What can you do with a tropical medicine degree?

A degree in tropical medicine might seem like quite a specific choice of subject, however it opens the doors to a wide range of careers. 

There are many universities all over the world that offer degrees in tropical medicine. In the UK, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine is a pioneer in education and research alongside the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.  

In Latin America, Universidade de Sao Paulo offers degrees in the subject. In Asia, Airlangga University in Indonesia also offers tropical medicine degrees. Finally, James Cook University in Australia also has some tropical medicine programmes.  

Read on as we discover some of the graduate career options for students studying a degree in tropical medicine. 

Tropical medicine GP

This is a general practitioner who see patients that are suspected to have or have been diagnosed with a range of tropical infections including malaria, Ebola, HIV, tuberculosis, typhoid and animal or insect bites. Their job is to examine and diagnose people who are suspected of having a tropical infection, manage their symptoms, and treat their condition with medication, as necessary.  

A tropical medicine GP may work in various tropical locations abroad, or they may run travel clinics. They can also take part in lab work; conducting tests and examining biopsies. 

To become a tropical medicine GP, students will need a completed degree in medicine (MD), great problem solving and diagnostic skills and the ability to be decisive.  

Communication skills are also important to ensure that the doctor is able to communicate effectively with the patient or their family. 

Eye care specialist

An eye-care doctor, known as an ophthalmologist, with a specialisation in tropical medicine will be expected to examine and diagnose patients who are suspected to have infections such as trachoma, or other conditions such as neoplasia or glaucoma.  

Eye care specialists can also diagnose and treat more unusual conditions such as parasitic infections which are native to tropical destinations. 

Again, students hoping to begin a career as a specialist ophthalmologist need to great problem solving and diagnostic skills. They need a high level of dexterity to be able to conduct tests and examine a patient properly as well as great hand-eye co-ordination and spatial awareness. 

Epidemiologist

An epidemiologist is someone who studies and analyses the contagion, distribution, and patterns of tropical diseases in a specific group of people. The role aims to find the source of outbreaks, identify how these diseases are spread and create a plan to stop the spread.  

Although most of an epidemiologist's work will look at large groups of people or whole societies, they will also work with individual patients who have symptoms of infection to study how the disease develops within the body. 

It’s important to note that any epidemiologist who works directly with an infected patient will need a full medicine degree (MD) and skills in analysis, written and verbal communication and high levels of numeracy to be able to effectively handle and use the information collected.  

They will also need to be able to effectively multitask as it is likely that they will be studying more than one disease or more than one population at the same time. 

Dermatologist

A dermatologist is a medical practitioner who specialises in skin and skin infections. Dermatologists often deal with conditions such as eczema, skin cancer legions and acne.  

A qualification in tropical medicine can lead to a dermatology career which specialises in more uncommon skin concerns such as rashes that are difficult to identify, leprosy, parasitic infections, and mycobacterial infections.  

The role will involve examining and diagnosing patients, prescribing medication or treatment procedures and monitoring the patient’s recovery or managing their symptoms. 

Dermatologists need to be decisive and have good decision-making and diagnostic skills. They need to have good communication skills to talk to patients and their families about diagnoses and treatment plans. They also need to be emotionally intelligent and have empathy towards patients and their situations.  

Nurse

Many nurses who specialise in tropical infections and disease tend to work for charity organisations, looking after patients in tropical locations who have been diagnosed with illnesses that are more common in the region. Tropical medicine nurses should expect to do the hands-on care work of a regular nurse as well as some laboratory work. 

Tropical medicine nurses should expect to work in middle and lower income countries as part of a humanitarian aid programme. They should have a nursing degree with the tropical medicine training being an additional qualification.  

They should also have personal skills such as strong communication, a strong sense of empathy and the ability to make effective decisions and work in a high-pressure environment. 

Specialist pharmacist

Again, pharmacists specialising in tropical medicine will generally work in a tropical location where these diseases are more common. Specialist pharmacists will dispense and manage medications.  

They will generally deal with patients, doctors who prescribe the medications in hospital settings and nurses who administer the medications in medical facilities. They may advise patients about their medications: discussing dosages, risks, and storage.  

They may also aid in research for new and emerging medications and running clinical trials. 

Anyone working as a pharmacist and dealing with medications needs a completed pharmacy degree (MPharm), as standard. A specialist pharmacist needs great attention to detail to be able to dispense medications effectively.  

They need resource management skills to ensure that the medication goes to the right place and the dosages are correct. 

Medical researcher

A medical researcher will work within an organisation or university to help develop and test medications and treatments options for tropical diseases and infections. They look at new and emerging as well as pre-existing tropical diseases.  

HIV, malaria and tuberculosis are among some of the most common diseases that are studied by tropical medicine researchers. 

To be a medical researcher, students will need a degree in medicine and medical education to a PhD level or equivalent. They will need to have great attention to detail and be able to work methodically and carry out testing effectively.  

They will also need to be able to communicate their findings effectively and a high level of numeracy to be able to handle data correctly. 

Health consultant

Health consultants work for government ministries, universities, hospitals and INGOs. Similar to the role of epidemiologists, they look at the overall health of the population and consider plans and policies to be put in place on a government level to ensure the health of society as a whole and prevent the spread of tropical disease. 

In order to become a health consultant, you will need a degree in medicine (MD). You will also need a master’s degree or PhD and a qualification in tropical medicine would be incredibly advantageous.  

You will need the ability to successfully analyse data and statistics as well as being able to work as part of a team within a larger government or organisation.