Perhaps you find it quite hard to study medicine without a high school diploma. Good news for you, now students interested in medical studies still have the opportunity to acquire alternative medicine courses and subsequently work for and with the people in the health sector. However, if you are in the phase of preparing for medical test, visit here for UCAT practice test and learn the tactics to pass the exam.
The path to any degree or course in the university has to go through the phase, called “university entrance test or exam”. Nonetheless, the universities often offer numerous options for acquiring professional qualifications. The same applies to the options available for alternative health programs.
We have compiled a few courses of the medical field or health sector that we consider are the best alternative to study medicine:
1. Medical courses
Physician Assistance
In terms of content, the Physician Assistance course comes closest to a medical course. There are six to eight semesters waiting for you with varied courses on subject areas such as:
- Anatomy, internal medicine, emergency medicine
- Diagnostics, prevention, rehabilitation
- Medical law, project management, business administration
- Process and quality management
The overlapping content makes the course so attractive for those interested in studying medicine. If social skills and resilience are not foreign to you, you will like the Physician Assistance degree.
After graduation, you have career opportunities in hospitals, clinics, medical centers, specialist outpatient facilities and some other areas of application – both inpatient and outpatient.
As a physician assistant, you support doctors in their daily work. This means that you are responsible for organizational, administrative and patient- related tasks. This includes activities such as:
- Patient care and discussions
- Surgical assistance
- Report creation
- Transfer and referral of patients
Big plus: The advantage of the Physician Assistance degree is that you can usually continue to work in your profession, as this degree is mostly offered as part-time or dual. Learn how to get into a PA School at My PA Resource.
Midwifery
As a midwife, you will accompany women intensively in the time before, during and after their pregnancy. In your everyday work, everything revolves around topics such as family planning, childbirth, the puerperium and breastfeeding. In addition to medical foundations are in midwifery studies as family work times educational, social science and health skills in the curriculum.
The practical part is not neglected here, because the course is predominantly offered as a dual or part-time course.
Already knew? The chapter of midwifery training in schools has been gradually coming to an end since January 18, 2021 due to a new US directive on the academization of this professional training: More and more universities are offering the midwifery course.
Medical education
If you are already very familiar with the medical context and would like to pass on your specialist knowledge to students, the medical education course can be a good alternative to studying medicine.
As a medical educator, you should enjoy working with people, you should have a talent for understandable explanations and you should be willing to keep up-to-date with the latest knowledge.
Rescue services
Would you like to save people or ensure in control centers that emergency operations run properly? In the rescue studies course you will learn, for example, human medical content, fixed diagnosis, treatment of people on site, but also management skills are on the curriculum so that you can later take on managerial positions.
Most universities require medical evidence that you are suitable for the profession. If you prefer a dual course in rescue services, you still need a training contract with a rescue station or, alternatively, a state license as an emergency paramedic.
If you are also resilient, have the ability to make decisions and can deal with blood and body excretions, the rescue studies course may be right for you.
Sports medicine
Do you love sports and medicine and can you imagine combining both? How about a degree that focuses on sports medicine?
You cannot study sports medicine as such, but you can choose a sports science degree with a focus on sports medicine. You cannot become a doctor with this, but you will deal extensively with interesting areas such as training and movement theory, psychomotor skills and also sports medicine during your studies. The basics of scientific work are of course also part of your curriculum.
Most universities carry out a sports aptitude test as part of the application process. After successfully completing your degree, you can look forward to a wide range of career opportunities, for example as a trainer, sports journalist or head of the fitness center. A sports science degree for teaching qualifies you as a teacher.
2. Non-academic courses
Not only as a medical graduate can you take care of the well-being of your fellow human beings yourself. Even without a medical degree, the healthcare system offers you some non-academic training, further education and training opportunities, with which you are always up to date with regard to the state of medical knowledge.
We have listed non-academic courses for you in our database.
3. Medical training professions
You do not have a high school diploma, but you also do not meet the above-mentioned requirements for admission without a high school diploma or the entrance examination puts you off? That is no reason to throw the gun in the grain right away. You don’t have to give up your dream of a career in the medical field, because there are other attractive alternatives to studying medicine waiting for you, which are associated with lower entry barriers. Your school education and your interest in this area will benefit you for medical training professions.
Also, apprenticeships can a suitable alternative to medical school to be when you want to attend any degree or academic education does not come for any other reason for you to question. The advantage: You don’t have to sit in lecture halls for years, but usually get involved in everyday working life straight away and receive a small training salary.
We have listed a few examples of medical training occupations for which you do not need a (technical) high school diploma.
Health and nurse or nurse:
You need:
- At least one secondary school certificate
- Partly also a “good” secondary school diploma + two-year vocational training, ideally in nursing
Medical assistant:
You need:
- At least one secondary school certificate
- Partly also a “good” secondary school leaving certificate
Surgical staff:
You need:
- No specific school leaving certificate
What personal requirements do I need for medical training?
Apart from the formal requirements, personal requirements also play an important role in your medical training. Since you will usually work a lot with people, some vocational schools and training companies will get an impression of your personal skills. Skills that you should ideally bring with you to the medical field are, for example:
- Empathy in dealing with people
- Communication skills
- Ability to work in a team
- Organizational skills
- Resilience
- Willingness to learn and perform
Conclusion
One thing is certain: Without a high school diploma, but with a very good entrance exam, you can increase your chances of getting a place in medicine. If you don’t meet this requirement, there is no reason to bury your head in the sand. As a rule, you do not need an Abitur for alternative medical courses, but can start your studies with your completed professional training plus work experience. For you, this means that you don’t have to catch up with your high school diploma.
Perhaps you would also prefer to get straight into professional practice, then vocational training in health care may be suitable for you. A good secondary school diploma or a secondary school diploma with completed training and professional experience is often sufficient. And if you are already working in the healthcare sector and want to expand your knowledge, some training providers offer suitable courses.
As you can see, having no Abitur does not mean that you cannot enter the medical field in another way. A solution is available for every individual requirement.
