What is the best major if I want a professional degree in the medical field, IE. PT, Pharmacist, MD, etc?

Question

I want to be able to apply to different areas of the medical field and do not know what is the best major to have that would encompass the majority of the requirements for various medical professions.

Answer 1

It's usually a good idea to look at the acceptance rates for the programs that interest you. At my univeristy, the best admission rates for medical school are from Science undergrad programs in Physiology and Psychology...ask professors who coordinate undergrad programs in areas that interest you, they know about this stuff. It's also a good idea, if you aren't sure about what you want to do, to not take a very specified program which doesn't allow you a lot of electives (like engineering/honours programs/etc)...you might need to take extra courses to qualify for a professional degree, and you need the flexibility to do that within your program, since nobody wants to be in school forever! Finally, choose a subject area that interests you that you have the ability to do well in. There is no perfect background that admissions are looking for, they want to see diversity and passion most of all.

Answer 2

Most post graduate programs have certain prerequisite classes for entry (for example, medical school requires 2 semesters of physics, 2 semesters of general chemistry, 2 semesters of organic chemistry, and so on...). You can get an idea of the course requirements by requesting that info from the various post-grad programs you are interested in. Do NOT feel you have to major in a "natural science", though, to be prepared for a medical field career. Take the time to try out other fields of study during this time, as this will make you a more well-rounded applicant, and also give you options should the medical field not appeal to you later. Make sure you do well in those required courses, and volunteer or intern at medical facilities to see what you like. Have fun and good luck!

Answer 3

I'm a retired nurse. I would say that would depend on your interests and your "people skills". If you're in any profession for the bucks (especially medical) you're not in the right area. You should go into any kind of medical field willing to help people even when they are in their worst state of mind and body. So say you are a sports nut....then you might want to major in PT and go on to get a Sports Med MD.; A pharmacist would be a person who would be excellent working alone or in close quarters, talking with professionals on the phone all day long. Maybe you'd like respiratory therapy or how about x-ray technology. With x-ray you can go as far as you want in alot of different areas. Have you considered nurse-anesthesiology? You would be in the operating room and it's a challenging position. I would suggest that you visit the human resources at a large teaching hospital and speak with someone who can clarify all the different areas in medical care for you. Talk to anyone you can to make your decision. Getting the word from the "horses mouth" is the best way to get accurate information. I loved nursing and if I had it to do over, I would have gotten into forensics. Just do something you love and you'll never go wrong. God Bless you. I know you'll make the right decision for YOU.

Answer 4

Virtually any science degree will work for most of the prerequisites for any of the professions you listed. I think chemistry is the best in terms of a basic background for all medical fields since chemistry will teach you a lot about basic problem solving and reasoning skills. Also, in most universities, there are A LOT of biology majors and a lot fewer chemistry majors so you'll get a little bit better personal attention regarding professors and grad students when majoring in chemistry. One more thing though, no matter what degree you choose to pursue in graduate school, there are usually varying prerequisites depending on the grad school so when you start applying for grad school, I would look up the prerequisites for the schools you want to apply to before you finish your undergraduate degree. Good luck...

Answer 5

From my experience with looking into several different Nursing Schools, and looking in to medical asst. programs, you would be better off to major in something more universal like Biology. As far as Pharmacy, Chemistry would be your best bet. They are more general degrees that will give you opportunities for change- if you maybe decide you don't like what you're doing,or you are undecided about what part of the medical field you want to actually do.

Answer 6

Take an inward look at your self and answer these questions
1. How do I handle the sight of blood?
2. How do I handle death?
3. Can I deal with a choice of life or death between two people if I had to make the choice?
4. Could I handle babies dieing in frount of me?
5. Do I beleave that life in the medical field is like TV?
6. Have you thought of being a VET? People pay cash to keep there pets healthy!!Check it out

Answer 7

The best advice I can offer you is to narrow your search down somewhat. You seem not to know what you would like to specialize in as of yet, so you can't possibly prepare for ANY medical field! You need to look deep inside yourself and answer the question, "What exactly in the medical field do I like; what do I like about it, what do I like doing, what do I hope to achieve, and finally, what would make me happy?" When you can answer this multiple-pronged question, you will be able to know exactly what field to major in. Only then can you prepare for the specific medical specialization that you have chosen. The reason for this is that each medical specialization requires specific knowledge and skill-sets. Under-grad work prepares one for grad work. So...until you know which field you wish to enter in Medicine, you won't know which course work to study to prepare for it. There is a big difference between a pharmacist and a surgeon....and there are differences between surgeons as well. A brain surgeon prepares differently than a heart surgeon. Know what makes you happy and what your strengths are and you will know how to proceed.

Answer 8

The latest and I think the most exciting new major in the medical field is the new lasier technology.

Answer 9

your best bet: BIOLOGY

do NOT major in things like premed or prenursing. this is because if, for some reason, you dont get accepted into medical school (since your chances of getting into med school is 1:20) or nursing school then you have something to fall back on. by the way, you can major in ANYTHING in order to get into med school. but i seriously wouldnt wanna be a doctor. too much work.

Answer 10

I believe the best majors would most likely be biology or biochemistry because these majors have such broad application in the medical field.