Health and Medical Careers

There are hundreds of different medically related careers. Some of the jobs involve close contact with patients whereas others are to do with organisation and management or with providing essential support services. There are opportunities for people with all levels of qualifications from none at all, to post graduates and degrees. So don’t think that you have to be VERY brainy to work in medicine because there is a job for everyone, as you will see from this presentation.

To Work in Medicine

Basically, to work in health and medicine, you need:

• Good communication and team work skills. A lot of the work you do will be as part of a team so you need to know how to behave and cooperate with other people.
• To be reliable and conscientious. Your patients need to feel they can rely on you and come to you for any help.
• Sensitivity, tact and understanding. (For those in patient contact)
• An interest in science and technology. So don’t just choose medicine because of your family, or because of the amount of money you get paid, that’s just ridiculous. You need to have a genuine interest in science and technology.

People with 5 GCSEs at Grades A – C

• Dental technicians make dental appliances such as dentures, crowns and braces as well as fittings for people with facial injuries. It is mainly a workshop job and most dental technicians work in commercial dental laboratories.
• You need to be good with your hands and be interested in science and technology.
• Dental Nurses work with dentists in hospitals, community clinics and private practices. They prepare fillings and dressing, pass instruments to the dentist, attend to the patients and sometimes act like receptionists too. Therefore you need to be calm and have a pleasant manner.
• Medical technology covers the area of clinical physiology and medical physics. Concerned with measuring how well various parts of the body function and it involves working with sophisticated electronic machinery such as scanners or working in nuclear medicine. The technicians assist the professionally qualified staff in diagnosing and treating patients.
• Biomedical scientists work mainly in hospital labs, carrying out tests on bodily tissues and fluids. There are opportunities for those without any formal qualifications to work as medical laboratory assistants and assist those that are professionally qualified.
• Pharmacy technicians make up prescriptions and prepare medicines, supervised by a pharmacist. Accuracy is essential when you are working with drugs, as mistakes can be highly dangerous. It’s largely behind-the-scenes job in a hospital or in a retail chemist’s shop.
• Dispensing opticians supply and fit glasses and contact lenses, working from the optometrists prescription. They are not qualified to do eye tests themselves. You need to be good with people and also enjoy selling.

For People With A-Levels or Equivalent, or With Higher Qualifications

• Doctors diagnose and treat illness, but they also have a role in preventing disease. Qualified doctors can specialise in general practice, surgery, psychiatry, obstetrics, orthopaedics, paediatrics, ophthalmology, oncology and many other areas. Three very good A-levels are needed, including Chemistry and often two other sciences.
• Dentists treat damaged and diseased teeth and gums, and also carry out preventative and corrective treatments. Dentists must be skilled with their hands and good at dealing with people under stress.
• Dental therapists and hygienists advise people on how to look after their teeth and gums. They clean and scale teeth, and carry out other treatments prescribed by dental surgeons. Therapists are trained to do fillings and extractions on children.
• Medical illustrator, pharmacist & optometrist
• Medical Photographers record operations, postmortem examinations, laboratory specimens and injuries at various stages of recovery. Medical photographs are used for patient’s records, to help in diagnosis and to record patients’ progress.
• Medical illustrators make illustrations, diagrams, visual aids and displays. Their work is mainly used for teaching, health education, medical journals, textbooks and for presentations.
• Pharmacists supply drugs, medicines, preparations and appliances prescribed by doctors, either in hospital pharmacies or over the counter in a retail chemist’s shop. They have to know a great deal about medicine and their effect on the body.
• Optometrists test eyesight to detect and measure faulty vision, and prescribe lenses to correct it. They must also spot any diseases, which can show up as eye conditions and know when to refer patients to a doctor. Most optometrists work in private practice, but some work in the NHS.
• Clinical psychologists treat people who have behavioural problems, learning difficulties, and conditions like anxiety and depression through a mixture of counselling and psychotherapy. After a psychology degree, comes postgraduate training.
• Health Promotion is an area where experienced health professionals can enter. It raises our awareness of how to live a healthy lifestyle. The work involves organising campaigns, providing advice and support to other health professionals and health service managers.
• Podiatrists treat all kinds of foot problems from verrucas to ulcers. They also try to stop such problems arising in the first place.
• Dieticians advise patients about special diets to follow to control a medical condition or as part of their general recovery plan. They also advise hospital catering staff on nutrition. They may also work in health and fitness clubs.
• Orthoptists work with patients, often children who have defective vision, abnormal eye movements or other correctable eye conditions. They prescribe eye exercises and check on their progress.
• Radiographers can specialise in one of two areas. In diagnostic radiography, they help doctors to diagnose broken bones and other conditions using x-rays, ultrasound and other techniques. In therapeutic radiography or radiotherapy, small doses of radiation are used to treat patients with conditions such as cancer.
• There are many different therapists. Physiotherapists help sick and injured people, and those with disabilities, to be as physically independent as possible. They use exercises, massage, heat and electrical treatment, hydrotherapy etc.
• Occupational therapists help clients to be more independent through everyday activities, which will get their minds, muscles and joints working properly. Patients may need help because psychiatric problems or accidents.
• Speech and language therapists work with clients who have speech and communication problems, which they may have been born with, or which has risen due o illness, injury, or as a result of psychological problems. Therapists need to be patient, resourceful and have good communication skills.
• Art, music and drama therapists help patients on general psychiatric hospital units, clinics, special schools etc. dance therapists have a similar role.