Healthcare careers without MBBS

Healthcare is a noble profession that allows saving lives besides being a well-paid and steadily rewarding career. Lakhs of students aspire to get into Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) by preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) exam. However, limited government seats are available across the country, and few can afford payment seats even if they are eligible.

Students who go to various countries to study medicine often cannot qualify for medical practice in India when they return. Some give up their dream as a rewarding career is available only if they study MBBS for 5.5 years, including residency, post-graduation for another three years, and then work under seniors for a few more years.

However, if healing is one’s passion, one can aspire to take it up as a profession and earn good money even with alternatives. For example, homoeopathy, Ayurveda, Unani and naturopathy medicine are in demand and are much easier to get into. Nursing and Dental Science are also fulfilling alternatives. Animal lovers can take up a Bachelor of Veterinary Science.

Under paramedical sciences, there are several courses on nutrition and dietetics (with specialisations in areas such as sports or hospital or school nutrition), dialysis technology, cardiac care technology, neuroscience technology, emergency medicine, endoscopy technology, medical records, speech and audiology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, medical lab technology, radiography, optometry and more.

Those who are technology-oriented can consider engineering in medical electronics or biomedical engineering. Those oriented towards drug development and lab or research work can study pathology, forensic science, genetics, medical microbiology, radiography or clinical research degree courses.

Reputed institutions, including some Indian Institutes of Technology, offer post-graduation in cognitive (brain) sciences. There are four-year B.Pharm and six-year Pharm-D courses. The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) offers BSc courses in clinical neurophysiology, radiography, and anaesthesia technology.

All the above are available through four-year professional courses. There are opportunities to study post-graduation as well. For those not very academically oriented, selected institutions and hospitals offer three-year diploma courses in some of the abovementioned fields.

Those who are not science students can work in the healthcare sector by taking courses in Hospital and Health Administration (MHA), Social Work specialising in healthcare (BSW and MSW), or courses in Geriatric Care. Similarly, by studying humanities and getting a degree in psychology, you can enter the field of clinical psychology and work with people suffering from mental disorders.

Those interested in caring for children with special needs can study the degree and diploma courses that enable them to offer therapy for children who are autistic or suffer from cerebral palsy, intellectual challenges or other physical disabilities. Doing a course recognised by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) ensures good job openings.

While there are a wide variety of careers dealing with healthcare, ensure that you have the right aptitude and inclination to carry out the work effectively. If you have a genuine interest in people, have the patience to interact with those who may show very slow responses, and have the ability to overcome communication barriers and understand individuals with special needs, these professions can be very satisfying. Most of them are not long, and the wait before you start earning is minimal. Course fees are comparatively very low, admission is not as difficult as getting into MBBS, and most do not need night duties, emergencies etc. 

Many are unaware of paramedical courses or their potential to offer rewarding careers. But these are steadily growing and recession-proof. Though initially they may not pay as much as being a doctor, they can be quite rewarding financially in the long run.

(The author is a Bengaluru-based counsellor. Send your queries to us at [e-mail] with ‘Study in India’ in the subject line)