When considering a career in healthcare, typical fields and vocations come to mind. COVID-19 impacted everyone across society regardless of wealth, and this has encouraged more people to pursue a career in healthcare. Young people in particular have been inspired to find a job which gives back to society, provides value and a sense of personal satisfaction. The pandemic has highlighted how, beyond doctors and nurses, a much wider range of jobs also provide care in different ways, and are just as necessary and valuable for modern healthcare systems.
Even when making the decision to become a doctor or nurse, there is some flexibility. With varying routes into education and different career paths, medical school students and graduates have more freedom in their career options. It is also possible to have studied certain STEM subjects at university then complete a medicine conversion course.
Students of medicine choose a specialism which forms the foundations for their career, for example paediatrics or neurology, but as graduates they also retain the opportunity to return to academia to pursue a PhD or career in research.
Nursing is a similarly varied profession, unified by the personal, one-to-one care they give to their patients. This is even more important when families cannot be there. At the same time nurses can develop their careers to a very high level, managing teams of nurses in their hospitals. They also have the chance to specialise for example in child, adult, and mental health nursing and can undertake ongoing professional development to access new opportunities and acquire new skills.
All parts of the healthcare sector still have the central purpose of helping people, whether that is individually, or society at large. Graduates of biomedical science, biochemistry, forensic science or biomedical engineering can choose from a wide range of hospital and lab-based professions some of which have a positive impact on millions of people. From innovating disease diagnostics processes and treatments, to becoming a toxicologist, developing artificial organs or working as a commercial scientist for a pharmaceuticals company, these professionals strive to improve the health of the global population.
COVID-19 has encouraged the pursuit of personal wellbeing through building healthy habits such as doing regular sport or exercise and maintaining a balanced diet.
People choosing to study sport and exercise science or nutrition can work in preventative care and rehabilitation. They can support individuals to achieve their personal health goals – working as nutritionists, dieticians and personal trainers, or with individuals at an elite level of fitness as high-performance sport analysts and coaches.
Others prefer to support people recovering from injuries and illness, and physiotherapists and those working in cancer and cardiovascular rehabilitation are also in demand. Professionals in all these vocations witness the progress of their patients and clients, playing a key part in helping them return to society or reach their personal or professional goals.
Whilst some stigmas can still exist regarding the discussion of mental health, it is just as important as physical health, meaningpsychology holds immense power to change people’s lives.
With younger generations leading the way in speaking more openly about their mental health it is also becoming more normalised to seek treatment. Therefore, there is growing need for more people to study clinical psychology to become a therapist or psychologist.
The healthcare sector is much more diverse than many assume. Each individual area has a wide range of specialisms and career options, but the core mindset linking them all is an interest and desire to help and care for others.
(Emma Payne is international Recruitment Manager, Global Engagement, University of Hull)
