Unique job opportunities created due to COVID-19

The pandemic has brought forth an entire selection of problems and stressors we previously could not have foreseen. Not least among them is the financial uncertainty. Medical education is irrefutably the most expensive and time consuming commitment one can make in their professional lives. With people being laid off, businesses foreclosed and the markets volatile, your stream of financial support might have been disrupted. Often in the case of IMG's, there isn't much backing provided by the government and so to stay afloat, while it's extremely difficult, we might be forced to take up a job. As unfortunate as the onset of the pandemic was, it has dramatically inflated the demand for healthcare workers. As medical students, your expertise ranks as invaluable and thus would be welcomed in these newly created job opportunities due to the pandemic.

1. Contact tracing

    Monitoring and controlling the spread of COVID has become the prime focus of most governments around the globe. As such, they've been recruiting people to aid in their efforts of contact tracing. This could involve following up with COVID positive patients, guiding them through their recovery, teaching them about quarantine protocols, and informing them of the nature of this virus. If you'd like to learn more about what the job might entail, John Hopkins offers a short and free course on contact tracing. Completion of this course is actually a prerequisite to obtain the job in many countries. Look up contact tracing jobs on the Ministry of health websites of your respective countries. From what I've seen, they compensate well and can often be done from home.

2. Vaccine logistics 

    A wide ranging portfolio of COVID vaccines is being dispatched around the world. Storage conditions, transport dynamics, and administration are all tasks which require skill and labour. It is in the best interest of countries to inoculate people as soon as they have receive these shipments. There is nobility is helping with this effort as it'll directly help alleviate the burden of lost lives due to the virus. Along with having a source of income, you expand your skillset as a future clinician by monitoring and perfecting your techniques that go along with administering a vaccine. 

3. COVID-19 testing 

    Nasopharynx swabs and blood tests have become a routine part of life when flying or taking on any public roles/events. Countries are expended lots of resources to upkeep their testing and are paying those who are putting themselves at risk to do so quite well. Understanding of not just the pathophysiology of the disease, but the science behind the testing itself is something most medical students are acutely aware of. Again, the risk notwithstanding, this is a unique opportunity to show your contribution in this pandemic and keep yourself financially afloat.    

4. COVID patient caregiving 

    Caregiving lies at the heart of medicine. The fundamental understanding that all lives are valuable and their individual struggles are what bring forth meaning to life. We as medics strive to allow that potential to be maximally utilized unhindered by disease. As students of this noble profession, providing care and nurturement to those affected by COVID or patients in old-homes, our own reasons for choosing medicine might be revitalized. There is a huge supply-demand deficit when it comes to these caregivers providing us a unique opportunity to utilize. Through interactions with these people, we might gain insight into different and deeper realms of consciousness and the lessons of an experienced and lived life.

* If your looking for other ways to be productive during lockdown, read Getting started with research as a medical student.