Did you know there are hundreds of different career paths for people who want to work in medicine? From doctors to nurses, lab assistants to janitors, specialists to admin staff, the possibilities are endless.
In fact, almost whatever you do for a job, you can almost guarantee there is a role for you within the healthcare sector.
Healthcare Is A Hugely Varied Industry
Healthcare is an extremely complicated industry to understand. There isn’t just one type of doctor or nurse.
There are dozens of different jobs in healthcare ranging from doctors in private practice, doctors working for the government in hospitals or clinics, medical imaging technicians, surgeons, and anesthesiologists to people working around the house doing things like laundering and cooking, who may never have a day’s contact with a patient.
Even if you don’t have any experience in the health care industry now, this doesn’t mean you can’t find work in it later on. You can go back to university to gain qualifications, then start your career all over again.
Healthcare Education
Healthcare institutions like hospitals, private practices, and other clinics tend to employ a wide variety of staff to work alongside the professionals. Nurses and nutritionists, therapists and radiologists, administrators and receptionists – not all of these roles are learned at university.
Some nurses are trained through vocational programs or apprenticeships, while nutritionists have to be registered with the appropriate council.
Therapists might need a basic qualification in anatomy and physiology or take a short course in massage, etc. This means that you don’t necessarily need an honors degree before you can start your career in healthcare – plenty of health professionals learn their trade on the job after college.
There are also so many ways to learn; for example, Wilkes University nursing programs are all available online, which makes learning to become a nurse a lot easier for people who need flexible study options.
Also Read: Funding an Advanced Nursing Degree: Everything You Need to Know
Finding Your Job In Healthcare
With so many different jobs available, it can be hard to know which one is right for you. To help you work out which medical career is best for you, here are four questions to help you decide:
1. Do I want to work in a clinical setting?
As amazing as it might seem, not every healthcare job involves working directly with patients.
Many roles within the health service are purely administrative and clinical support roles. These range from lab technicians who test blood samples to hospital orderlies that transport patients and equipment around a hospital.
The good news is that these can be great entry-level positions that lead to working alongside patients while still offering great benefits and long-term prospects.
For instance, if you don’t want to work directly with patients, you can become a medical receptionist. A receptionist’s role is mainly to deal with any inquiries that patients, or their families have in the clinic while they are waiting for an appointment.
You can sit behind the desk and be on hand to greet doctors and nurses as they come out between appointments. When it comes time for your shift to end, you won’t have had any direct contact with patients, which means it doesn’t matter if you don’t have any experience or qualifications yet.
2. Do I want to work with people?
Working in healthcare is a good option if you love being around people. You can do this by working as a receptionist, a medical assistant, or even a business development manager for an insurance claims firm.
These are all jobs that deal with customers and clients on a regular basis and give you the opportunity to build strong working relationships with those in need of your services.
3. Do I want to work in an office?
Many nursing assistants and other jobs involve working directly with patients but also require paperwork at some point during the day. For example, a nursing assistant is the main person responsible for giving patients their medicines.
In order to do this, they often have to record each dose given and the time at which they administered it. It’s important to work alongside people while remaining organized – this can be an important part of the job.
Sometimes nursing assistants find that they spend more time recording than they do caring for patients. This can be irritating and stressful, but it’s also another good reason why you need to make sure you care about people and like working with them before taking a job as a nurse or healthcare assistant.
If you don’t like working with people, it’s likely you won’t like this aspect of the job.
4. Am I a perfectionist?
The last question you should ask yourself before choosing a medical career is how much do you like excellence? Think about this before taking a job as a healthcare professional because it’s likely that perfectionism will be one of the key skills you need to succeed in your role.
When you work in healthcare, you need to think of your patients first, always. Anything less than perfection can have serious consequences and will make it harder for them to get better.
If you’re not willing to devote every ounce of energy and attention to delivering the best care possible, then working as a doctor or nurse isn’t going to be right for you.
Deciding On Your Path By Looking At Your Skills
This might not be the right path for everyone. If you hate the idea of working with patients and are happy to take a job in an office, then perhaps you should consider something completely different.
However, if you’re willing to put some time and effort into developing your skills, then there’s a good chance that your healthcare career will be as rewarding as it is fulfilling.
Just remember that a medical career takes a lot of work. Before setting off on your journey, you need to know exactly what you’re getting into. You need to be prepared for the long hours, and job security can often be challenging as well.
