Top 6 Medical Careers That Don’t Require Going to Med School

There are many accredited online schools which offer a variety of affordable online degrees which can help you to develop medical careers without actually going to a medical school. These online degrees can help you lead an exciting healthcare career. Most of these do not require advanced degrees. According to the list of the best health care careers of 2011 by U.S. News & World Report, most medical careers do not require more than an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree.

Top Medical Careers That Can Be Pursued Without a Medical School

1. Health Information Managers work in the office of physicians or at hospitals and have a Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare Administration. You will be involved in handling finance, accounting and managing the databases of patients. Based on the figures provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this field is likely to grow by 16% between 2008 and 2018 with respect to job prospects, and the average salary is $93,670.
2. Medical Assistant is involved in performing administrative activities in a hospital or a physician’s office. You will be involved in scheduling appointments for patients, handling their insurance as well as filing medical records. For this career option, a certificate or an associate’s degree is enough and it will cover areas like diagnostic procedures and pharmacology. You will also be involved in administrative and clinical tasks. This field is likely to grow at a rate of 34% between 2008 and 2018, and has an average median salary of $29,760.
3. Dental Assistant works in dental care with a certificate or an associate’s degree. A course in this field can help you get trained in clinical practice, dental assisting techniques and oral anatomy. You will be involved in handling administrative, laboratory and dental activities which include preparing the instruments and helping the dentist in various dental procedures. You will also be involved in taking care of medical records, scheduling appointments and billing. This field is likely to grow at a rate of 36% between 2008 and 2018 and can help you get an average salary of $34,140.
4. Physical Therapist Assistant is another medical career which does not require formal medical school training. You can pursue this career with an associate’s degree. You will be assisting physical therapists and will help patients exercise during therapy sessions. You will receive training in improving the mobility of the patients and help in decreasing their pain and physical disabilities. This career option is likely to growth at a rate of 33% between 2008 and 2018, and the average salary is $49,810.
5. Registered Nurse is a career that is greatly in great demand and you can become one with an associate’s degree in this field. It offers training in areas related to nursing like anatomy, physiology and psychology. You will be involved in taking care of your patients, this includes managing their medical history, conducting various tests, evaluating its results, administering treatments as well as monitoring the progress of patients. This field is growing at a very fast pace and is likely to increase by 22% between 2008 and 2018 with an average salary of $67,720.
6. Physician’s Assistant is a career that requires a master’s degree and you will be performing various responsibilities similar to that of a doctor, however, you will be under the supervision of a doctor. This field is growing at a fast pace and is estimated to grow by 39% between 2008 and 2018 and the average salary is $81,230.

There are many medical career opportunities which do not require formal medical school training and or 4+ year degree programs which are both rigorous as well as time consuming. If you want to be a part of the medical industry but do not want to become a doctor then you should definitely go for one of these professions.