PETALING JAYA: Students seeking options for higher education in health and medical-related fields might consider pharmacy, healthcare support, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and dentistry due to their promising job prospects in the country.
According to the Social Security Organisation (Socso) Employment Insurance System (EIS) statistics, there are currently 1,622 job vacancies for pharmacists.
Healthcare assistants were second in demand, with 1,262 vacancies, followed by pharmacy assistants with 1,260 vacancies, physiotherapists with 939 vacancies, and occupational therapy assistants with 698 vacancies. Other top health-related positions include doctors’ surgery assistants (437 vacancies) and dietitians (402 vacancies).
In terms of lucrative medical and health-related careers, Jobstreet by Seek reported that dentists are among the highest earners.
The job typically offers a monthly salary of RM8,400 and currently has 1,623 vacancies on the online employment marketplace.
Dentists’ duties include conducting routine cleanings, root canals, cavity fillings, oral surgery and other procedures.
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“To secure a profession in dentistry, interested individuals must complete a five-year degree course in dentistry which is recognised by the Malaysian Dental Council (MDC).
“The first half of your education will include learning medical science basics such as anatomy, biochemistry and physiology.
“Meanwhile, the second part will require you to undergo training in teaching hospitals or clinical schools,” said Jobstreet.
Graduates must complete one year of compulsory service with the government before they can be a registered dentist in the country.
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“After the basic five years, you can choose to further your education and specialise in different oral health fields such as orthodontics, oral surgery and paediatric dentistry, among others. Specialisation usually takes an extra three years to complete,” it said.
Pharmacists were next on the list, offering a typical monthly salary of RM6,600.
Interested individuals must complete a Bachelor of Pharmacy with a university accredited by the Pharmacy Board under the Health Ministry in Malaysia.Those interested in becoming an optometrist could also earn a typical salary of RM4,500 per month.
“Optometrists need to complete a four-year bachelor’s degree in optometry.
“This includes learning eye anatomy, basic biology and training on how to conduct vision tests using various tools,” Jobstreet noted.
