Are you interested in taking medical courses in college? If you are considering a career in the medical field, we have good news for you! Hindi lang doctor o nurse ang pwede mong maging trabaho in the future.

There are many routes you can take to pursue a medical profession. To help you navigate your healthcare career journey, we've put together a list of the in-demand medical careers in the Philippines and abroad:

1. Nurse

Average salary: ₱163,055/year

Alam mo bang nurse ang isa sa pinaka in-demand na trabaho ngayon, hindi lang sa Pilipinas kundi pati na rin sa ibang bansa? Our country is one of the biggest suppliers of nurses in the world, comprising roughly 25 percent of all overseas nurses worldwide.

Whether you want to work in hospitals, assist in company clinics, or contribute as a health aide to those in need, nursing is one of the most versatile jobs you can take in the medical field.

Tasks:

• Conduct physical exams, check a patient’s vital signs and perform other health-related testing
• Take detailed health care histories of patients
• Provide guidance and health care education to patients
• Coordinate care with other health care providers and specialists
• Stay current with advances in health care options, medications, and treatment plans

2. Physician

Average salary: ₱483,500/year

Alam mo bang ang pagiging Physician ang isa sa mga highest-earning professionals sa healthcare field? As a physician, it is your duty to diagnose and treat your patients, take their medical histories as well as prescribe medication.

Tasks:

• Take medical history or patients
• Update charts and patient information to show current findings and treatments
• Order tests for nurses or other healthcare staff and review result to identify any abnormal findings
• Recommend and design a plan of treatment
• Address concerns or answer questions that patients have about their health and well-being
• Guide patients on how to properly take care of their health

3. Pharmacist

Average salary: ₱237,000/year

The main responsibility of pharmacists is to dispense prescription medications to patients as well as offer expert advice on how to safely administer the medicine without causing adverse reactions. Upang maging isang Registered Pharmacist, kailangan mong magtapos ng kursong BS Pharmacy at pumasa sa Phamarcist Licensure Exam.

Tasks:

• Dispense or supervise the dispensation of medications and related supplies, according to physicians' prescriptions
• Reviewing prescriptions for accuracy
• Compounding medications and preparing special solutions
• Guiding patients regarding appropriate use of medications
• Collaborating with other healthcare professionals to plan, monitor, review, and evaluate patient effectiveness

4. Medical Technologist

Average salary: ₱178,458/year

Do you imagine yourself working in a lab and performing laboratory tests like urine and blood analysis? Kung oo, baka Medical Technologist na ang career na para sayo! Medical technologists usually are in charge of facilitating laboratory tests (e.g. CBC tests, urine, and fecal) and providing data that needs to be interpreted. But before that, you need to get your degree in BS Medical Technology first and pass the Medical Technologist Licensure Examination.

Tasks:

• Perform professional laboratory work following established clinic procedures
• Conduct chemical and biological tests on patient specimens for medical diagnosis
• Conduct laboratory tests, procedures, and analyses to provide data for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease

5. Healthcare Customer Care Representative

Average salary: ₱205,659/year

As a Healthcare Customer Care Representative, your job is to help address inquiries about insurance claims and program coverages. You may also provide assistance on finding information about products and services, placing orders, and resolving issues.

In this line of work, you can get a job in call centers owned by or affiliated with health insurance providers. Or directly at healthcare insurance companies!

Tasks:

• Answer incoming calls from customers
• Assist customers with requests for information, complaints, making appointments, and resolving issues
• Ensure that patient forms contain all the necessary information billing and other relevant purposes
• Maintain and update customer and referral information

6. Healthcare Data Management Specialist

Average salary: ₱325,000/year

Do you love clerical and administrative tasks like preparing and filing documents? Alam mo bang merong medical career para jan? Healthcare Data Management Specialist take charge of updating databases and creating reports related to healthcare. They also analyze and validate data to ensure that the processes in place are effective.

Tasks:

• Manage and update databases related to healthcare.
• Ensure data are consistent, complete, accurate, and reasonable.
• Perform data analysis using statistical tools.
• Generate data reports on a periodic basis for management and customers.
• Address any issues, questions, and problems in an accurate and timely manner.

7. Medical Coder

Average salary: ₱330,644/year

Ever heard of medical coders? Think of this profession as a translator! Medical coders translate procedures into alphanumeric codes that can be understood by insurance companies, in case patients need to make a healthcare claim.

Kung interesado kang maging isang Medical Coder, pwede kang kumuha ng Medical Coding and Billing NC II course as TESDA. In this program, you’ll be trained in assigning diagnostic and procedural code using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) manuals.

You’ll also learn how to perform tasks related to medical billing and reimbursement. This course usually takes 196 hours to complete at kapag naipasa mo ang Competency Assessment, maaari mong makuha ng certication mo sa TESDA!

Tasks:

• Assign codes to diagnoses and procedures, using ICD-9 and CPT manuals
• Ensure codes are accurate and sequenced correctly
• Follow up with the provider on any documentation that is insufficient or unclear
• Communicate with other clinical staff regarding documentation
• Receive and review patient charts and documents for accuracy
• Ensure that all codes are current and active

Ready to begin your career in the medical field? Start by checking out these top medical courses in the Philippines that you can take in college.

Learn more about Bukas and how we make education affordable for thousands of Filipino students like you. Apply for a Bukas student loan in your upcoming enrollment, and join our growing community for more tips and advice about all things student life. A brighter future awaits. Sa'yo ang Bukas!