What kind of health career?

Career Opportunities & Internships
1

<p>At first, I was considering going pre-med. However, after thinking about it, I feel like I want be a doctor for the wrong reasons (I found that I was beholding med school like it's the Harvard of career paths). Moreover, I don't think I have the assertiveness, memory skills, or adaptability required to get into a med school, much less become a physician. </p>

<p>Still, I'm interested in a medical career. I'm considering Nursing because I'm very empathetic, and I'd rather work more intimately with fewer people. But I'm also considering a career in Public Health, something like Epidemiology, Biostatistics, or Research (I don't know whether I'd be more interested in researching social factors that contribute to disease or diseases themselves). I'm very methodical, love learning new things, and want to dedicate my life to solving health problems and making solutions more efficient.</p>

<p>My current plan is to go the latter route and major in Public Health with a minor in Applied Math. But I feel like I won't be very fulfilled if I can't provide care for people in my career. Obviously, I have a lot of exploring to do at college. </p>

<p>tl;dr: Are there any career intersections between clinical care and Public Health research? I'm willing to pursue extra schooling but I'm not eager to go into teaching for a PhD.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>I am looking into MD/MPH programs and that might be worth looking at in your case. Such a degree would allow you to both care for patients clinically and/or work in a public health setting. For instance, I hope to work to better health care systems in Latin America. I want to work in a hospital setting while also serving public service functions. Of course, this path would require you to go through medical school, which is something you expressed disinterest in, so I don’t know how much you would like it.</p>