Interested in pursuing a career in healthcare and medicine? Below you will find resources, events, opportunities, and advice to help you explore & confirm your interest and kickstart your career.

Explore a Career Path in Healthcare and Medicine

Pursuing a career in health means you’ll make a lifetime of difference, whether you’re drawn to medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinarian science, public health, or another field. In this career community, you will find helpful information and resources to help you explore possible career fields of interest, prepare your next steps, and successful apply to medical or health profession schools.

CAPD’s Prehealth Advising team is here to support you as you explore your interest in health professions.

How do I determine if a career in Healthcare and Medicine is right for me?

There are a variety of ways to begin exploring careers in healthcare and medicine.  The first step is to determine if a career in healthcare is right for you?

If you realize you have an interest in helping others, having a direct impact on peoples lives, an interest in the human body, amongst many other factors, a career in healthcare and medicine might be right for you!  The next step is begin determining the type of career you want to pursue.

  • Do you prefer a career that involves direct patient care or engaging in medical research?
  • Do you have an interest in both direct patient care and research?
  • Or maybe you have preferred interest in the promotion of health overall through advocacy, education, and/or business.

As you consider the answer to these questions, it will be important for you to research the various career paths in healthcare and medicine, along with identifying which career paths and specific positions align with you and your values, interests, skills, preferences, and experiences thus far.

Researching Career Paths in Healthcare and Medicine

The following websites will be helpful as you research career paths and specific positions in healthcare and medicine.

Explore Career Paths in Healthcare and Medicine

The 3 websites below will assist you in exploring different careers in healthcare and medicine.

  • Explore Healthcare Careers – the Explore Healthcare Careers website provides easy access to updated, peer-reviewed career descriptions that inspire and motivate students to find health careers that suit them.
  • Occupational Outlook Handbook  – to assist you in exploring career paths, you can use the Occupational Outlook Handbook to view statistics on salaries, working conditions, education required, etc. in the many careers/jobs in the U.S.
  • Career Paths in Academia & Education – if you are interested in a career in Academia & Education related to Healthcare/Medicine, CAPD’s website will provide you with valuable resources, events, opportunities and advice to help you confirm you interest and kickstart your career.

Becoming a Physician (MD, MD-PhD, DO)

  • MD – Doctor of Medicine

We’re here to help.

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Schedule an appointment

Prehealth Advising is here for you through every step of the process. Need advice? Plan an appointment that fits your schedule or join a virtual Prehealth Advising Drop-In session.

Two veterinarians with a dog.

Join the prehealth mailing list

Stay up-to-date by joining the prehealth email list; just email prehealth@mit.edu with the subject: “Please add me to the [year] prehealth email list.” (Use the year you plan to enter medical school, not the year you graduate from MIT.)

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Join the Prehealth Facebook group

Find your MIT prehealth community, get advice, and connect with other students by joining the Prehealth Advising Facebook group.

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Consider applying to a medical interpreting course

This 4-week IAP course trains multilingual MIT community members in core principles, standards of practice, ethics, and medical terminology. Participants will be qualified to work or volunteer as interpreters in healthcare settings upon completion of the 40-hour course.

Join the Careers in Medicine course

The field of medicine is a vast industry, full of a variety of exciting careers! Careers in Medicine SP.252 will help you explore your interests in the medical field and learn about the many career paths available.

Sidebar

Exploring careers? Check out career exploration events happening this April and May!

The Career Exploration Series for the spring is now updated! This series is a collaboration between MIT departments, programs, and employers to help all undergraduate and graduate students learn about the different career and graduate/professional school options available to you.   

Visit the events page on Handshake and filter by the label …

By Tianna Ransom
Tianna Ransom Assistant Director, Career Exploration
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Spring 2025 Graduate Student Mentoring Circles

Looking to Connect with MIT Alumni? Join Spring 2025 Graduate Student Mentoring Circles!

Are you hoping to get real-world career advice from MIT alumni this spring? Whether you’re exploring different career paths, curious about specific industries, or looking to expand …

By Tara Thakurta
Tara Thakurta Graduate Community Fellow
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Join MIT Reads and “Unlock the Stress Cycle” this Spring!

MIT Reads is a reading program for everyone at MIT, organized by the MIT Libraries.

Together we read a book, then gather outside of our normal classes and workdays to explore the ideas and important issues it raises. Through discussions …

By Tara Thakurta
Tara Thakurta Graduate Community Fellow
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Featured Resources

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Handshake 101: What it is & how to use it*

CAPD is committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive environment for everyone we serve. If you need any disability-related accommodations to …

This website gives CPW attendees glimpse into MIT’s Prehealth Advising resources. You’ll find an electronic version of our CPW flier, …

In addition to Handshake, you can use the websites below to find jobs and internships related to health and medical …

The Guide to Shadowing a Physician includes a variety of tips and strategies to help you acquire a shadowing opportunity.

The Guide to Shadowing a Physician includes a variety of tips and strategies to help you acquire a shadowing opportunity. …

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