Of the long list of career options in U.S. News’ list of the 100 Best Jobs of 2015, seven of the top ten are in the medical field! According to Fortune, only technology can match the health care industry for job opportunities. Considering the emphasis on STEM these days, and the timeless allure of the medical profession, many students in your science classes may be contemplating a future with “Dr.” preceding their names. In this role, they could truly make a difference: helping families, saving lives or perhaps finding cures to the world’s diseases.
When kids envision being a doctor, they think of those they’ve seen on TV – surgeons and ER docs – or their own family practitioner. But the medical field is broad, and ripe with new opportunities. If you’d like to nurture your students’ interest in medicine (and spark a deeper level of engagement in science) consider leading a discussion on career potential in the diverse medical field.
Money Talks
If salary potential galvanizes your students (as it does their parents), these stats from the MedScape Physician Compensation Report 2015 may hold some appeal. The report shows that primary care physicians average $195,000 annually and specialists average $284,000. The top five specialties identified are:
- Orthopedists ($421,000) – treat injuries to bones and muscles
- Cardiologists ($376,000) – treat and prevent diseases of the heart and blood vessels
- Gastroenterologists ($370,000) – focus on the function and diseases of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon and rectum, pancreas, gallbladder and liver
- Anesthesiologists ($358,000) – care for surgical patients before, during and after surgery, with emphasis on pain management
- Plastic surgeons ($354,000) – alter or restore the form of the body, including reconstructive surgery as well as cosmetic surgery
Some students may already be all-too familiar with dermatologists, who average $339,000 a year.
Med School Too Intimidating?
As enticing as these salaries sound, some students may be turned off by the cost, time-commitment and intensity of med school. Put their fears to rest with the data we found in Forbes’ 7 High Paying Medical Careers You Can Do with a Bachelors’ Degree. Top on the Forbes list: a Medical Perfusionist. There’s a new vocabulary word for you (spellcheck doesn’t even recognize it). Medical Perfusionists operate bypass and other machinery that temporarily controls a patient’s respiration and/or circulation. They make a tidy $93,500 per year.
Other lucrative medical roles that only require a 4-year degree:
- Clinical Trial Manager ($92,600) – oversee drug therapy trials
- Health Care Product Manager ($87,800) – coordinate product development and marketing for products ranging from pharmaceuticals to prosthetics
- Pharmaceutical Sales Rep ($84,200) – supply doctors’ offices and hospitals
- Transplant Coordinator ($76,400) – from pre-transplant work-ups to post-surgical care
- Radiology/Diagnostic Imaging Director ($76,400) – manage the department that handles patients’ X-rays, CT scans, MRIs and ultrasounds
- Hand Therapist ($70,200) – restore patient dexterity through pre- and post-operative care and pain management
Additional great jobs are available to students with Masters’ degrees, including Nurse Practitioner (#2 on the U.S. News’ best 100 jobs list) and Physical Therapist (#6). Nurse practitioners, who average $92,670, take patient histories, perform exams, order and analyze labs, prescribe medicines and authorize treatments. Physical therapists average $81,030 and provide a wide range of rewarding services including helping paralytics regain mobility, cancer survivors renew their strength, and athletes recover from an injury. That profession is expected to grow 36% by 2022.
BioTech
The technology buffs in your class may be most intrigued by emerging fields such as biophysics, biomechanics and bioinformatics. Check out this article from Chron.com for more details. Or, inspire your students to explore the high-tech field of mobile health, which involves smartphone-linked wearable sensors, point-of-need diagnostic devices, and medical-grade imaging, all supported by real-time data streams.
Once they start imagining a future in medicine, they may pay a little more attention in class! If they’re interested in looking further into medical careers, please refer them to Envision’s NYLF Medicine or NYLF Advanced Medicine & Health Care programs.
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