For some of you, the NEET results must have been a big disappointment. You may have felt let down and are unsure of what to do next. Here’s one fact that may shock you: a good number of the most successful medical professionals have not taken the MBBS path. The healthcare industry is booming these days. It is projected that India will require more than 600,000 healthcare workers apart from doctors by 2030.
While your classmates are busy worrying about getting admitted to a medical college, you could be moving in the opposite direction by choosing a profession that is in high demand and getting a head start in it. These careers are not considered backup plans. On the contrary, they are viable careers with genuine progression opportunities, good remuneration, and the satisfaction of making a difference in people’s lives.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy is the most popular option nowadays. It is very common these days that people suffer from lifestyle diseases, which is leading to the surge in demand for physiotherapists. A physiotherapist is needed to solve the problems of back pain, sports injuries, and post-surgery recovery.
What you’d be doing: Work with patients to regain their health after injuries, keep their pain under control and increase their mobility through the use of exercises, manual therapy, and the application of certain tools.
Required Education: Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) – 4.5 years, including an internship
Minimum requirements: 12th with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and English. Most colleges need at least 50% of the total marks to be considered.
Future scope: You can be hired in hospitals, sports clubs, rehabilitation centres, or establish your own clinic. The remuneration at the beginning of your career is between 3-5 lacs per year, but a physiotherapist with the attainment of 1 decade can make upwards of ₹10 lacs.
The great thing? You can specialise and be an expert in sports physiotherapy, neurological rehabilitation, or pediatric care based on your interest.
Nursing
To tell the truth, the nursing sector’s image in India is a bit problematic. Nevertheless, nurses are one of the most respected healthcare professionals in the world, and that is accompanied by great career prospects. The need for trained nurses is so enormous that one can find job offers on every corner.
What you’d be doing: Nursing care, drug administration, patient education, and working closely with doctors to coordinate/plan the treatment.
Required education:
- B.Sc. Nursing (4 years)
- General Nursing and Midwifery Diploma (3.5 years)
- Post-basic B.Sc. Nursing (only 2 years for diploma holders)
Minimum requirements: 12th with PCB and English, normally 45-50% marks are accepted.
Future Scope: You can work with Hospitals, clinics, schools, and corporate health centres.
Salaries at the beginning of the career: ₹2.5-4 lakhs; however, professionals who are highly trained in (ICU, OT, emergency) can get a higher salary. The opportunities for working abroad are great; places such as Canada, Australia, and the UAE are always seeking Indian nurses to come and work there.
Medical Laboratory Science
All the blood tests, urine, or biopsies you had were first checked in the lab by a medical laboratory scientist. They constitute the silent army that provides the fundamental details for diagnosis by the doctors.
What you’d be doing: In addition to operating sophisticated equipment, one is also expected to carry out an analysis of the sample, guarantee quality control and, in some cases, during sample collection, perform direct patient work.
Required education: B.Sc. Medical Laboratory Technology (3-4 years) or Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology (2 years)
Minimum requirements: 12th with PCB, usually 50% of marks
Future Scope: Hospitals, diagnostic centres, research labs, and pharmaceutical companies.
Salaries at the beginning of the career: ₹2.5-4 lakhs, with the possibility of going beyond ₹8 lakhs for the leadership positions.
The establishment of diagnostic centres and focus on preventive healthcare have led to an explosion of demand for this profession.
Pharmacy: Beyond the Medicine Counter
Pharmacists are the people who perform a number of tasks besides giving out medicines. They are drug experts who, among other things, are the pillars of patient safety and help the doctors achieve the best results of treatments.
Basically, you will be engaged in a healthcare professional role involving medication management, patient counselling, drug research, quality control, and hospital clinical pharmacy.
Required education: B. Pharmacy (4 years) or D. Pharmacy (2 years)
Minimum requirements: 12th with PCM or PCB, normally 50% marks
Future Scope: Hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, regulatory authorities, research organisations, or your own pharmacy.
Salaries at the beginning of the career: Anywhere between ₹2.5-5 lakhs, and if you specialise in clinical pharmacy, the pay will be higher.
Optometry
It’s no surprise that eye problems are on the rise with the increasing use of digital gadgets and the change in our lifestyle. Optometrists are the first line of defence for vision care.
What you’d be doing: Eye examinations, vision testing, prescribing glasses and contact lenses, detecting eye diseases.
