Career Options in the medical field

Maybe it’s always been your dream to be a doctor – or maybe it’s always been your parents’ dream that you be a doctor. Either way, the costs and dedication required to earn your MD means this career is not for everyone.

For the 2010-2011 school year, first-year tuition fees at Harvard Medical School were $45, 050; by the time you add in additional school fees and living expenses, Harvard’s website estimates a total cost of $70, 000 for the first year alone. And that’s before any travel costs if you don’t happen to live in the northeastern United States. According to a New England Journal of Medicine article from September 2009, 25% of medical school graduates have debt exceeding $200, 000 – and that’s not including the cost of their undergraduate degree.

1. Medical Perfusionist – $93, 500
If you watch any medical drama, you’re likely familiar with characters undergoing surgery that requires them to be on a bypass machine. Those who operate these machines, as well as other equipment that temporarily controls a person’s circulation and respiratory function, are called perfusionists.