it is safe and healthy for the workers. You might also work with people who were injured on the job and help them go through a recovery plan if you work for a home healthcare provider. Occupational therapy aides not only specialize in recovery but prevention as well. Employment in this career is projected to grow 28 percent between 2016 and 2026.

Dental assistant

The duties of a dental assistant vary, but this occupation can involve a professional working directly with patients (such as prepping a patient for oral cleaning), or administrative work like filing patient documents.

If you have a passion for healthy smiles, dentures, teeth cleaning, and dentistry in general, then a dental assistant might be the calling for you.

Employment of dental assistants is expected to increase 19 percent from 2016 to 2026.

Radiology technician

Still want to work in a hospital but don’t want to be a doctor? A radiology technician might be your dream career. Working alongside radiologists, a radiology tech works with X-rays and CT scans.

While they aren’t trained to diagnose the imaging results, radiology technicians work directly with patients to administer the imaging procedures, which means working with patients to take X-rays and also handling the machinery.

This career is expected to increase 13 percent from 2016 to 2026.

Medical writer

The best part about being a medical writer is the flexibility it can offer, and the options are unlimited. Medical writers can work in an office or freelance from a remote setting. They can also cover writing about any topic relating to the medical field, including Filtration for Hemp and CBD Oil Extraction or subjects such as sexual health specialists, but that’s just the beginning. Medical writers can focus on specific topics such an urgent care facility in Wall Township, NJ, or more broad topics, such as the benefits and disadvantages of fasting.

Medical writers can also publish books and ebooks.

As a freelance medical writer, you can work for different companies and cover as many topics as you like. Unlike other medical professions, medical writer positions can be found online, with the interview and work being conducted right from your computer.

Online medical marketer

While this type of online marketer specializes in marketing for medical clients (which can include doctors, private practices, hospitals, etc.), they also tend to be proficient in editing and writing, so a medical writer career could morph into an online medical marketer.

Projects are based on the clientele, which can include chiropractic care, dental implants, yoga, implants/surgery, and even websites that promote a cancer care center. An online medical marketer, much like a medical writer, can work full time for a company or be self-employed and find clients remotely. Medical marketers can even do social media work on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. This is a position that can allow someone with a medical degree to be his or her own boss without having to own a practice.

Medical assistant

A medical assistant is a common job destination where people with medical degrees land. This job requires the assistant to work on administrative and clinical duties for doctors and hospitals (depending on if you work for a practice or hospital). Duties can vary with the location and specialty of the practice.

Whether you went through the Medical Assistant Diploma Program in New Jersey or passed the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant exam, medical assistant jobs are available all over the world. Another benefit is that this field is projected to increase 29 percent from 2016 to 2026.

Nurse

Plenty of viable nursing careers are available, from nurse practitioners to assistants. In addition to providing nursing care, nurse practitioners can prescribe medication and diagnose patients, as well as open their own practices without a doctor. Depending on the state, most nurse practitioners need a master’s degree, though nurse assistants and registered nurses don’t.

A nurse can be the ideal career for someone who wants to work with and treat patients on a personal level. While doctors get a lot of credit (as they should), nurses are also an integral part of the medical system.

While it’s common to associate a medical degree with being a doctor, having a medical degree opens the doors to a world of professions. No longer do you have to stay on one career path to achieve success with your degree. You can take many paths and change courses over time in the medical world. Not everyone wants to go to school for the required amount of time it takes to become a doctor. Luckily, you can choose from many professions with your degree.