What Healthcare Career Options Can You Consider After a Degree in Biology?

Updated on July 27, 2020

Once you are a biology graduate, there are quite a few well-paid healthcare careers that you can pick. You must select a job that you would like to do every day. You can choose how much pressure you wish to handle while working and how long you want to work every day. Many of these fields are not complicated at all, while some can be quite challenging to accomplish. Some jobs need a lot of research, whereas some are as simple as answering a phone call and talking to people. Depending on what your interests are, you can choose a job from the list of

Ph.D

With a degree in biology, you can pursue a doctorate on healthcare-related subjects. Many of your assignments might have given you a taste of what your job and life might be as a doctoral student. Students have to consult medical research and doctoral papers while seeking help with biology homework during graduation. A lot of homework might be based on subjects that you might need to research during your Ph.D. If you want an academic career or you love research, pursuing a doctorate might be a good idea for you. It allows you to explore the frontiers of human knowledge in healthcare and broaden its horizons. The most common research jobs in the healthcare industry are related to medicine and life sciences. You could be covering subjects related to organisms, diseases, human anatomy, and pharmacology.  

Medical School

More than 40% of undergraduate biology students go to medical schools. An undergraduate degree in biology would have given you the knowledge and expertise to handle medical sciences successfully. The various job roles that you can consider before going to medical school are:

  • Doctor
  • Surgeon
  • Dentist
  • Veterinary doctor

These are the most sought after careers in medical schools. However, other than these, you can also go to medical school to pursue one of the following professions:

  • Doctors assistant
  • Radiology
  • Nuclear medicine technology
  • Nurse

A qualification in these subjects can get you a job at a hospital and healthcare center. You can also get a job with government agencies and the military. 

Medical Perfusionist

If you are interested in dissecting animals during biology classes and do not feel squeamish at the sight of blood, you can consider a career as a medical perfusionist. A medical perfusionist helps a team of doctors while they are performing surgery related to the heart or lungs. Their primary job is to operate the machines that take care of cardiac or pulmonary functions when surgery is ongoing. They also need to monitor a patient’s status and administer blood or medicines required to keep the patient stable. They also need to regulate various medications during surgery. After you graduate in biology, you may need to complete socialized training to get a certification as a licensed medical perfusionist. 

Emergency Medical Technician or Paramedics

EMTs or paramedics respond to emergencies, such as accidents, disasters, panic calls, so on and so forth. As an EMT or a paramedic, you will need to provide medical services to stabilize the patients. You will also need to assist the patient and transport them to the nearest medical facility. EMTs need to undergo specialized training after completing their education. Training is conducted by technical schools and community colleges. The duration of the training can vary depending on the state where you plan to study. It can take between 6 months to 2 years.

Chiropractor

A chiropractor treats patients with neuromusculoskeletal ailments. Various neuromuscular techniques can get administered to treat a patient. The problems can occur in the muscles, bones, or nerves of a human being. You will need to complete a four years course to get a Doctor of Chiropractic degree. As a chiropractor, you can open your chiropractic clinic or join a group clinic. 

Physical Therapist

As a physical therapist, you will work with patients who have been gravely injured and lost the ability to move freely. The patients need assistance in adjusting to limited physical movements and training their injured body parts to recover. You will be working at hospitals, clinics, and patient’s homes. After your bachelor’s degree in biology, you will need a degree in physical therapy that takes three years to complete. You can also choose to complete a course and become a Doctor of Physical Therapy. You will also need to get a license from your state to work or practice. 

If any of these jobs interest you, or you want to know more about such careers, you can talk to your career counselor. They will be able to suggest the best-suited option for you based on your skills and academic performance. 

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