Don’t be put off by this, though. There are plenty of great benefits and rewards to getting a job in healthcare. You just need to make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons!
Once you’ve worked out the answer to each of the questions above, then it’s time to look at your skills. Do you have any previous experience in training or volunteering? What about hobbies and interests?
If so, these are all great places to start if you want to get a job in healthcare or find out how to become a nurse.
Also Read : 6 Ways to Respond to Healthcare in Crisis
The Best Career For Your Personality Type
When it comes to finding the perfect job, you can’t afford to ignore your personality. Thankfully, there are some great resources out there that will give you a clear idea of what kind of careers are suited to your particular personality type.
Different personality types are suited to different roles, depending on their strengths and weaknesses. Researchers have broken down the different personality types into 16 different categories, each with its own unique traits.
If you take a look at these personality types, you’ll see that they’re all suited to a range of different careers. As already mentioned, some work better in an office than others, and some people are perfect for roles that involve working with patients directly.
There’s no point spending your career in the wrong job just because it’s suited to your personality type. It’s easy to become frustrated and disillusioned with certain jobs if they don’t suit you.
Do What Motivates You
The best career for your personality type is the one that’s most motivating. There’s no point choosing a career that you hate just to get a job because someone told you to do it.
If you want to get a job in healthcare, then you need to choose a career that will make you happy and which will motivate you. You’re going to work incredibly hard, and it’s important that this isn’t at the expense of your mental health.
Do yourself a favor and choose the career which has made an impact on your life, not what others around you are choosing for themselves. That way, when you do finally find something that fits with your personality type and your values, it’ll be easier for everyone involved.
Become A Nurse Or Doctor? What’s Your Career Goal?
Many people are interested in learning how to become a doctor or nurse. A medical career can be an extremely rewarding one and will give you the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of others.
The key is to get a job that suits your personality and values. If you’re willing to put in the hard work, then you’ll find it easier to find success in your chosen career path.
Would you like to get a job in healthcare? Then why not take a look at some of the careers that are available. You can choose from healthcare careers such as nursing, pharmacy or physiotherapy, and many others.
Before you do, though, do your research first. Which career would best suit your personality? What about those special traits you have which might make it easier for you to succeed?
You need to think about these things before taking the plunge into this career path.
Get Some Experience
The best job advice you’ll get is based on your personality. If you want to succeed as a healthcare professional, it’s important to put in the work and to focus on getting some experience early on.
The more you get out of your career from the start, the better prepared you’ll be for all that life will throw at you.
However, there’s no need to become a doctor or nurse just because it’s what everyone else is doing. Instead, take a look at how your personality type fits with these roles and then choose the career which suits you best.
Ultimately, this will make the biggest difference if you want to get a job in healthcare.
Next Steps
If you decide to become a nurse or other healthcare professional, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the laws in your state and territory by doing some research on the relevant state and territory health services boards.
Lastly, it doesn’t matter what level of experience you have in the field – if you want to become a nurse, you should look at increasing your skills through volunteering and/or training.
It’s also important to make sure that you’re always learning, as there’s always something new and exciting to learn about.
To get further help in understanding the legal requirements of a nurse, get in touch with your state or territory health services board. Alternatively, talk to a healthcare professional such as an occupational therapist.
The Last Note: The Need For Teamwork
Whatever job you decide to take in healthcare, you need to be a good team player. Healthcare is incredibly teamwork-heavy and makes it even more important for you to have good people skills.
Being a healthcare provider also means that you need to be able to communicate effectively with patients or clients, as well as your colleagues. You’ll be responsible for the overall well-being of your patients and clients, which is why communication skills are so important.
If you want to get a job in healthcare, then it’s crucial that you’re able to make strong relationships with others. This will help you get through all the hard work that comes with any career in this field.
Remember that there’s always something new to learn about, and it’s important that you remain current with all the latest developments and insights into healthcare.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to get a job in healthcare, then why not talk to your family and friends and find out what they think about your choice.
It’s also a good idea to have a clear idea of what kind of career you want and then to start making plans around it. If you’re happy and motivated, then chances are that others will be too!
Ultimately, the key is to focus on your strengths rather than your weaknesses. All people have weaknesses – there’s no such thing as a perfect person. Focus on what makes you unique, not on those things that make you different from other people or which hold you back.
