If you’re an aspiring healthcare professional, you might be curious about the best major for medical school. Choosing a medical career is a significant decision that demands careful consideration and planning. As you think of what degree for medical school to pursue, you might also what careers are available to you after graduation.
This article will cover the best major for medical school and the corresponding potential healthcare careers. You will find helpful tips on how to choose a major for medical school and know the best majors for a career in healthcare. Let’s get started first with why choosing a healthcare career would be a good move.
Why Choose a Career in Healthcare
Healthcare jobs are in high demand and can provide you with career stability. Compared with other industries, the healthcare industry is quickly expanding. Many healthcare-related jobs have outstanding job growth, so you’ll never be out of work.
Healthcare professionals are highly paid. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average salary for healthcare careers is $69,870, which is higher than the average salary for all other occupations. Many healthcare occupations have even higher salaries. Registered nurses earn an average of $75,330 a year, and dentists earn an average of $164,010 a year.
While being highly paid, healthcare professionals can also get a sense of fulfillment from making an impact on people’s lives. Working in a healthcare-related career can positively impact or even save people’s lives. So if you’re a person who likes to help out and make an impact with your work, this can be a career for you.
Healthcare Job Outlook
According to BLS, data shows a projected growth of 16 percent for healthcare occupations from 2020 to 2030. This means an additional 2.6 million new jobs will be created. Some healthcare careers have a higher job outlook. For example, physical therapists have a job outlook of 21 percent, higher than the national average and the average for all healthcare occupations.
Healthcare Job Satisfaction
PayScale reports that most healthcare professionals have satisfaction levels above 70 percent. This is based on PayScale’s compiled list of occupations with the least and most meaningful jobs. PayScale determined the satisfaction rating through a sense of job meaning, salary, job stress, and job satisfaction.
Medical School Salary Potential
| Career | Minimum Level of Education | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Hospital and Healthcare Administrator | Associate Degree | $73,119 |
| Healthcare Manager | Associate Degree | $68,557 |
| Registered Nurse | Associate Degree | $67,732 |
| Medical Records Administrator | Associate Degree | $50,944 |
| Medical Secretary | Associate Degree | $38,970 |
How to Choose a Major for Medical School: Tips for Selecting the Right Medical School Degree
Tip 1: Research the Healthcare Sector
Invest some time in exploring the healthcare industry. For example, if you want to become a nursing student, try to find out what elective courses you need, ask people about nursing majors, or talk to specialists in the field.
You’ll be able to make the best decision about the specific role you want to occupy if you have as much information about the healthcare system as possible. If you have a passion for a particular area, try to explore it and everything it has to offer. It’s best to have enough information to be able to make an informed decision when choosing your future career in the medical field.
Tip 2: Find Your Motivation
There are many medical schools with different medical programs for students out there. There are also many healthcare careers you can choose from, you just need to know what motivates you. Do you want to have a career in medicine because it’s profitable or because you want to help people? Answering these questions can lead you to a suitable major for your future career in medicine.
Tip 3: Consider What Skillsets Are Suitable for Medical School
Each health profession requires a unique set of skills and personality qualities. However, the majority of healthcare jobs also require outstanding soft skills, like communication, a high level of maturity, and a sense of responsibility. So, if you want to get into healthcare, you need to possess or develop the required skills.
Tip 4: Picture How a Healthcare Career Will Impact Your Life
An important step is to think about how the healthcare career will affect your life. Many pre-med students go into medicine or healthcare because they want to make a real difference in people’s lives. However, making a difference doesn’t matter if pre-med students can’t handle the responsibilities that are involved in a healthcare career.
Tip 5: Choose the Right Major
One reason why it’s important to choose the right undergraduate major for medical school is that it prepares you for medical specialization. You’ll gain knowledge in specific areas like biological sciences, anatomy, or organic chemistry. Selecting the right undergraduate major could determine if you get into med school.
