The Best Healthcare Careers
There are hundreds of available career fields within the healthcare industry. Some of these careers, such as nursing and technical professions take years of schooling. Others like phlebotomy and medical transcription may take a few months to a year to prepare for. When choosing a healthcare career be mindful of your personality and how much time you want to spend. Can you sacrifice an extra few years of study for the promise of a higher paycheck?
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Cause of Need
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The need for certified healthcare professionals is steadily increasing as the baby-boomers of the forties, fifties, and sixties, some 80 million Americans, age. This influx of an aging population brings with it an increase in people needing various forms of medical attention. This increase is due to the fact that with age comes more health concerns. Coupled with that generations demand for medical care, they are also retiring and leaving their healthcare jobs behind.
Nursing Options
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There are several categories of nursing, each requiring a specific level of training. The quickest nursing jobs fall under the titles of Certified Nursing Assistant and Licensed Practicing Nurse (LPN); these positions require the least training, about two years. The level is to become a Registered Nurse of RN, which is a degree that requires four years of school.. The third level of nursing careers includes Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Anesthetists; an additional two to three years of training on top of an RN degree are required for these, top paying nursing positions.
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Technicians
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Technologist positions are an integral cog in the machine of medicine. These professions appeal to detail oriented people and require highly specialized training. Such training usually consists of obtaining a bachelor's degree in the exact field in which one wishes to work. Examples of technician careers include: cytotechnologist; one who analyzes blood for diseases and abnormalities and lab research technicians who gather data that helps to determine causes of and treatments for abnormalities.
Quick Careers
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If you would like to work with patients but do not have the time to invest in long-term schooling there are several options in the healthcare industry that may appeal to you. Most of these careers take a few months to a year to become licensed in and the pay is far better than minimum wage. Phlebotomists-people who draw blood-get their certification in one to two semesters of school where as massage therapists and physical therapists assistants need a year of study to become certified. These programs usually combine lectures, reading, and hands on training in specialized programs to accelerate the learning process.
Clerical
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For those looking to work in the healthcare industry, but not particularly interested in hands on work with patients or blood, a more clerical based career could be an option. Some options include medical coding; a position responsible for coding medical charts for processing with the insurance companies and medical receptionist; the friendly face at the front desk checking in patients and keeping up with filing. These careers take minimal training and some of the required knowledge can be gained through on-the-job training.
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References
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Comments
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luyoung
Oct 18, 2009
Your information on amount of education needed is incorrect. A nursing (RN) degree can be obtained in just 2 years not 4. And getting a LPN degree requires only one year of schooling.
