If you’re going through your medical education, you may be considering which field you will work in after you earn your degree. There are many different criteria you can use to judge which is the right path for you, but a lot of people want to work where they are most needed. As such, here are some of the most in-demand medical specialties, and what you can expect from a career in such roles.
Telemedicine
A relatively new field of work, telemedicine isn’t so much a specific kind of medicine, rather than a unique way to provide your services. Effectively, it involves working remotely to provide medical services. This can involve looking at scans and other test results to provide diagnoses to other doctors, performing visual examinations and consultations over webcam, or using data from wearable medical devices to offer healthcare advice. More and more people are looking for telemedicine to help them get the care they need in spite of barriers such as age and physical disability, so it has become a lot more popular lately, too.
Psychiatrists
Mental and emotional health has become a much greater concern and focus over the past three decades. As such, people are slowly becoming more and more willing to talk to a professional about their mental health. Psychiatry is considered, by many, to be one of the least explored frontiers of medicine, as shown at Psychology Today. As such, aside from being in demand, it’s also a good career for those who seek continuous challenge and education.
Radiology
This is the field of medicine that largely relies on using medical imaging in order to diagnose and advise treatment on patients. Radiologists tend to work with both general and specialist doctors, providing a specific service that assists in the care of many patients. Not only is radiology one of the most in-demand skills, but it’s also one of the most lucrative healthcare careers around.
Neurology
While not quite as highly paid as radiology, on average, neurology is very much in demand and still better much compensated than general medicine, on average. As such, Practice Match has compiled numerous neurology employers, showing just how many opportunities are out there. Neurology is highly rewarding, too, as specialists tend to play a lifelong role in managing the care and treatment of people with neurological conditions such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, Lou Gehrig’s disease and more.
Pediatricians
People who take a career in pediatrics tend to provide much the same kind of service as a general doctor, diagnosing, treating, and advising on a wide range of medical issues. However, the main thing separating the two is that pediatricians only treat children. As such, while the career requires and an extra degree of patience and compassion, many consider it one of the most rewarding and important medical careers around.
There are other criteria to consider when choosing a specialty, such as compensation, job security, and role flexibility. However, if you want to go where you are needed, the options above will definitely need you.
