Before deciding on a major, take into consideration your career goals and what jobs might be available.
An excellent way to narrow down your options is to do some research into which of these careers offer you the best job prospects.
One of the best ways to do this is to consider which of these careers are known to offer higher salaries, which would hopefully lead to larger paychecks in the future.
Employers in these fields are likely to be interested in hiring graduates from a premed program since it demonstrates they have gained a strong foundation in the sciences, as well as a solid grasp on the discipline’s core concepts.
Perhaps more importantly, however, are the potential career and lifestyle opportunities offered by each major.
As stated above, jobs in biology tend to have the highest salaries, so this makes them a popular major for premeds, and one that offers many potential career options.
But the following are some jobs for premed students that offer just as much promise in terms of salary, as well as job security.
1. Oncologist
While other careers offer greater security, with full-time, permanent positions, premeds with an interest in oncology will have no problem finding work as specialists.
Oncology is a relatively popular medical field, with roughly 270,000 employed oncologists in the U.S., as of 2015.
A large number of graduates go into subspecialty fields, such as cellular and molecular biology, immunology, and pathology.
These areas tend to have a higher employment rate, meaning that many premeds may find work at both local and state cancer hospitals, as well as major medical centers.
This allows them to continue working towards their degrees and pursuing their professional goals while continuing to benefit from the strong demand for oncologists.
There is even a fast-track training program for students interested in oncology.
2. Obstetrician & gynecologist
Oncologists and surgeons don’t work alone, however, as one of the most popular fields in the premed job market is obstetrics and gynecology.
With over 31,000 obstetricians and gynecologists working in the U.S., this is a field that offers a very wide range of career opportunities, from specialists to consultants and clinicians.
Graduates can work as nurses or midwives in rural settings, or on the front lines of hospitals, managing and operating gynecological surgery.
They can also pursue the less common opportunities of assisting with forensic and legal procedures, and becoming physicians assistants.
One of the more common benefits of having a background in obstetrics and gynecology is the higher income potential.
Health care benefits are some of the highest among all careers, with midwives earning a median annual salary of $83,000.
3. Pediatrics
Another field that can have high salaries and a career outlook that continues to be strong is pediatric health care.
Health care benefits are almost universally offered by both employers and individuals, making pediatricians and their colleagues one of the best careers for medical school graduates to consider.
As with medical professionals, there are many opportunities to move up through the ranks in the field.
Even though a pediatrician may not be the most coveted medical degree, they are still one of the most desirable, due to the comparatively high salaries they can earn, as well as the opportunity to work with children and their parents daily.
4. Dentistry
After years of training, medical graduates are ideally positioned to find careers in many different fields.
As a result, dentists are another medical career that is expected to remain in high demand for many years.
In the U.S., the median annual salary for dentists is currently $134,000, making it one of the top 10 highest paying medical fields.
Many dentists become specialists or consultants for dentistry and are even able to work in private practice, giving them a lot more flexibility than other doctors.
There is also a strong career path from associate to a general dentist, with many dentists going on to receive further training in specialty areas such as endodontics and periodontics.
A dental education can be expensive and time-consuming, especially for international students, but the benefits of being a dentist far outweigh the costs.
5. Pharmacy
The top five medical fields are all extremely prestigious, but there is one other field that is usually overlooked, that is also extremely prestigious in the world of pharmacy.
Pharmacy graduates are actually in high demand worldwide, with over 49,000 in the U.S., and over 92,000 across the globe.
This is primarily because there are so many jobs available, and because pharmacists enjoy high salaries.
According to the 2015 Pharmacy Careers Report, the median salary for a pharmacy technician is $60,600.
6. Dentistry
Graduates of the dental field can also find lucrative careers.
Pharmaceutical salespeople, dental hygienists, and dental assistants have many career paths available to them, with many potential positions in healthcare.
Although dentistry is the most common path into pharmacy, there are also opportunities in biotech and drug development, as well as pharmaceutical administration and other support positions.
