One of the most important decisions you will make during medical school is which specialty to choose. Many factors go into this decision, including your personal history, your clinical interests, your experience during rotations, the duration of the training involved, as well as financial and lifestyle considerations. You may choose to become a doctor or other roles to pursue your passion in the health sector.
Clinical Laboratory
A clinical laboratory scientist (also called medical technologist), works to analyze a variety of biological specimens. They are responsible for performing scientific testing on samples and reporting results to physicians. The data they find plays an important role in identifying and treating cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other medical conditions.
Clinic Coordinator
Clinical coordinators (also called rehabilitation), are medical professionals who oversee the daily operations of a clinic. This can mean several different things. Often, clinical coordinates serve as a liaison between the clinic’s patients and its medical staff. These employees also coordinate care teams for patients, make new hires, oversee a clinic’s budgets, and develop new policies and protocols for the clinic.
Diagnostic Radiography
Diagnostic Radiography (also called medical imaging), is the practice of using various forms of radiation to produce high-quality images which aid in the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of injury or disease. It is a technology-dependent discipline, which has patient care as its main concern.
Dietetics
A dietitian is an expert in identifying and treating disease-related malnutrition and in conducting medical nutrition therapy, for example designing an enteral tube feeding regimen or mitigating the effects of cancer cachexia.
Nursing
Nursing focuses on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nursing includes the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and the care of ill, disabled and dying people. They take on vital roles of education, assessing situations, as support.
Medical Social Work
Medical social workers support patients and their families by providing psychosocial assessments, develop discharge plans that meet their post hospitalization needs, and help them cope with financial, social, emotional and health issues.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy is a global healthcare profession. It involves the use of assessment and intervention to develop, recover, or maintain the meaningful activities, or occupations, of individuals, groups, or communities.
Orthoptics
Orthoptics is a discipline in eye healthcare specializing in the assessment, diagnosis and non-surgical management of eye disorders. Orthoptists were traditionally involved in the management of patients with eye movement disorders and specifically with strabismus (squint), double vision and amblyopia (lazy eye).
Pharmacist
Pharmacists control, formulate, preserve and dispense medications and provide advice and counsel patients on how medicines should be used to achieve maximum benefit, minimal side effects and to avoid drug interactions.Pharmacists also interpret and communicate this specialized knowledge to physicians and other health care providers.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy (also called physical therapy), is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, prognosis, patient education, physical intervention, rehabilitation, disease prevention, and health promotion.
Podiatry
Podiatry (also called podiatric medicine), is a branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, and medical and surgical treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and lower extremity.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy), is a cancer treatment that uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. At low doses, radiation is used in x-rays to see inside your body, as with x-rays of your teeth or broken bones.
Respiratory Therapy
Respiratory therapy is a specialized health care field where practitioners are trained in pulmonary medicine in order to work therapeutically with people suffering from pulmonary disease.
Prosthetics and Orthotics
Orthotics help patients with difficulties in using their limbs or other body parts. These devices' primary purpose is to enhance or correct a body part that doesn't function properly. Prosthetics are most likely what people think of when confusing orthotics with prosthetics. However, while orthotics can assist an existing body part, prosthetics are artificial replacements for missing body parts.
Sonography
Sonography is a diagnostic medical procedure that uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to produce dynamic visual images of organs, tissues or blood flow inside the body. This type of procedure is often referred to as a sonogram or ultrasound exam.
Speech Therapist
A speech therapist (also called a speech-language pathologist), is a health professional who diagnoses and treats communication and swallowing problems. They work with both children and adults in clinics, schools, and hospitals.
Vaccinator
A vaccinator is a person who gives injections of a vaccine to people. Vaccinators require the skills of knowing where to inject the needle into the recipient as well as preparing the substance to be injected.
