There are a lot of reasons why people choose to study a Medicine degree, ranging from personal calling to calculated financial gain. Whether it’s the first choice or the backup option, studying Medicine abroad is a long-term commitment and a decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Some of the best reasons why people choose to study and work in Medicine are:
Often overlooked, this reason is actually one of the most convincing ones. After graduation, you have a broad range of opportunities for a future job in the field of Medicine. There are over 60 specialities you can choose from, so you’re spoilt for choice. You can choose to work in hospitals or other healthcare facilities, research labs, or be part of the medical department in other professional fields. There are Medicine graduates who manage health care costs in economic sectors or contribute to the legal work intended to verify medical errors and defend patients' rights. Do not worry if you don’t see yourself as a future paediatrician, surgeon or therapist. As a Medical student, you have six years to decide what you are interested in. Since Medicine is a broad field, you can choose a subdiscipline that focuses on research or management.
All over the world, there is a great uniformity of Medical knowledge and practice. This means that by graduating from a medical school or college in Europe, you can find a job and work in any hospital in South America or anywhere else in the world. This does not apply to many other disciplines! One thing to keep in mind is that if English isn’t widely spoken in that country, you’ll need to learn the local language. That’s essential when you communicate with patients and try to understand their symptoms and what’s causing them. If you decide to study abroad, you’ll see that in many countries learning the official language is either part of Medicine studies or is among the admission requirements. Before choosing a Medicine programme abroad, always check if English skills are enough to graduate and practise medicine in that country.
If you’ve ever been hospitalised or visited people who were, you know that those are some of the most difficult moments in someone’s life. It’s very easy for patients to feel desperate and suffer even if the illness can be cured, or they only have to go through a minor medical intervention. This is where a great medic or nurse can use their empathy and people skills to make a difference. It’s very important to be honest with patients, but it’s just as important to encourage and give them hope.
Many doctors and medical staff confess that the interactions with patients and family members touch them deeply and often change the way they see their profession or even life priorities. In those moments, you remember why you’ve decided to work in Medicine in the first place, and you feel fulfilled. There’s nothing better than seeing people joyful and healthy. Knowing that you play a big role in restoring their health and relieving their pain is perhaps the strongest and most important reason why so many people choose to study and work in Medicine.
Many students go into Medical studies because the human body is fascinating. Whether we are talking about information travelling at around 400 km/h along the nerves or our bodies giving off a small amount of light that our eyes cannot see, we do many amazing things without even being aware of it. It’s easy to understand why someone would fall in love and want to discover everything there is to be known about our organs, tissues, and how we function.
That’s why Medicine studies aren’t only focused on developing practical skills and working in a healthcare institution. You can choose a Medical degree focused on research and spend your time in labs, where you can examine cells, conduct experiments, and find new ways to improve our wellness and health. What’s even more fascinating is that as we discover more about the human organism, we realise there’s so much we do not yet know. We don’t even know what we do not know! Can you wrap your head around that? For example, a team of researchers from New York University's School of Medicine might have discovered a new organ hiding underneath our skin. That’s the beauty of science and medical research. It allows you to look where others have looked and discover something they either missed or couldn’t understand at that time.
As well as allowing you to specialize in a particular division of medicine, medical degrees also provide students with the practical skills needed for specialized hands-on tasks (from taking a blood sample to complex surgical procedures), and the ‘people skills’ needed for interaction with patients and relatives. Many top medical schools today consider practical development a key focus of their programs. This means that as well as attending seminars and lectures, you will have the opportunity to observe professional healthcare practitioners, and increasingly to start gaining practical experience yourself.
Copyright 2021 © M. Eduarda Oliveira Canto