Vijay Garg
Gone are the days when healthcare referred to simply doctors and nurses. With the booming medical tourism in India, this sector is also showing growth in all terms. Be it the size of the hospitals or the expertise required for their operation, specialized courses have developed. If you failed to qualify for the MBBS entrance exam or wish to be in the medical field but don’t find yourself efficient to handle patients, then also the healthcare sector has a lot of opportunities for you. There is an ever growing demand for super-specialists. Even the engineers are needed. You must have noticed that hospitals have personalized apps. They need skilled engineers to design and maintain them. Here, we will be telling you about the numerous career opportunities in the healthcare sector.
Physician
When we talk about the healthcare sector, a Doctor is the first image that appears. Undoubtedly, doctors are the pillars of healthcare. You can be a doctor by clearing the national level test NEET. Also, you need to have studied physics, chemistry, and biology in your intermediate. There are also many private medical colleges that conduct their separate tests. After completing the four and a half year long MBBS, you can get yourself registered as a practitioner. Nowadays, there is a demand for super specialists. So, it will be better for you to do MD as well. Higher degrees will be better. A doctor’s job is one of the highest paying ones. The government hospitals and private hospitals all pay them handsomely.
Dentist
Tooth problems are always there. And to deal with them, we need skilled Dentists. There is an upsurge in dental issues with polluted water, unhealthy eating habits and obviously lifestyle stress. Apart from the traditional dental extractions and implants, we also have now cosmetic dentistry. People opt to undergo knife to fix the misalignment of their teeth, to improve their facial appearance and all such purposes. For being a dentist, you first need to do BDS. Its selection is done through the nationwide medical test NEET. After your BDS, you should go for higher studies for higher prospects.
Nurse
A Nurse is the one who is in charge of doing all the tests and taking care of the patient until he/she is discharged. They can be seen drawing out blood, collecting a urine sample, administering medicines, training patients for some techniques like taking insulin shots etc. if you are passionate towards the ill and ailing, you can get into this career. You first need to have physics, chemistry, and biology in your intermediate. After that, complete a nursing course. In our country, we have a B.Sc.(Nursing), ANM and GNM courses. On successful completion of the course, you need to get yourself registered with the state nursing registration council. After being a registered nurse, you can work in public as well as private clinics.
Dietician
Most hospitals have a group of Dieticians who prepare the diet chart for patients while their stay in the hospital and also afterwards. They take into account the medical history, current complications and also daily requirements. You must have noticed that patients suffering from kidney dysfunction get a diet chart upon their release from the hospitals. It is the dieticians who prepare that. There are a number of colleges that offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses in food Nutrition and Dietetics. After completing masters, you need to clear the registered dietician exams to get a practising license. After that only you can work as a dietician. This is a very attractive field. A number of people are suffering from lifestyle disorders and need a properly planned diet. With advancement in clinical science, doctors recommend their patients to have a balanced diet throughout their life. As a dietician, you can work with health clinics or even practice independently.
Counsellors
Hospitals don’t always get the patients with physical trauma only. They also get the ones who have deep psychological trauma. A Counselor role comes into the picture in these cases. There are cases when a person is so much tortured that they fail to open up to register a police complaint. A couple becomes rigid on conceiving a child even though this may lead to the death of the mother. A counsellor counsels them, works for the betterment of their mental state and also towards a permanent recovery. Their primary role is to ensure a healthy mental state of the patients. To be a counsellor in the healthcare industry, you need to have at least an M.Phil (Psychology). After that, you should get yourself registered with the rehabilitation council of India. Many universities are registered with RCI. So, the students get their license soon after completing their M.Phil. in case your university isn’t registered, you can appear for the independent exam conducted by RCI.
Physiotherapist
There are always patients who need physical therapies for getting better. Went here is an accident victim with a damaged spinal cord, their recovery needs a regular physiotherapy. Even the sportspersons need this from time to time. Most hospitals especially the orthopaedic ones have their own team of Physiotherapists. You too can be a physiotherapist if you have studied physics, chemistry, and biology in your intermediate. After that, you can go for a diploma as well as degree courses in physiotherapy. Like all the other streams, it is better to go for the masters and specialization. There is always a demand for physiotherapists who specialize in paediatrics, gerontology, and trauma. The salary starts at 30k per month. Of course, much of it depends on the hospital. And, if you succeed in establishing your own clinic, it can be even better. However, you must ensure that the college in which you are studying is recognized by the Indian Association of physiotherapists.
