Becoming a medical anthropologist involves earning a master’s or doctorate degree in medical anthropology, but prior studies vary. Understanding medical literature is crucial, and many have medical training. Some enter the field with a master’s or doctorate in nursing or pre-med and medical school. Choosing between a master’s or doctorate degree depends on career goals. Researching options and seeking advice from working medical anthropologists is recommended.
There are a myriad of paths to becoming a medical anthropologist, and most of them end with people earning doctorates or master’s degrees from colleges that offer degrees in medical anthropology. Significantly more diverse are studies prior to entering graduate school, which vary. Most come to this field with medical knowledge gained from a variety of sources, and all high school graduates have at least an undergraduate degree.
A requirement for entering any form of graduate school in medical anthropology is the ability to understand and interpret the medical literature. When looking at human health issues from a cultural perspective, understanding can be limited if health conditions and their ramifications are not fully understood. For this reason, most people who apply to programs to become a medical anthropologist have significant medical training. At a minimum, unless they studied public health or medical anthropology in undergraduate programs, people who want to apply for master’s in doctoral programs in medical anthropology have practical training, such as a bachelor’s degree in registered nursing.
Another way for people to become medical anthropologists is to first study medicine more extensively by earning an advanced degree such as a master’s or doctorate in nursing. Other people graduate from pre-med at graduation and then complete medical school. Some medical schools may offer joint courses leading to an MD and PhD in medical anthropology. It is easy to see that people enter this field from very different backgrounds, but all come to it with an ability to understand medical literature that they can study as students and as anthropologists.
One thing that people will need to decide when choosing to become medical anthropologists and if they have met the minimum requirements to get into graduate school is whether they want a master’s or doctoral degree. A master’s degree can lead to job opportunities, but doctorates offer a higher level of training and an opportunity to claim expertise in the field. If a person wants to do more than practice medical anthropology in the field, and especially if he or she would like to teach, a doctorate is highly recommended.
Note that some people who would like to become medical anthropologists will apply to schools that offer more than one degree. For example, some programs jointly offer a doctorate in medical anthropology and a master’s in public health (MPH); these two areas of study are closely linked. However, MPH students do not always refer to themselves as medical anthropologists, and a degree more specific to anthropology may be required.
Given different degrees and the growing number of graduate programs in this field, people should take the time to research options and determine the best programs. It is advisable to get advice from the working medical anthropologist. How various degrees are perceived may differ by region, but it is a general rule that earning a PhD results in greater career flexibility. On the other hand, training acquired before graduate school, such as having an MD, may make obtaining a PhD unnecessary.
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