Graduating with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) opens up a range of possibilities. Traditionally, BDS graduates would step into clinical practice, but today’s dynamic healthcare industry offers many more options. Whether it’s clinical research, the pharmaceutical industry, or other non-clinical roles, BDS graduates are finding rewarding careers in diverse fields. This blog will guide you through the best career options after BDS in India, helping you unlock your potential and navigate the evolving healthcare landscape.
Clinical Career Options After BDS
- Private Practice
Establishing your dental clinic remains one of the most common paths for BDS graduates. While it allows you to be your boss and grow your patient base, it also requires significant investment and patience to build a reputation. However, the return on investment varies depending on different circumstances.
- Pursuing MDS (Master of Dental Surgery)
Specializing with an MDS degree can elevate your career, enabling you to focus on fields like oral surgery, orthodontics, or endodontics. This path is ideal if you’re passionate about a specific area within dentistry and want to enhance your expertise.
- Working in Hospitals and Dental Chains
Joining multi-specialty hospitals or dental chains provides steady income and experience. You’ll get the opportunity to treat diverse cases and interact with experienced professionals in the industry.
What are the alternate best career options after BDS?
In today’s landscape, career options after BDS no longer revolve exclusively around clinical practice. Moreover, establishing and running a successful dental clinic requires a substantial investment. Unfortunately, not everyone possesses the financial means to embark on such an endeavor.
Not everyone has the patience to deal with the slow pace of clinical practice. The saturation level of dentists also makes it impossible to predict their clinical future. Here are some alternate career options after BDS that you can consider after earning your BDS degree.
Non-Clinical Career Options after BDS
India is the second-largest pharma market in Asia. Consequently, a large range of pharmaceutical research services is outsourced to pharmaceutical industries, which makes for a lucrative career. Clinical Research is an inevitable part of the healthcare market all over the world. The whole healthcare industry from pharmaceutical producers to consumers, all trust the credibility of trials done and safety data accumulated by the Clinical Research group behind each new drug, cosmetic product, food supplement, or any other healthcare consumable product or device launched in the market.
Career options available to BDS graduates in this field include Principal Investigator, Co-investigator, Medical Advisor, Drug Developer, Regulatory Affairs Manager, or Clinical Research Physician.
Pharmacovigilance
Pharmacovigilance is considered one of the best career options for BDS graduates. Its main objective is to report side effects from medicines, analyze their cause, and ensure that drugs are safe and secure on the market. A pharmacovigilance professional also keeps a constant record of all drugs in clinical trials and also those on the market. Pharmacovigilance professionals conduct systematic case studies on the specific drug if any reports of side effects occur, and send analysis reports to concerned departments.
The Pharmacovigilance career provides various job opportunities after BDS such as Drug Inspectors, Clinical Research Associates, Drug Control Directors, Pharmacovigilance Scientists, etc.
Medical Coding
Medical coding, or alphanumeric coding is also a great career option after BDS which refers to the conversion of healthcare diagnoses, procedures, services, and equipment into universal codes and is a very interesting career Option for BDS professionals. The medical record documentation includes physician notes, lab and radiologic results, and other data used as diagnostic criteria. During the medical billing process, medical coders ensure the correct application of codes. This includes abstracting information from documentation, assigning codes, and preparing a claim for insurance companies to pay. Medical coders can work in every type of healthcare facility like hospitals, clinics, medical facilities, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, physicians’ offices, medical laboratories, etc.
Medical Codings offers various career opportunities such as Medical Records Coordinator, Medical Coding Specialist, Medical Billing Specialist, etc.
Medical Transcription
Medical transcription (MT) is the manual processing of voice reports dictated by physicians and other healthcare professionals into text format. The MT team of a hospital typically receives the voice files with dictation of medical documents from healthcare providers. The voice files are then converted into text. The transcribed medical reports are usually created in digital format and submitted to the hospital’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) or Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system. Today, the medical field relies on speech recognition software and medical transcription software (MTS) for transcribing. Hence it counts as one of the best career options after BDS.
Medical Claim Officer
A Medical claim officer evaluates and processes claims according to insurance policy terms and conditions. They are specialists who process these claims efficiently, beginning by researching the policy and collecting evidence. Subsequently, they carefully verify coverage and skillfully determine the appropriate compensation or settlement.
Clinical Career Options vs Non-clinical Options
The dental profession in India has witnessed a growing trend of dentists opting for non-clinical career paths instead of traditional clinical practice. The reasons behind this shift address factors such as limited career growth, financial pressures, peer influence, and the availability of non-clinical opportunities.
Dentists often need more growth opportunities within hospitals and clinics, especially during the initial stages of their careers. This restricted progression and the desire for professional development and upward mobility push dental professionals towards non-clinical paths.
Therefore, there seems to be no reason why you shouldn’t take up a diploma course offered by a qualified institution as a non-clinical career option. Additionally, wasting no time, you should enroll yourself at Careerinpharma. Whether you are a working professional seeking to enhance your expertise or a student eager to prepare for a promising career in the pharmaceutical industry, Careerinpharma’s online training provides a convenient and accessible learning platform.
We not only match your skills and interests with employers who are looking for candidates with your qualities. We also help you prepare for interviews.
FAQs about Career Options After BDS In India
1. What are the benefits of pursuing a non-clinical career after BDS?
A graduate dentist can expect career growth, more income than clinical practices, better work-life balance, and, most importantly, can seek independence and flexibility in their career.
2. Can I switch to a clinical course later if I choose a non-clinical one now?
That will depend on which course you have chosen, what your goal is from that course, and also how you are approaching it.
3. Are BDS jobless in India?
Most certainly they are. The struggle is real after BDS due to huge competition and limited opportunities with fewer perks.
4. Why do you choose a non-clinical job?
Embracing Work-Life Balance: Non-clinical careers emerge as beacons of work-life balance, allowing professionals to recalibrate their priorities. These roles often afford a more balanced lifestyle, attracting individuals who yearn for quality time beyond the rigorous demands of clinical settings.
5. What are the benefits of working in a non-clinical role?
When you work in healthcare, you can look forward to high job security, growing job opportunities, above-average salaries, varying education requirements, and the knowledge that you are serving the greater good.