Medical Lab Technician
All the hospitals have their own pathology lab. Apart from the Pathologists, Lab Technicians are also needed. As a Lab Technician, you will be required to study and detect diseases in the patient’s body samples. If your hospital has an oncology department, you will be also required to detect malignancy of the tumours. This is a highly technical and specialized job. Not only that, this one will always remain in demand. Even with all the automation, it will be the human intellect and expertise required in creating slides and studying them. If you find this career thrilling, you can get yourself enrolled either in the Diploma in MLT or related Degree course in medical laboratory technologies. You can start your work with any diagnostic centre or hospital.
Pharmacist
A Pharmacist is a person behind the drug prescriptions to the patients. You can get into this field by completing B.Pharma first. There are government as well as private colleges offering this course. After that, it depends completely on you to choose either in an MNC associated with drug manufacture or some hospital. You can also get into the research field.
Hospital Management
This is a budding career with lots of potentials. The big hospital chains need more than just doctors and ancillary services to function properly. They need to have a proper management. Managing a hospital is completely different from managing a business firm. There are cases of emergency, medical epidemic and constant renewal of technical equipment. The role of a candidate with hospital management comes in the picture here. There are some institutes that specialize in offering MBA (Hospital Management). After doing your MBA (Hospital Management), you can join in the leading private hospitals as their manager.
Veterinarian
When we talk about health care, we can’t exclude our pets. If you find yourself more inclined to tend to the medical needs of these speechless creatures, you can become a Veterinarian. You have to clear the AIPVT Entrance Exam, which is the national level test for getting admission in the BVSc. States also conduct their own entrance tests which are subject to the domicile of the candidate.
Genetic Counselor
With the advancement in technology and growing awareness, people now know that many of their health issues are due to their genetic makeup. in the old days, people used to regard every mentally challenged child as the same. But now we know that they can suffer from Down’s syndrome or Klinefelter’s syndrome and so on. So, usually, doctors advise the expecting parents to get themselves tested genetically to rule out any such condition. As a genetic counsellor, you will be required to educate them about the pros and cons of getting this test done. You will be counselling them if any genetic anomaly is detected. You will be doing the same with the cancer patients too. To get into this field, you need to have a certification from the board of genetic counsellors in India. Unfortunately, there are very few institutes that currently offer a course in the genetic counselling. VIT offers a full-time M.Sc (Biomedical Genetics) with genetic counselling, Manipal hospitals Bangalore offer a certificate course in genetic counselling, and Kamineni Hospital, Hyderabad offers a post-graduate certificate course in medical and genetic counselling. So the competition to get there is really tough. But the scope is unlimited. If you wish to go abroad, the career prospect is much brighter. They are in high demand there.
Biomedical Engineer
With the growing demand for non-invasive surgeries, robotic surgeries, and accurate surgical devices, the Biomedical Engineers are going to be in high demand. The role of a biomedical engineer is to act as the intermediary between the hospital needs and industrial manufacture. It is more of an R&D job. We have IITs, NITs and some good private colleges offering diploma, certificate, undergraduate courses like B.Tech.(Biomedical Engineering)as well as postgraduate courses. But unfortunately, in our country, it has got a limited scope. But, if you choose to go abroad, it will give you tremendous returns.
Radiation Therapist
With a swift rise in the number of cancer patients, the need for radiation therapists has also risen. You can do a diploma or a full-time graduation in Radiation Technology. Currently, there isn’t any national entrance test. Colleges take the candidate based on their intermediate marks or their own entrance test. After completing the graduation, you need to get yourself a post-graduate specialization in medical oncology or radiology or oncology. After that, you will be eligible to work as a radiation therapist. You will get numerous opportunities in cancer-specialist hospitals.
The medical field is a vast arena. There are many untapped professions which are very good paying and have bright prospects. It is always better to look beyond the traditional career choices. You will get to explore a new field and carve a niche for yourself. We hope you have decided what you wish to be.
(The author is retired principal, educational columnist and can be reached at [email protected])
