What is Health & Medicine about?
Health and Medicine is an industry associated with the prevention, treatment and management of illness including mental and physical illness.
It is one of the fastest growing industries in the world which involves several parties like hospital, doctor, diagnostic laboratories, pharmacies, medical device manufacturers and other components of the healthcare system.
What are the major fields in Health & Medicine?
The area of study of Health and Medicine is very wide, thus providing a very positive future career prospect. The role of medical staffs like surgeon, paediatrician and nurse always come in our mind when we talk about the health sector but the fields in this sector are not only limited to these.
Here are some major fields in Health and Medicine sector which are quite common and may bring you a well-known and well-respected career:
Public Health
Public Health promotes and protects the health of people and the communities and prevent them from getting sick or injured in the first place by educating them about health.
An expert in public health also vaccinates children and adults to prevent the spread of disease and set safety standards to protect workers. Besides that, the development of school nutrition programs to provide kids with healthy food is also part of the job scope.
Nursing
Nurses play an important role in a patient’s healthcare as they are the people who deal with the patients most of the times. The role of a nurse primarily focuses on patient care, which is concerned with taking care of ill and injured persons and providing health care to well persons.
The duties performed by nurses include providing patient care, assessment of patients, developing nursing care plans and educating patients about their conditions.
Dentistry
Dentists are health professionals who provide a wide range of oral health care services to patients. It is concerned with the prevention and treatment of oral disease, including diseases of the teeth and supporting structures and diseases of the soft tissues of the mouth.
Dentists also encourage prevention of oral diseases through proper hygiene and regular checkups for professional cleaning and evaluation.
Optometry
Optometry is a primary healthcare profession dedicated to the improvement and preservation of eyesight through eye examinations which act as an early detection of eye diseases and other abnormal systemic conditions. Optometrists typically work closely together with other eye care professionals such as opticians to deliver quality and efficient eye care to the general public.
Besides performing eye examinations and employing diagnostic techniques, an optometrist also needs to discuss treatment plans and options with patients.
Mental Health
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being. A person working in mental health provides valuable care to those suffering from mental disorders like anxiety disorders, mood disorders and schizophrenia disorders.
A career in mental health ranges from direct patient care and one-on-one counseling to research-driven psychology, with some popular career options like counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist and social worker.
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the science and technique of preparing, dispensing and review of drugs and providing additional clinical services. A pharmacist is trained to ensure optimal health outcomes for their patients through the quality use of medicines and plays an important role in optimisation of a drug treatment for an individual.
In their daily work, their role include compounding and dispensing medications and also more modern services like reviewing medications for safety and providing drug information.
Nutrition & Dietetics
Nutrition and dietetics is the science of how food and nutrition affects human health, growth and disease which includes food intake, absorption, assimilation, biosynthesis, catabolism and excretion.
A nutrition or a dietitian uses nutrition and food science to help people improve their health and a nutrition technician works with nutritionist to provide care and consultant to patients in hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics, private practice and other institutions.
What are the important skills I need in this field?
Health and medicine is a field of study where technical and interpersonal skills are equally important as a person working with this field will have a lot of interactions with patients or customers. There are several transferable skills which are crucial to help you in your career in this field like communication skills, problem solving skills, critical thinking and stress management.
Communication skills
Communication skills are very important in this field as you will need to interact with a lot of people regardless of what part of the health and medical field you end up going into. In most situations, you will have to explain the health situation to patients and communicate with other healthcare professionals constantly.
It is very important that the communication does not go wrong to ensure the safety and well-being of patients.
Problem solving skills
Problem solving skills are needed in healthcare and medicine as a professional in this field will have help a patient to solve their health problems and other issues related to their health. The skill is needed to come out with a solution that fits the patient’s problem and is tailored to suit their needs.
Critical thinking
In the process of solving problems, critical thinking skill is especially important so that we will be able to access the solutions that we came up and evaluate them. It involves making reasoned judgements that are able to improve a patient’s health by applying the knowledge in health and medicine.
Stress management
A role in the health and medicine field could be very stressful as the job responsibility is to ensure the well-being of another person and a person in this field will have to work in a fast paced environment and constantly pushed to find answers to a patient’s problem.
Thus, it is important that one can manage his/her stress well in order to avoid making any mistakes in the process of helping a patient.
What are the entry requirements and qualifications?
The entry requirements for different qualifications and different universities varies but there are some common entry requirements for a Health and Medicine course in UK. Some of the common entry requirements for a course in Health and Medicine are listed in the table below:
| Qualification | Requirements |
| Foundation, Diploma |
Completed high school or equivalent GCSE Maths and Science at grade C or above IELTS: 5.5 and above |
| Bachelor’s Degree |
GCSE Maths and Science at grade C or above |
How long will I be studying this programme?
The duration of study varies depending on the study levels and types of institution as different university has different syllabus for its programmes.
| Study Levels | Duration |
| Foundation | 1 - 2 years |
| Diploma | 1 - 2 years |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 3 - 4 years |
| Master’s Degree, PhD | 1 - 2 years |
How much does it cost to study Health & Medicine?
Depending on the types of programme and institution, the estimated cost of studying a Health and Medicine programme in UK ranges from RM 44,000 to RM 552,000. In the table below, we have listed the estimated cost to study a Health and Medicine programme in UK according to the study levels.
| Programme | Estimated Fees |
| Foundation | RM 44,000 - RM 91,190 |
| Diploma | RM 44,000 - RM 91,190 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | RM 81,000 - RM 552,000 |
| Master’s Degree | RM 67,815 - RM 247,500 |
What are the job opportunities?
Health and Medicine is a very wide field and the job opportunities has always been increasing as talents in this field are highly in demand across the world. Here are some jobs that you may see yourself working in the future if you are considering to take up a health and medicine programme in UK:
Which recognised universities offer Health & Medicine programmes in UK?
There are many prestigious universities in UK which offer a Health and Medicine including the world renowned University of Cambridge and University of Oxford. Beside these two universities, there are other universities in the UK that are worth to consider.
1. University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge is one of the oldest institutions in the world and has a global reputation for outstanding academic achievement and world-class original research. University of Cambridge’s School of Clinical Medicine comprises of departments, institutes and units like Clinical Biochemistry, Clinical Neurosciences, Haematology, Medicine and others.
2. University of Oxford
The University of Oxford tops the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019 and its medicine course is a traditional course which splits into pre-clinical and clinical stages. The university has two main libraries for medicine and clinical studies, one providing resources for pre-clinical elements of the course and another focusing on healthcare.
3. Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a one-of-a-kind institution in the UK which focus solely on science, engineering, medicine and business and ranked 8th in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2019. The medical programme at Imperial College London offers a range of teaching approaches, from traditional theoretical classes to innovative and hands-on experience.
4. University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is ranked in the world’s top 100 universities and welcomes students from 140 countries worldwide. It’s School of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing is renowned for pioneering teaching methods and superb facilities for undergraduate and postgraduate study and achieved success across the board for Overall Satisfaction in the 2017 National Student Survey, with all three subjects above 90%.
5. University of Birmingham
As a member of the Russell Group of Universities, University of Birmingham has world-leading academicians including Nobel prize winners and provides specialist teaching and are committed in supporting their graduates in establishing their careers. On a side note, Birmingham is also home to some of the UK’s leading hospitals, including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital right next door.
