Medicine

Job options

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

• Anaesthetist
• Cardiologist
• Clinical radiologist
• General practice doctor
• Hospital doctor
• Neurologist
• Ophthalmologist
• Pathologist
• Psychiatrist
• Surgeon

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

• Academic researcher
• Clinical research associate
• Epidemiologist
• Health service manager
• Higher education lecturer
• International aid/development worker
• Medical sales representative
• Medical science liaison
• Research scientist (medical)
• Science writer
• Toxicologist

Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.

Work experience

You can build your skills and experience while you're at university through clinical placements, volunteering, medical school societies and roles such as academic course or clinical representative.

Your degree will include placements in settings such as hospitals, general practice and community services. Make the most of opportunities to get involved in activities such as audit or quality improvement, research, teaching and multidisciplinary working.

You can also broaden your experience through an elective, usually lasting around 6 to 12 weeks. Electives may take place in the UK or overseas and can help you explore a particular specialty, healthcare setting or area such as research, public health or global health.

If you want to explore other interests, you may be able to take an intercalated degree. This usually involves an additional year of study and can help you develop new skills and explore areas such as academic research, education, journalism or medical management.

Search for placements and find out more about work experience and internships.

Typical employers

Many medical graduates go on to train and work as doctors. Most doctors work for the NHS, in hospitals or GP practices, although opportunities are also available in private healthcare.

There are also opportunities for doctors to work for:

• air ambulance and other pre-hospital emergency services
• contract research organisations (CROs)
• humanitarian and international aid organisations
• prison and secure healthcare services
• research institutes
• the Armed Forces
• universities.

Medicine graduates can also use their scientific, research and communication skills with employers such as:

• government and public health organisations
• higher education and research institutions
• medical communications and publishing organisations
• pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies
• research organisations and laboratories
• scientific and medical media organisations.

Find information on employers in healthcare, science and pharmaceuticals, and other job sectors.

Skills for your CV

Studying medicine provides you with the clinical skills, knowledge and professional behaviours essential for starting Year 1 of Foundation training.

You also develop a range of other transferable skills, such as:

• conflict resolution and negotiation
• critical appraisal and evidence-based decision making
• ethical judgement and professionalism
• independent learning and reflective practice
• listening, communication and interpersonal skills
• logical reasoning and problem solving
• observation and attention to detail
• research and data interpretation
• teamworking and leadership
• time management.

These skills are crucial when working as a doctor but are just as useful in careers outside of medicine.

Further study

If you want to become a doctor, you'll complete the two-year UK Foundation Programme after your medicine degree. You can then apply for specialty or general practice training, although competition for places is high and varies between specialties. There are currently more applicants than available training posts in many areas, so not everyone who applies will secure a place. See medical specialty recruitment and competition ratios.

For careers outside medicine, you may need further professional or postgraduate training, depending on your chosen career. For example, postgraduate study may be useful or required for careers in epidemiology or public health, and an academic research career will usually require a PhD.

For more information on further study and to find a course that interests you, see Masters degrees and search postgraduate courses in medicine.

What do medicine graduates do?

Medicine is a highly vocational degree, and this is reflected in the destination data of graduates. The vast majority (97%) of medicine graduates report working as generalist medical practitioners, with 1% working as specialist medical practitioners.

Find out what other graduates are doing after finishing their degrees in What do graduates do?

Graduate Outcomes survey data from HESA.