Ever since the dawn of humanity, individuals with the skills and knowledge to make various ailments go away were held in the highest regard by communities as their most invaluable members without whom the entire societal structure would fall apart due to deaths caused by injury and disease.
Of course, becoming a doctor isn’t easy, which is why not many people choose to take up this challenge. It requires over seven years of medical school, preceded by four years of a disciplined high school study regimen in order to be eligible to study medicine in the first place.
Despite all of the difficulties and obstacles, many young people choose to pursue a career in medicine. Should you be one of them? Check out our list of the main reasons why you should consider studying medicine or becoming a doctor of health science in 2020 to find out whether you’ve got what it takes or not.
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It’s More Relevant than Ever Before
Humanity is facing the largest public health crisis in over a century in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has overwhelmed the health systems of most first world countries, not to mention the devastating effect it has had on the global economy.
Scientists and experts in the field of epidemiology are adamant in their warnings: the next pandemic is inevitable, and it might come sooner than we all think. The world needs bright, young minds who are well-versed in the medical sciences, both as doctors and lab workers, in order to conduct research and help get the health care systems ready for the next outbreak, which will hopefully take less of a toll on medical systems and supply chains around the world.
Doctors Are Always in Demand
Putting pandemics and deadly viruses aside, the regular, “mundane” work of any doctor will always be required for as long as humans continue to roam the planet. Helping others with their ailments, serious or not, is an incredibly important job that will never become obsolete. As automation continues to take away people’s jobs, including those in the field of medicine, human doctors will still be needed to care for patients, analyze their conditions and coordinate the day-to-day activities of hospitals and other medical facilities.
It Pays Well
If you want to study medicine and are purely motivated by financial reasons, it might not be the best field of study for you. After all, there are plenty of avenues you could pursue that offer even higher salaries. If, on the other hand, you are thinking about studying medicine, but you need that final nudge to push you in this direction, the salary information may just be the factor that takes you over the line. A general practitioner makes between $136,000 to $204,000 per year, depending on their experience. More specialized medical professionals, such as oncologists or neurosurgeons make even more!
You Can Travel the World
Not many people consider the job of a doctor as one that requires a lot of traveling around the world. Besides the occasional medical conferences, where else is a medical practitioner to go but the hospital they work at on a daily basis? While there is some truth to that sentiment, you’re not limited to practicing medicine in the country you’ve graduated from medical school. After all, the human body doesn’t change with geographical location, so you’ll be able to help people regardless of where you choose to work. Keep in mind, though, that if English isn’t widely spoken in your preferred destination, you might have to learn the official language of that country.
Finally, you could also sign up with Doctors Without Borders, a humanitarian organization that unites doctors and sends them to work in regions where their help is most needed at any given moment. That way, you’ll live a life of adventure, helping patients survive in conflict zones and regions affected by dangerous infectious diseases.
The Bottom Line: You’ll Save Lives
Regardless of whether you end up choosing to open up a clinic in your hometown and work as a general practitioner, or enter the ranks of Doctors Without Borders and travel across conflict zones to bring medicinal expertise to regions that desperately need it, you’ll still end up saving people’s lives.
There is no greater feeling in the world than seeing patients recover back to full health thanks to your treatment. It always feels great to improve or save a person’s life, whether it is a child with a bad case of chickenpox or a Syrian woman with a gunshot wound. Becoming a doctor is a selfless decision, one that hundreds of people will indirectly thank you for in the future. There is no better reason to study medicine than that.