What Degree for Medical School: Best Majors for a Healthcare Career
Nursing
The most popular medical school major is nursing. Nursing is one of the most valuable specialties in the healthcare field. Nursing students will learn how to provide physical examinations, give treatments, assist in diagnostic tests, and supply basic requirements for a variety of patients, among other things. You can also pursue a nursing degree online.
Associated Career Paths: Nurse anesthetists, medical and health services managers, nurse practitioners
Levels of Education: Associate Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree, Doctorate
Allied Health Professions
The allied health profession is another common major. Allied health practitioners assist physicians in identifying and treating illnesses. They help patients by identifying and analyzing problems, as well as providing support in treatment, rehabilitation, and reintegration. These professionals are the primary part of every healthcare system.
Associated Career Paths: Health specialties professors, emergency medical technicians and paramedics, respiratory therapists
Levels of Education: Associate Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree, Doctorate
Health and Medical Administrative Services
Health and medical administration services focus on understanding the issues in the healthcare system. A degree program develops the skills required for the perfect functioning of medical centers. If you choose this major, you’ll learn legislation and policy on healthcare, finance, administration, and accounting. You’ll also develop soft skills in communication and leadership.
Associated Career Paths: Office and administrative support worker supervisors, managers, medical assistants
Levels of Education: Associate Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree, Doctorate
Public Health
Public health plays a fundamental part in the healthcare sector, as it involves studying and designing government initiatives to safeguard people’s health. This profession deals with the big picture, and people who want to work in this field can have a big impact on their community. Students will learn skills in education and awareness communication.
Associated Career Paths: Medical and health services managers, health specialties professors, environmental scientists and specialists
Levels of Education: Associate Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree, Doctorate
Healthcare Management
One of the most important soft skills in healthcare is successful communication with people. Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of solutions or approaches are some of the required skills in healthcare management.
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Associated Career Paths: Medical and health services managers, healthcare department managers, healthcare finance managers
Levels of Education: Associate Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree, Doctorate
Other Medical School Related Majors
Knowing how to choose a major for medical school keeps you at an advantage. Alongside preparing the medical school prerequisite course requirements, you need to equip yourself well with how strong you want to pursue that major for your dream profession. Listed below are 10 majors you can explore for your pre-med track once you’ve decided what career path you want to pursue after med school.
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Biochemistry
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Genetics
- Health Assessment
- Health Sciences
- Physics
- Psychology
- Statistics
Is a Career in Healthcare Right for Me?
Yes, a career in healthcare is right for you if you’re someone who likes to help people but also doesn’t mind the responsibilities involved. Healthcare is a profitable sector, jobs are highly rewarding, but they also bear many responsibilities. You should consider whether you can handle the responsibilities and lifestyle before pursuing a medical degree.
Working long hours, being available and understanding to people, and completing many years of education are some of the challenging parts. To make the right choice, you need to start by looking at what motivates you. So, if you like biochemistry, pick a biochemistry major and develop suitable skills for the next step in your medical education.
Best Major for Medical School FAQ
The first major that has the highest medical school acceptance rate is the biological sciences major. According to the Association of American Medical colleges, the top three majors with the highest medical school acceptance rates are biological sciences, math and statistics, and humanities. You could also choose to apply to one of the easiest medical schools to get into.
The most common majors include science topics like biology, human physiology, chemistry, or health sciences, so you have multiple options to choose from. One option is health sciences with majors like microbiology, psychology, or community health. Another option would be human physiology with majors like rehabilitation science, genetics, and aging or immunology.
A BS is better for med school. However, both can be good for med school and offer different benefits. Bachelor of Science degrees often offer medical-related specializations. Bachelor of Arts students lack medical expertise, but this can be compensated with the addition of electives, majors, or minors.
Yes, most medical school degrees can be expensive. If you take into account that most medical careers require more years of education to finish, that makes them more expensive than other degrees out there. According to the Educational Data Initiative, the average cost for medical education is $54,698 per year or $218,792 for four years.
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