Here’s an interesting fact – global spending on healthcare is expected to reach around $10 trillion by 2022! In fact, the healthcare industry accounts for almost 10% of the total GDP of developed countries.
These statistics indicate to one thing – there is no dearth of career and job opportunities in the healthcare industry. If you’re interested in breaking into the healthcare sector and unsure about the route you want to take, this article is for you.
It’s a common misconception that you have to go to med school or earn a doctorate degree to get into the healthcare industry. While surgeons and doctors continue to earn the highest salaries in this sector, there are many professions that don’t require as much specialization. You can find plenty of jobs in the healthcare industry that’ll pay you salaries as high as $160,000 a year.
To make your job easier, we’ll be listing down the 10 most promising jobs in the healthcare industry, with tips on kickstarting your career in each field. But before we get to that, let’s take a look at why you should choose a career in the healthcare industry.
Why should you choose a career in healthcare?
Whether you choose to be a physical therapist or a paramedic, one thing is for sure – you’ll get an opportunity to make a direct difference in the lives of people. Everyone working in the healthcare industry is in a place to provide their patients with much-needed care.
Risks are a part of every job, and so is the case with the healthcare sector. If you’re thinking of going into the home health care industry, insurance for home health care can protect you from any eventualities. Find out more here. Although these jobs come with some amount of risks, at the end of the day, they can prove to be an extremely rewarding careers. Leaving a positive impact on their lives will also lead to greater job satisfaction.
Besides being involved in an impactful and satisfying job, you’ll also be able to benefit from a decent salary. Most healthcare jobs provide competitive salaries. If you have a greater amount of experience and skill, you’ll certainly be able to make more in these jobs.
On that note, let’s look into some of the best-paying and impactful jobs in the healthcare industry.
Top 10 Promising Jobs in the Healthcare Industry
1. Physician’s Assistant
With a greater demand for doctors these days, job opportunities for Physician Assistants are also increasing. The role of a Physician’s Assistant (PA) is to provide timely care to patients. They are usually trained to provide preventative healthcare and also diagnostic advice. Some can even look at the results of clinical testing.
Requirements: To get a job as a PA, you’ll have to obtain basic education and license, which can typically be completed within 2 years. If you have some basic medical training, a career as a PA is a viable option.
2. Physical Therapist
If you take want to take up the job of a physical therapist, you’ll be helping people recover from long-term injuries that result from any disabilities or accidents. Physical Therapists aid people with physical mobility and also in finding relief from pain. Given the nature of this profession, many Physical Therapists also function as teachers, social workers, and in related roles.
Requirements: To start a career as a Physical Therapist, you’ll first have to obtain a graduate degree. Many PTs also go for a doctorate degree, although that is not a necessary requirement.
3. Pharmacist
A pharmacist’s job is to distribute the prescribed drugs to patients. Although the profession sounds quite simple, it can be quite an attractive career track. Many pharmacists also contribute to scientific research and routine hospital care, among other things.
Requirements: To start your career as a pharmacist, you’ll need to get enrolled in a Pharmacy degree program, which will prepare you for the necessary licensing.
4. Healthcare Information Technology Manager
This is a relatively lesser-known profession in the healthcare field. The job of a Healthcare Information Technology (IT) Manager is to look after the billing, records, and big data collection. Sometimes, they are also required to analyze data and create models of healthcare populations and diseases.
Requirements: If you’re interested in breaking out as a Healthcare IT Manager, there are many undergraduate and graduate degrees in this specialization. If you already have some IT experience, you’ll only need to obtain a Healthcare Administration degree.
5. Radiologic Technician
In this job, you’ll have to operate complicated machinery for radiation imaging and scanning of the human body. Radiologic Technicians play a crucial role in diagnosing various issues, from simple respiratory diseases to cancer.
Requirements: To qualify for this job, you’ll have to be trained in specialized certificate programs. Many radiologic technicians also have some form of previous medical training.
6. Occupational Therapist
The job of an occupational therapist is to help people learn/recover basic everyday skills, which were lost because of an injury or disability. Working as an occupational therapist, you’ll find that your work will often blend with education, mental health, and social work.
Requirements: To start a career as an Occupational Therapist, you’ll first have to complete a Master’s degree.
7. Paramedic
Paramedics are people who are at the frontlines of every healthcare emergency. They are usually the first to arrive at the scene of disasters and emergencies. Paramedics are trained to provide urgent care to people from the site of the emergency to the hospital.
Requirements: To qualify as a paramedic, you would only require some basic training and state certification.
8. Laboratory Technician or Medical Technologist
All the testing and diagnostics on patients are carried out by lab techs and medical techs on the recommendation of doctors. They are skilled to operate machinery for these medical tests.
Requirements: Individuals from a variety of fields can qualify for the job of a medical technician. There are also some dedicated Med Tech degree programs for anyone interested in gaining specialized skills.
9. Healthcare Administrator
Besides Healthcare IT administrators, many hospitals also require experts possessing a wider skillset for managing patient care. As a healthcare administrator, you can be required to do work related to human resources, marketing, accounting, etc.
Requirements: There are many undergraduate and graduate degrees that can be completed to qualify for the work of a healthcare administrator.
10. Clinical Research
In a Clinical Research career, you will be required to look for new treatments for various medical conditions and diseases. Although this job is quite complicated, it can also be intensely rewarding and important.
Requirements: This is one of the jobs that require a greater degree of specialization. You can receive training in clinical research through many graduate and undergraduate programs.
Conclusion
It’s amply evident that there is a wide array of job opportunities in the health care sector. We hope that this article has provided you with some good insights into the promising career and job options in this industry. Equipped with this information, you can now explore which degrees and certifications you can complete landing a great job in this sector.