Did you just obtained your MBBS in Malaysia and wondering what can you do with your medical degree?
Or, are you a student who just completed your STPM or A-Level and thinking about choosing to study medicine at a University?
Medicine offers a plethora of options for practice — from traditional private training to government teaching hospital settings.
Although a lot of people choose medicine as their profession because they want to care for patients, there are a lot more you can do with your medical degree.
Below are just a few roles open to medical graduates.
Health Journalists
Journalism is usually a highly competitive niche; people with scientific credentials and experience would always have the edge over journalists who mostly come from the arts or social science field.
Some medics usually take on health journalism as an addition rather than an alternative to their clinical jobs. However, keep in mind that you may have to gain extra qualifications (usually a short training course) or experience to make a successful journalism career.
Research
As a MBBS, MD, or MD-PhD degree holder, you can choose to pursue your career as a physician. Depending on your interest, you can choose from several disciplines, including laboratory science, clinical research, and health services research.
Medical researchers often work at academic medical centres, the pharmaceutical industry, or government agencies. If you choose to be a medical researcher, you should endeavour to maximize your research experiences during medical school, or by participating in summer research internships.
Medical Researcher
Teaching If you have the passion for teaching, you can use your medical degree to educate the younger generation. You could choose to teach basic science courses to first and second-year medical students or teach clinical skills to third and fourth-year medical students.
Other options include supervising student research projects, training resident doctors in their chosen area of specialization.
Medical Consultants
Consultants act as advisors to organizations and individuals who need assistance in analyzing the accuracy of their use of medical terms and individuals who need real medical solutions for their health.
Medical consultants can review advertisements, marketing campaigns, manuscripts, screenplays, and more. They are also hired to help design hospitals and other medical facilities.
Hospital Administration
A medical degree will give you an edge should you decide to apply for administrative positions in a hospital. Medical doctors can become executives at any hospital, including medical directors, executive directors, etc.
Medical doctors who work in administration help to increase the efficiency of physicians and encourage an environment that makes patients more comfortable, and also ensure a smooth operation between different departments.
Hospital administrators work to supervise the daily operations of the hospital, including, but not limited to, management of facility services and practices, personnel, finances, and quality assurance.
Hospital Administrator
Business Leadership
Medical executives lead and manage health care organizations like hospital systems, medical schools, and insurance companies in a bid to help them fulfill their mission and reach their goals.
These positions can be found in every sector of health care and include CEOs, chiefs of staff, and chief medical officers. In this career path, joint degrees in health administration (MHA) or business administration (MBA) can be valuable.
Business leaders will spend most of their time on administrative duties, with less time for research, patient care, or teaching.
There are still many other options in using your medical degree beyond the careers mentioned above. A growing number of medical graduates are choosing alternative careers such as political advocacy, medical informatics, and many more. To obtain further information on the medical degree programme, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our friendly counsellors.
