Thinking About a Career in Medicine? Now Might be the Perfect TIme

Choosing the right career can be a tough task. You want to find something that you enjoy and you could see yourself doing for quite some time. The idea is to work to live, not the other way around.

If you’re looking for a career change, that step could be even more daunting than starting a new career. Starting over from zero, or close to it, can be scary. Not only that, but choosing the right career is a big part of your personal health and not going down the right path can be difficult to come back from.

So no matter if you’re just starting out or are looking for a change, you have plenty of options around you.

Amidst all your thinking, have you ever considered a career in medicine?

Why is Now the Right Time?

The medical field has long been considered a male-dominated industry, but the future of medicine is looking more and more female by the day. Around 60% of physicians under the age of 35 are female and while that number evens out the older physicians get, medical schools are also seeing a new trend.

For the first time since 2004, 2018 marked the year where medical schools had more female applicants than men. While the jury is still out on 2019, it seems this is a trend that is likely to continue for the next few years. 

The majority of leadership in hospitals and clinics are still filled by men, but with more and more female physicians coming in each year those changes will gradually even out.

The Process

Chances are, you probably know someone that went to medical school or nursing school. You probably already know the process, but just in case you don’t, here’s a quick recap:

That’s a super condensed version and takes the average student around a decade to become a doctor and a nurse about 6-7 years. Despite working in and around a hospital throughout school and residency, you’ll still have to go on the job hunt before starting your first day.

Before you decide to embark on this road, remember to take a look at the long picture before investing the next decade into becoming a medical professional.

The Money Question

You might be wondering about the drawbacks and benefits of pursuing a medical career. Medical school is quite expensive, with most graduates leaving school with well over $200,000 in debt.

That’s a tough hill to climb, but it may calm you to know the average physician salary in the country is $230,000 with the average in Ohio being $203,000. The average nurse will make around $73,000.