What about Medicine?

The UK’s biotechnology sector is the most mature in Europe, home to 40% of global biotech companies. Our country is at the forefront of exciting areas of research such as stem cell technology, tissue engineering and vaccine development.

Around 55,000 people are employed in the healthcare technology sector, manufacturing everything from sticking plasters to high-tech hospital equipment such as MRI scanners. An estimated 38 million people have contact with a medical device every day, so providing the best possible products is of great importance.

Finally, there is the pharmaceutical industry, which carries out nearly a quarter of all industrial research and development in the UK. In 2005 it invested £3.3billion in the search for new drugs and treatments – that’s about £9 million every day. Underpinning this research is the chemical industry, which produces innovations vital to the development of new drugs.

A job in the medical industry could allow you to make a real difference to people’s health and quality of life.

Typical Activities

There are a number of varied and interesting roles within this industry sector.

Developing new medicines and treatments for illness and disease
Testing the effectiveness and safety of medicines and other products
Analysing and processing medical exam results
Developing, evaluating, and maintaining medical equipment and devices

Getting in

Many assistant and support roles allow you to start work with GCSEs and then follow a training programme, often gaining qualifications such as NVQs as you go along. This includes jobs such as pharmacy assistants, cardiographers or clinical laboratory assistants.

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With A-levels, ONC/HNC or equivalent, you can start your career as a trainee. This combines working and practical training with part-time study for a degree or professional qualification in a specific area of healthcare science.

Some vocational degree courses are specific to particular healthcare science roles and accredited by the relevant regulatory body, allowing you to become a registered practitioner at the end of the course.

A bachelor's degree is essential for many roles, with subjects such as engineering, life sciences, physics and chemistry all suited to a career in healthcare science. It will usually then be necessary to specialise in the area you are interested in, usually earning a postgraduate diploma or MSc as well as professional registration.

Sometimes the hardest thing is deciding what sector of the medical industry you are most interested in. If you’re having trouble making your mind up, Cadet schemes in the NHS involve a two-year training programme which will give you experience of the different jobs within healthcare science. You will paid while you learn and receive the support you need to gain the minimum qualifications required in your chosen area.

Typical employers

This is one of the largest single emoployer in the UK with a viety of companies, from SMEs to hugh mutlinational companies, all offering great careers: