Unconventional careers in healthcare

With the world transforming at a fast pace, thus increasing the pool of opportunities in every field, students of today’s era are confused about picking up the right career path for them. This is the time of the year when students and parents start thinking of choosing a career path, and with thousands of options available, they end up facing the dilemma of determining the ‘perfect fit’, especially when they decide to take up an unconventional career option. 

In the past, students chose to be in the mainstream careers alone, but with changing times, aspirants are considering non-conventional careers and have been doing tremendously well in their chosen fields. When the students are sure about their passion and strengths, choosing the right career path becomes an easy task. It is of utmost importance to understand that career planning is a constant process that has to be dedicatedly administered. 

The passion for any field comes from learning and experiences in the early stages of life. But parents generally insist on children to opt for science to keep all possibilities open. And it is common to see science students opting for professional courses like engineering, medical, dental, etc.

The rapid growth of the healthcare industry in the country has resulted in a steep rise in demand for employment in the sector, offering several exciting career options and generating good revenue. The healthcare sector includes hospitals, medical tourism, health insurance, clinical trials, medical equipment, telemedicine etc. India’s healthcare industry is one of the fast developing segments and in the coming 10 years, it is estimated to reach $275 billion. This will, in turn, expand the healthcare services division.

Those who don’t have a formal medical education can also enter the field by opting for the medical assistant course. To apply for this course, the candidate must be a high school graduate in any stream. The admission process starts with the registration and document verification followed by a psychometric test to determine the candidate’s aptitude, attitude and acumen. The candidates can decide between a certificate and an associate’s degree. They can also get admission by taking a certified medical assistant exam.

Science stream has always been contemplated as serious and extremely competitive but with the immense growth of the healthcare sector, the stream has sub-branched into many sectors supporting aspirants from all walks of life. Alternative medicine and therapy such as Ayurveda, naturopathy, massage therapy, acupuncture, yoga, radiology, nursing, physiotherapist, etc. are rapidly gaining an edge over conventional medical treatments. 

Employment opportunities

With the people showing an inclination towards a healthy lifestyle, yoga instructors are in demand on a global platform. Yoga as a career is not limited to an instructor’s job; research jobs for alternative medicine therapy for diabetes, multiple sclerosis, etc, with the help of yoga, are vigorously being worked upon. In the last one decade, yoga has progressed gradually and is designed for physical and mental healing. While many yoga practitioners provide personalised therapies, there are also yoga therapists specialised in certain fields. 

Employment in healthcare is anticipated to develop around 19% from 2014 to 2024, which is significantly more than the normal growth rate and is anticipated to generate employment for 2.3 million people. There are also certificate courses for graduates.

To become a certified acupuncture doctor, the candidate must be certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, one must graduate from an Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine-accredited programme, complete a clean needle technique course offered by specialised colleges of acupuncture and pass certification exams in the foundations of Oriental medicine, acupuncture, and biomedicine. Alongside is physiotherapy, which can be perused by diploma courses or bachelor degree in physiotherapy which makes the candidate specialise in the field.   

India aims to increase healthcare spending to 3% of the GDP by 2022, which will be done through public-private partnerships to expand the range of healthcare services. A few initiatives have been taken to promote the healthcare industry to tackle lifestyle diseases such as cardiovascular, hypertension, obesity and diabetes. 

Therefore, the country’s healthcare sector will see an increase in the employment opportunities in future. In addition, Indian medical service consumers have turned out to be more cognisant towards their healthcare upkeep. With all these developments, it is obvious that students can expect fulfilling careers in the non-conventional segments.

(The author is with Speciality Certificate Medical Assistance)