Health Care Technician Careers
Health care technicians perform important supportive tasks in just about every facet of medical care. Without these workers, doctors, dentists and other health care providers would have a difficult if not impossible job. It can be a very rewarding career for for those who want to help others. And, given the proper training and advancement, it can also be financially rewarding. The education and training for this field is demanding, but given the advancing age of the general population, the opportunities are great.
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Significance
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The health care field continues to be one of the very fastest growing career areas. Besides doctors and dentists, heavy needs for support personnel are forecast in the coming years. Health care technician is one career path with open opportunities. The technicians may work in a number of different health areas with different roles, including health information technicians, medical laboratory technicians, dental technicians, ophthalmic technicians and medical records technicians.
Function
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Medical records and health information technicians keep track of the medical records that are generated every time a patient receives some form of medical care. They use computers to analyze patient data and code medical information in order to file insurance claims. Medical laboratory technicians, also known as medical technologists, perform various tests in clinical laboratories on samples of body fluids to identify diseases or other body conditions. Ophthalmic health care technicians may work either in clinics, hospitals or directly for eye doctors who have private practices. They often serve as the first line of contact with patients and may perform basic refraction tests of vision.
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Features
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Work for all sorts of health care technicians is usually performed in pleasant surroundings. Depending on the type of health care, they may have little or no direct contact with patients, or they may see patients every working day. The medical records or health information careers tend to be in closed areas both because of the amount of concentration involved and for privacy of medical records. The same closeted environment is found in the medical technologist field, while health care technicians working directly for doctors or in hospitals will see patients constantly.
Considerations
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Health care technicians usually enter the field with an associate degree from a junior or a community college. More and more of these colleges are supporting distance learning opportunities, so actual physical attendance requirements vary. The course work is quite technical, involving courses in anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, legal aspects of health care and computer skills. In the case of health care information technicians, certification as a Registered Health Care Information Technician is a distinct aid in getting that first job.
Potential
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Health care technicians usually advance in the field by specializing in narrower areas of care such as the cancer registry or coding for insurance claims. There are certification programs available for these areas. In 2006 there were about 170,000 health care technicians working, with two out of five jobs being in hospitals. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment is expected to grow faster than the average of all occupations---an estimated 18 percent in the next 10 years. Salaries in 2006 ranged from a low of $19,000 to more than $45,000 with median incomes from $28,000 to $36,000.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Charles R Anderson
