Always wanted to help others? People who work in this sector are involved in the treatment and diagnosis of illness and injury. The career paths you can take, the people you can work with and the locations you can work in are as varied as you want them to be. You will need to be prepared for some serious training, but this will pay off. Medicine is a rewarding field to work in, and it is the sector for you if you fancy taking your career abroad some day; medical professionals are needed all over the world.
The medical profession is extremely broad and includes more than 60 specialist areas, however they fall into the following broader areas:
- Anaesthetics - is the field responsible for pain relief of patients during operations. Without anaesthetics much surgery would not be possible.
- General practice – is the first point of contact for patients. Based in the primary care sector, general practice works with the public that come into surgeries or at home visits, dealing with a range of health problems and referring patients to other professionals where necessary.
- Medicine – all doctors must train in this field, to a certain level. Some go on to specialise further. This area includes Accident & Emergency (A&E) medicine, a hospital based specialty which deals with a broad range of illnesses and injuries.
- Obstretics and Gynaecology – is the field of medicine that deals with the care of pregnant women, unborn children and diseases particular to women. Varied surgical work is involved, and again, professionals in this field often go on to specialise in something more specific.
- Ophthalmology – is the specialty relating to eyes: detecting defects in vision, signs of injury, ocular diseases or abnormality and problems with general health of the eyes.
- Paediatrics –is the specialism of medicine that deals with infants, children and young people, working holistically to focus on the child in the context of their family.
- Pathology – is all about diseases, understanding and detecting them and reducing the risks of future spread.
- Surgery – refers to the operations undertaken by doctors trained as surgeons to treat physical problems with the body. There are many different types of surgery including plastic surgery, paediatric (for children) and orthopaedic (working on bones). Podiatric physicians work on the feet. Paediatric surgeons work on children, and there are more specialties here too! Dental surgery is another branch of the field; see our Healthcare sector summary for more on dentistry.
Other roles
- Check out some Alternative careers in this sector.
- Medical illustration – this field involves the production of clinical photography, medical art, graphic design and video that are needed for a range of applications in medicine as well as for teaching. Read more about careers in medical illustration.
- Physician assistance – this is a new role to the UK, supporting doctors; see here for more details.
- Psychiatry – see details about this profession in our Healthcare summary.
- Radiology – again, check out details about this field in the Healthcare summary.
You will find more career options in this sector in our Healthcare summary. Another sector you may be interested in is Social Care and Guidance Work.
Check out the professional bodies’ own entries in the Profession Finder. A huge range of professional bodies cover the medical sector.
Here you will find information on:
Jobs and salaries
Jobs in the medical profession are extremely varied and depend on what area you want to specialise in. Browse the many jobs available in medicine on the British Medical Journal (BMJ) site. The Medical Careers site from the NHS is also extremely useful. Each main sub-sector of medicine has its own Royal College, take a look the list of them and their contact details. Also see this fantastic guide to becoming a doctor. Doctors and surgeons are also known as physicians, this being an older name.
Anaesthetics
Professionals in this field administer anaesthetics to ensure that patients undergoing surgery feel no pain, whether this means giving them general or local anaesthetics. Find out more about who anaesthetists are, more about the job and check out the salary of this role.
General practice
GPs (general practioners) work on a broad range of medical issues as they deal with patients that come into surgeries or on home visits, usually being the first point of contact for the patient about their health. Find out more about general practice. For an idea of average salaries of GPs, see the NHS page on pay for doctors.
Medicine
There are over 20 specific roles that come under this umbrella term – best to check out the NHS’ Medical Careers pages on this area to see what they are. One example is a dermatologist - find out what a dermatologist does, and about a career in dermatology.
Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Obstetrics is about the care of pregnant women through childbirth, usually those with complications while gynaecology refers to the practice of dealing with the health of the female reproductive system. Find out why you should consider a career in this field.
