HOW TO CHOOSE A HEALTHCARE CAREER THAT PERFECTLY FITS YOU IN ALL WAYS Tops 8 Tips
There are more than 200 healthcare career occupations in the industry today and your responsibility as a job seeker is to identify which of these will fit you best. Your ability to know the career that’s in line with your competencies desired work environment, and ideal income is vital because your satisfaction and interest in excelling on the job depend on these like in all decisions we make, having the right information is necessary below are some best steps you can follow to start.
1. ASK YOURSELF THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
What do you really want to do? Where do you want to work? What skills do you have? Do you want to be hands-on, dealing directly with the patients? Or do you want to be in the support staff that helps doctors and nurses deal with them? How much would you like to earn as a starting salary? How much will you need to earn five years from now to accomplish your financial objectives? What kind of task will interest you to do it long enough for eight hours or more a day for the next 10 years of your life? Asking these questions will give you an idea of what type of job will best fit your skills, goals, and interests.
Every duty and specialization in the healthcare industry demands a different set of skills and personality traits. Your goal is to find the right position that’s consistent with your interests, goals, and personal preferences. Some healthcare jobs may seem more interesting for you but could be totally far off from your current training or even target income. As soon as you’re able to have a more detailed introspective look at yourself, it’s time for you to match your profile to the jobs available. Learning about the industry as a whole will show you what jobs are present and in demand these days.
2.What is your motivation?
A healthcare career is extremely demanding, from the extensive training to the huge responsibility on the job, so you need to examine your motivation thoroughly. If you’re seeking constant adventurous excitement and romantic entanglements as seen in “Grey’s Anatomy”, you should probably reconsider your career plans. Since you will be assisting people in improving their health, helping others ought to be part of your motivation. That said, there are other factors that can play into your career choice as well. Maybe you’re excellent at biology and chemistry and wish to work in a pharmaceutical lab to develop/improve treatment methods. If you’re looking for a position with a lot of advancement opportunities, the medical field offers a wide array of options for you.
3.How to Find the Right Career Path
Now that you have a broad overview of the career options in healthcare, it’s time to narrow down your choices. Answer these questions to help point you toward the right career path.
- How long do you want to attend school?
- What kind of salary suits your lifestyle?
- What is the career outlook for your desired position?
These questions can help you find the career option to best meet your needs. This guide uses data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to explain education requirements, salary information and job outlook projections for different healthcare careers.
You might also want to keep in mind where you intend to live in the future. Some cities may have an increased need for certain positions. It can be helpful to know if particular positions are in-demand where you plan to live
4.Where do you want to work?
Healthcare professionals work in very diverse environments. Again, this question also addresses your motivation: If you want to help people, you might want to work in a hospital or in a practice. If you’re good with children, you could be employed by a pediatric clinic, or if you wish to assist senior citizens, you could look for a job in an assisted living community. If you prefer not to interact with people, you might chose to work in a lab or in an administrative office. It’s also important to examine what you don’t want in your medical job: If you’re very emotional, you might not want to work in a hospice. Similarly, if you’re sensitive, avoid working in the ER. In addition, there are also some more unconventional work environments for medical professionals, such as military bases, schools, or cruises.
5.What kind of role do you want to assume?
Determining what sort of workplace you want to join is closely related to the type of role you’d like to assume. There are several kinds of medical careers: medical jobs (doctor’s, practitioners, surgeons, etc.), nursing jobs (nursing profession and levels), allied health jobs (lab works, technicians, and technologists), non-clinical medical work (health service and caregivers), and administrative medical jobs (office and records work). If you’re good with people and like teamwork, you could work as a physician or a medical assistant. If you’re energetic and stress-resistant, you would be a great addition to the ER or at a military base. If you’re a very meticulous and well-organized person, you would be an ideal candidate as a pharmacy technician or a medical billing and coding specialist.
6.SEEK ADVICE FROM PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS AND INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS
After you’ve asked yourself the right questions to know what job will fit you and have gained a general understanding of the healthcare sector, it’s time to seek qualified advice from experts and industry insiders. If you’re a student, inquire at your Career Services Office or any department that deals with student affairs.
They would be the best source to help you with your search as they have in-depth profiles of jobs available and even connections with companies that have them. Giving you the information and assistance you need to find the best job based on your profile and education is the reason why they’re there.
If you have your own contacts, reach out to them, particularly those who hold jobs that you aspire to, someday, have. Ask them questions about their day-to-day duties, satisfaction level on their work, challenges in their workplace, and skillsets that they have used or acquired to be effective in what they do. Get information on growth opportunities in their field and specific advice on how to get and keep a job like theirs. If possible and when appropriate, politely ask if they have any failures or regrets and how you can avoid them as well as their current income and how they’re able to sustain themselves with their salary. This is all priceless information that no book, course, or school can give you. Seize them!
7.Do you have the necessary skills and strengths?
As you can already tell, different medical professions require different skills and strengths. However, they usually share some essential requirements. For almost all positions in the medical field, you need to be able to work under pressure and shoulder a lot of responsibility. You must realize that a person’s health and sometimes their life depend on the quality of your work. Furthermore, most roles demand excellent interpersonal and communication skills, as you usually work with people of all age groups and cultural/ethnic/religious backgrounds. Moreover, the majority of medical professions also expect some level of technical or mathematic ability. In many medical jobs, you will often have to work long and odd hours, which requires a lot of flexibility and resilience.
8. What education/training do you need?
Within each medical specialty, jobs are available for any level of education, from high school diploma to graduate school degree. Moreover, the healthcare field is an ideal option for you if you’re looking for a job with plenty of advancement opportunities, as it changes constantly due to innovative technology, improved procedures, emerging treatments, and even new diseases. Nowadays, there are actually more than 200 health care career options, so you should invest some time into researching them and what kind of training they require. Some professions demand a training certification, some a college diploma, and others a medical school degree. Depending on the profession you pursue and the school you attend, your minimum training can range from 6 months to up to 15 years. This means you have to consider how much time and money you want to invest in your medical career.
Answering these questions should help you choose the right path for your medical career. If you have decided what profession you wish to pursue and learned how much time and money the respective training will require, make sure you (and your family) are prepared for the personal and financial investment. Training programs can be very energy, time, and cost-intensive, so plan ahead thoroughly. Look for funding options (some schools offer financial aid or some businesses compensate their trainees), and compare the schedules from different programs (there are programs tailored for people who work full or part-time). Furthermore, check what type of medical profession is in demand in your area or, if you’re willing to move, what state or city is most advantageous for your desired position. Even though a career in the medical field can be challenging, it is without a doubt very rewarding – in every aspect.
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