Required education: B.Optometry (4 yrs.) or Diploma in Optometry (2 yrs.)
Minimum requirements: 12th PCB, normally 50% of the marks
Future Scope: After school, you may work in the area of health care or start your own business. Salary: ₹2-4 lakhs for freshers, and optometrists with experience get ₹6+ lakhs for the year.
Anesthesia Technology
Anaesthesia technologists are the medical professionals who work with the anesthesiologists to make sure that the patients who are going to have surgery are safe. It is a specificied field with great job stability.
What you will do: Will prepare and maintain anaesthesia equipment, help in the performance of different procedures, and monitor the patients.
Required education: B.Sc. Anaesthesia Technology (3-4 years)
Minimum requirements: 12th with PCB, usually 50% marks
Work potential: Hospitals, ambulatory surgical centres. Initial salaries: ₹3-5 lakhs, with the salary of skilled technologists increasing to ₹7+ lakhs.
You don’t necessarily have to be a doctor to work in the medical field. Physiotherapists, nurses, lab scientists, pharmacists, optometrists, and anaesthesia technologists are the ones who keep the system going just as well.
All of these professions offer you career progression, a stable source of income, and the opportunity to become a real change agent in the lives of others. Therefore, if NEET was not what you expected, just don’t view it as the end of the way. Medicine is a broad field, and you can have a prosperous career in numerous interesting ways.
Alternate Medical Careers – Top Colleges in India
| Course | Top Colleges in India | Eligibility | Duration | Approx. Cost (INR) |
| Physiotherapy (BPT) | AIIMS Delhi, CMC Vellore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education | 12th with PCB, 50% marks | 4.5 years (incl. internship) | 3–7 lakhs |
| Nursing (B.Sc.) | AIIMS Delhi, AFMC Pune, Christian Medical College (Vellore) | 12th with PCB & English, 45–50% marks | 4 years (B.Sc.), 3.5 years (GNM), 2 years (PB B.Sc.) | 2–6 lakhs |
| Medical Lab Tech (B.Sc. MLT) | Jamia Hamdard (Delhi), SRM Institute of Science & Technology, Amity University | 12th with PCB, 50% marks | 3–4 years (B.Sc.), 2 years (Diploma) | 2–5 lakhs |
| Pharmacy (B.Pharm) | BITS Pilani, Jamia Hamdard, JSS College of Pharmacy (Mysore) | 12th with PCM/PCB, 50% marks | 4 years (B.Pharm), 2 years (D.Pharm) | 3–8 lakhs |
| Optometry (B.Optometry) | AIIMS Delhi, Sharda University, Amity University | 12th with PCB, 50% marks | 4 years (B.Optom), 2 years (Diploma) | 2–6 lakhs |
| Anaesthesia Technology (B.Sc.) | Sri Ramachandra Institute (Chennai), JIPMER (Puducherry), Manipal Academy of Higher Education | 12th with PCB, 50% marks | 3–4 years | 3–6 lakhs |
Alternate Medical Careers – Top Colleges Abroad
| Course | Top Colleges Abroad | Eligibility | Duration | Approx. Cost (INR) |
| Physiotherapy (BPT) | University of Sydney (Australia), King’s College London (UK), University of Toronto (Canada) | 12th with PCB, IELTS/TOEFL | 3–4 years | 20–40 lakhs |
| Nursing (B.Sc.) | University of Pennsylvania (USA), University of Manchester (UK), University of Melbourne (Australia) | 12th with PCB, IELTS/TOEFL | 3–4 years | 15–35 lakhs |
| Medical Lab Tech (B.Sc. MLT) | Monash University (Australia), University of Leeds (UK), University of Alberta (Canada) | 12th with PCB, IELTS/TOEFL | 3–4 years | 18–30 lakhs |
| Pharmacy (B.Pharm) | Harvard University (USA), University of Toronto (Canada), UCL School of Pharmacy (UK) | 12th with PCM/PCB, IELTS/TOEFL | 4 years | 20–45 lakhs |
| Optometry (B.Optometry) | UNSW (Australia), Cardiff University (UK), University of Auckland (New Zealand) | 12th with PCB, IELTS/TOEFL | 3–4 years | 20–35 lakhs |
| Anaesthesia Technology (B.Sc.) | University of South Australia, University of Birmingham (UK), University of Pittsburgh (USA) | 12th with PCB, IELTS/TOEFL | 3–4 years | 18–30 lakhs |