Ophthalmology
Ophthalmologists are eye doctors that have taken their initial medical training and moved into a specialism in eyes. See a guide to ‘Ophthalmology as a career’ (pdf file).
Optometrists are trained to examine the eyes to detect defects in vision, signs of injury, ocular diseases or abnormality and problems with general health, such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Optometrists make a diagnosis, offer advice, refer to specialists, and when necessary prescribe, fit and supply contact lenses or glasses.
Paediatrics
This specialist area deals with the diagnosis and treatment of health problems in children across the various sectors of medicine. Find out more about working in paediatrics.
Pathology
Pathologists are involved with understanding the processes of disease. There are five main disciplines: chemical pathology; haemotology; histopathology; immunology and medical microbiology. For more information about the type of work you could do, visit the website of the Royal College of Pathology.
Salaries vary depending on your grade and experience. You can find out more about salaries and look at jobs with NHS Trusts advertised on the BMJ Careers website.
Surgery
Surgeons are at the forefront of discovering new ways to fight disease and heal injury. It is a unique career in that surgeons need to on rely on quick brains and skilful hands to succeed. Explore the RCS’ (Royal College of Surgeons) Surgical Careers website to find out more about this profession.
Cardiothoracic surgery deals with the treatment of the organs inside the thorax, or chest, generally diseases of the lungs and heart.
Routes and qualifications
Most of the professions listed in this sector summary begin with a degree in medicine, usually lasting 5 years. See below for information on funding this course.
After this training you will first complete 2 years of Foundation Training before choosing a speciality, which will last a further 3-8 years (for GPs it is currently 3 years but may be extended to 5 years in the future; most other speciality training programmes last 5-8 years).
- A trainee anaesthetist must follow a training programme lasting seven years, the first part being a degree in medicine. Read about the two entry routes into a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in Anaesthetics.
- Want to be a surgeon? Find out how to become qualified. Becoming a surgeon requires both talent and commitment to many years of training, at university and beyond. Postgraduate courses are available in surgery in conjunction with the ASGBI (Association of Surgeons in Great Britain and Ireland).
Funding and support
Students on university courses in medicine that are recognised by the General Medical Council may be eligible for financial help from the NHS. Read more about the support that might enable you to train as a professional in medicine, whichever route you are interested in.
The RSM (Royal Society of Medicine) offers awards and prizes across many fields of medicine once you’re in. For funding and support specific to the fields covered in this sector summary:
- See the awards available from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists.
- The ASGBI (Association of Surgeons in Great Britain and Ireland) offers awards, and links to awards offered to surgeons by other organisations.
What’s it really like working in medicine?
- Watch a video of a consultant anaesthetist.
- The importance of pathology is often not understood outside the medical world. Pathologists work in medical schools, hospitals, colleges and universities. Forensic pathology is probably the most high profile of the specialities.
- See ‘day in the lives’ of surgeons to get an idea of what the profession is really all about, and read careers stories of surgeons to find out more about this varied area of work.
How many jobs are there in medicine?
You’re never going to be short of a job once trained in this sector, and not only in the UK but all over the world. Skills learnt in this field are truly transferable!
Location, location, location
You’ll be able to work in public and private sectors, perhaps in:
- any country's national health service or similar;
- a specific group of people, for example royalty; a private health service such as BUPA;
- or a charity providing aid in developing countries.
Some professionals in this sector combine public and private sector work, for example GPs that work for both the NHS and private practices. GP's work in surgeries, many of the other professionals we have mentioned work in hospitals and specialists often have their own clinics in which they see their patients.
This is the sector for you if you are interested in working abroad. Medical professionals are needed everywhere and can either simply transfer their skills to another country or be involved in international development work.
Will a career in medicine suit me?
Doctors of all kinds work hard and need to be organised, on the ball and caring. They also need to have excellent grounding in the life sciences. Find out if you’re suited to becoming a doctor. Check out some points to consider if you are deciding whether to study medicine. You can also...
