Couldn’t Crack NEET? These Are Your Options To Pursue Medical Courses

 In India, the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) is one of the primary entrance exams for admission to Medical courses. In fact, NEET UG is mandatory for admission to MBBS courses offered by all government-funded medical institutions, including AIIMS and JIPMER. 

The number of aspirants appearing for NEET exam rises every year. In 2022, this spike was attributed to the prolonged waiting period that comes with re-scheduling the test. Media reports on NEET participation estimate that approximately 14 lakh students took the exam annually between 2018 and 2021. Conversely, in 2017, 16 lakh people applied to take the National Eligibility Test (NEET). In 2020, that figure reached 13 lakh. While it's true that the NEET is an important test for aspiring doctors, not qualifying the exam is not the end of the road. 

Medical and healthcare are considered to be among the most prestigious sectors to work in. Hence, lakhs of students appear for NEET exam to study prominent courses such as Nursing, MBBS and MD/ MS. However, there are options available for those who do not qualify or not appear for the entrance exam. Some of the popular Medical courses that do not require a NEET score include BPT, BPharma, Physiotherapy, Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences, among others. 

Let's explore the plethora of options
The Medical sector is enormous, and it offers a wide variety of career paths and educational options. Thus, a student interested in a career in the Medical field has many options to choose from. It's a common fallacy that if you didn't do well on the NEET or you just don't think you can, you won't be able to have a fulfilling career in the Medical field. One option is to study something totally distinct, such as Chemistry, Physics, Life Sciences, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Psychology, or even Zoology or Botany (for a Bachelor of Science degree). Some of the universities do not conduct any entrance exam to give admission to BSc courses. Those interested in healthcare also have the option of pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Applied Science in Laboratory Practice, Bachelor of Science in Pathology, or a Doctor of Medical Laboratory Technology, among other degrees.

Nursing and Nutritionist can be a solution
The demand for professionally trained and certified nurses in today's society has increased over time. In today's world, especially, during and after the pandemic, nurses do much more than only take care of patients; they also work in administration, research, and teaching roles. Staff nurse, nursing superintendent, assistant nursing superintendent, teacher of nursing, community health nurse, etc., are just a few of the jobs that are open to graduates. As per reports, an early career registered nurse and a nutritionist in India may expect to earn an average yearly pay of around 3Lakhs, which can go as high as 5.5 Lakhs with years of experience. Nutritionists, who work in the medical field and help patients improve their diets, are in high demand. A professional course in this field doesn’t require a NEET score. They teach children as well as adults the value of a healthy diet and frequent exercise. Nutritionists in India make between INR 12-55 LPA on an average.

Test your mettle in the field of Forensics
Forensic Science, which involves the study of topics like Biology, Chemistry, and Psychology for scientific knowledge in the fields of criminal investigations, is nowadays something that is very influential in popular subjects for the generation. Candidates must have passed Class 12 with PCB/PCM to be eligible to pursue a bachelor's degree in Forensic Science. In some businesses, candidates for positions as forensic experts are also taken into consideration if they have a bachelor's degree in Biology or Chemistry. A career in Forensic Science has a high earning potential. A forensic scientist can expect to earn a base income of over INR 3 LPA as a fresher which can increase up to 6-12LPA with years of experience in this sector. 

Explore Mental Health as a career
Moreover, people have begun to pay attention to their mental health, necessitating the need for this training. Being a psychologist is a lot like being a doctor. Here you get to understand, help diagnose and treat individuals' mental health issues in clinical settings like hospitals and clinics. There are several branches of Psychology that overlap with counselling and psychotherapy, including health psychology, child psychology, neuropsychology, etc. The field of Clinical Psychology aims to investigate the root causes of mental health issues like anxiety, sadness, hallucinations, and more.

Dig into the world of Medicine
Careers in Physiotherapy, Optometry, Audiology, Nursing, Radiography, and Clinical Research are just some of the numerous options out there. In each of these fields, you'll find a wide range of possible career options to pursue. Physiotherapists use physical treatments to alleviate muscle discomfort, whereas occupational therapists aid patients with physical restrictions in returning to a normal level of functioning in daily life. Therefore, you can remain up-to-date on medical matters without investing the time and money required to become a doctor.

So, NEET is not the only entrance exam that can land you a good opportunity in the Medical and Healthcare field. There are ample job profiles that can be pursued without having to appear in NEET. Open your horizon and find a whole new world of Healthcare. 

About Shiksha.com – 
Shiksha.com, a unit of InfoEdge, is India’s No.1 college and course selection platform. The website’s popularity and success can be gauged by the 314 million online visits and 130 million new users we have garnered between the time span of May 1, 2020 and April 30, 2021. In collaboration with a team of counsellors and educational agents, hailing from all parts of the world, we assist students in finding the right courses and colleges. Two-way communication between students and other Shiksha users/ Shiksha experts/ College alumni groups is enabled through the ‘Ask and Discuss’ section which facilitates the student’s decision-making process. For further details please visit - https://www.shiksha.com/.