Medical degrees and healthcare careers

Healthcare is a massive sector encompassing entry-level support roles to specialized surgeons and physicians. Regardless of the role, healthcare workers experience the best and worst moments of people’s lives, sometimes in the same shift. Healthcare is a career choice with meaning.

The median salary for healthcare practitioners is $75,040, about $30,000 higher than the national average. Support occupations have a median wage of just under $30k, or $15,000 less than the national average. The sector is essentially recession proof, with job openings predicted to grow 16% between 2020 – 2030.

Types of medical degrees

There are medical jobs available at all education levels, from high-school diploma to doctorate degree. The education level required depends on the specific role.

Medical associate degrees

A 2-year associate degree opens the door to many lucrative, in-demand healthcare careers. Most of these fall within allied health – a term used to describe a range of occupations outside of nursing and medicine. Associate programs tend to be highly vocational and geared towards specific roles.

Pre med majors

The first step toward an advanced healthcare position is a bachelor’s degree. When it comes to medical field majors, students usually choose a STEM subject on the pre-med track. After this they apply to medical school, or the requisite postgraduate degree for their target profession.

There are also some positions where a bachelor degree is the minimum requirement. For example, to become a nutritionist or dietician you need a bachelor’s in nutrition and dietetics.

» Read: What is pre-med?

Medical masters degrees

While masters degrees in healthcare are available, most students skip this step and go directly to a doctorate. However, there are also some healthcare jobs where a master’s degree is the only requirement. For example, to become an occupational therapist you need a master’s in occupational therapy and physician assistants typically need a master’s (sometimes without the GRE for acceptance).

Medical doctorates

The 3 main types of medical doctorate are professional, clinical, and research:

Professional

This degree prepares students for a specific medical profession by providing advanced clinical competencies. Examples of professional degrees awarded include:

• Medicine (M.D. or D.O.)
• Dentistry (DDS or DMD)
• Veterinary Medicine (DVM or VMD)
• Chiropractic Medicine (D.C.)

Clinical

The aim of this degree is to prepare students to enter clinical practice in a particular field. Examples of clinical degrees awarded include:

• Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)
• Nursing Doctorate (N.D)
• Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
• Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Research

This degree prepares students for research or teaching roles. The output is mainly scholarly. Examples of research degrees awarded include:

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
• Doctor of Education (DEd)

» Read: What are pre-med post-baccalaureate programs

Medical degrees list

Healthcare professions have a clear educational path that often involves completing the relevant medical degree. Depending on the career chosen, you may need to follow up your medical degree with further training to specialize and get certified. Below we discuss the education required for some key medical careers.

Specializations

Upon completing medical school, you may decide to focus on a specific area of medicine and become a specialist. This requires additional training, much of which takes place on-the-job during a fellowship. Examples of roles a GP might move into include:

• Radiologist
• Pathologist

Degrees for allied health professionals

While entry-level allied health positions typically require an associate degree, other medical roles within this category require more advanced degrees. The exact educational and certification requirements may vary depending on the occupation:

• occupational therapist
• physical therapist
• physician assistant
• audiologist
• prosthetist/orthotist
• health informatics
• X-ray technician

Should you pursue a career in healthcare

Financial compensation may not be the deciding factor when choosing to enter the healthcare sector, but the positive career outlook is reassuring. A medical education can lead to a long, well-paid, and stable career. There are a huge range of roles to choose from and always opportunities to specialize further.