The medical field offers numerous opportunities for career potential, ranging from dentistry to healthcare administration. However, determining the best majors for the medical field and discovering preparation opportunities can be challenging. Explore different medical careers, educational paths and ways to best prepare for your desired career.
One medical career path to consider is direct patient care. This includes positions in which you will be hands-on with patients and roles such as dentists, physician assistants and doctors, to name a few. While the educational pathway for these careers differs depending on the specific job, many require an undergraduate degree in a related field, followed by graduate education and additional training or licensure.
One example to look at is the pathway to becoming a dentist. Those interested in this career often begin with a pre-dentistry program, such as a Bachelor of Science in Biology with an Emphasis in Pre-Dentistry. This undergraduate pathway provides a strong foundation in the sciences, including chemistry, anatomy, physiology and microbiology, that can prepare you for dental school admission. After completing your undergraduate program, you would then take the Dental Admission Test (DAT) and apply to a dental program. These advanced programs include classroom, laboratory and clinical training to develop essential skills in oral health assessment, diagnosis and treatment.2
Other careers, such as that of a physician assistant (PA), require a similar educational pathway — completing an undergraduate degree with a focus on science coursework that can then prepare you for a graduate program. Options include a bachelor’s in biology with a pre-physician assistant emphasis or other sciences, such as chemistry or health sciences. After graduating, you will need to enroll in a PA program and complete the necessary clinical hours. After completing the program, licensure is required to practice.3
Physical therapists have a similar track as PAs: a related undergraduate degree (many colleges offer pre-physical therapy programs), followed by enrolling in a physical therapy program, completing required experience hours and obtaining certification.
"Medical laboratory science is a career that grows with you. You can move into education, lab management, quality assurance, public health, research, molecular diagnostics, informatics, instrument manufacturing, sales… the sky’s the limit."
— Kara Hansen-Suchy, Associate Professor, College of Natural Sciences
Among various non-patient-facing careers are diagnostic and laboratory-focused jobs, such as medical laboratory scientists, radiology technicians or sonographers. These careers play a critical role in patient care by providing essential information for diagnosis and treatment. Many analyze tissue samples and bodily fluids such as blood, which can help lead to the detection of diseases and infections. Specialized equipment may also be used to create images or X-rays to help physicians identify injuries and conditions. These professionals can work in various settings, such as hospitals, clinics and labs.
These careers require varying levels of education and certification. Medical laboratory scientists, for example, typically need a bachelor’s degree in medical laboratory science or a related field, as well as clinical training and certification. Other diagnostic roles, such as medical sonographers or radiologic technologists, can typically enter the field with an associate or bachelor’s degree.4 A common underlier, however, is that these careers all typically involve clinical training along with certification by appropriate agencies.
Behind every efficient medical facility is a team of administrative professionals keeping everything running smoothly. These positions typically manage tasks related to medical records, billing, scheduling and compliance. Related jobs may include medical billing specialist or health information manager, both working with patient records, ensuring accuracy, regulatory compliance and handling healthcare data. While billing specialists focus on coding and insurance reimbursement, both roles support healthcare operations through attention to detail, use of technology and contribution to the financial and administrative efficiency of medical facilities.
Educational pathways for these careers can vary. There are different bachelor’s degree options that can help you gain the knowledge needed to enter this field. For example, aspiring health information managers or medical billing specialists may choose to earn a bachelor’s degree in health information management, healthcare administration or a related field. They may also pursue certifications such as Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) to qualify for leadership roles managing patient data, information systems and regulatory compliance. Some professionals may also consider pursuing a master’s degree to become qualified for leadership roles.
"Another benefit of the program is for people who really like healthcare, but they really don’t want to work in the clinical setting taking care of patients. So, for those people, they’re going to understand a lot about medicine. They’re going to understand a lot about how clinical workflow is in hospitals. They’re going to understand about the electronic health record, and how that applies in the clinical setting. And they will also understand how to collect data and how to use that so that they can work with stakeholders to create business intelligence."
— Dr. Pam Hess, Lead Faculty, Health Information Management, GCU
With the rise of technology and the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in virtually every industry comes more opportunities to pursue it in medical field careers. AI is influencing how healthcare professionals diagnose diseases, analyze medical data and personalize treatment plans. Telemedicine has become familiar in the healthcare realm, providing ways to provide patients from all locations and backgrounds with various forms of treatment, education and communication with healthcare professionals.
The field of healthcare informatics offers a non-patient-facing option for those interested in the medical field. Informatics professionals work with clinicians and researchers to drive innovations in healthcare delivery, population health and personalized medicine. Healthcare informatics sits at the intersection of information technology, data science and clinical care, enabling medical professionals to collect, analyze and apply health data to improve patient outcomes by integrating electronic health records, predictive analytics and decision support systems.5
Your educational pathway for careers in these emerging fields typically begins with a bachelor’s degree in a healthcare or technology-related field, which may include majors like nursing, health information management, computer science or public health. Many of these professionals then choose to pursue advanced degrees, such as a Master of Science in Data Science or a Master of Science in Health Informatics, to gain specialized knowledge. Coursework often includes topics like electronic health records, cybersecurity, telehealth and healthcare policy. Earning industry certifications or completing post-graduate certificates can further enhance expertise and career opportunities in this rapidly evolving field.
