Health

SIX GREAT CAREERS IF YOU’VE EARNED A HEALTHCARE DEGREE

Undoubtedly, earning a degree is a perfect way to enhance your marketability. You can show employers that you have gained sufficient knowledge and developed the necessary skills to qualify for the job you applied for.

Have you earned your degree in healthcare? Well, congratulations. Healthcare is the fastest-growing field that offers graduates a wide range of career opportunities.

There are two categories of people who choose to pursue a career in healthcare. The first category focuses on helping other people and bringing positive change in their lives by offering one-on-one services to their patients.

On the other hand, people from the second category focus on bringing changes in the field by introducing technology and improving the quality of healthcare for patients.

Regardless of which category you fall in, the good news is that there’s tremendous job growth in the healthcare industry, and will continue to stay that way in the upcoming years.

After earning a healthcare degree, deciding which career to take can be challenging. We’ve made things easier for you in this article. Read on to know more.

1. HEALTH SYSTEMS ENGINEER

Answer this. Do you have exceptional problem-solving skills and wish to enhance the overall operations of a healthcare system?

If your answer’s a yes, pursuing a career as a health systems engineer is a wise decision. You will apply analytics and engineering principles to different aspects of healthcare to ensure quality patient care. Your typical job duties can include:

  • Analyzing qualitative and quantitative data to draw conclusions
  • Assessing the effectiveness of organizational practices and processes
  • Designing and implementing plans that directly impact price and quality
  • Providing actionable recommendations to management

Those looking forward to stepping into this emerging career path must earn a master’s degree in health systems engineering to better remodel the current healthcare system.

Furthermore, you must possess strong communication, analytical, and interpersonal skills to excel in your career.

2. PHARMACIST

Although doctors and physicians are in charge of prescribing medications to patients for treating their illnesses, you will prepare and dispense medications as a pharmacist.

You can typically find employment in hospitals, healthcare facilities, general stores, pharmaceutical companies, etc. Your day-to-day job responsibilities can include:

  • Reviewing physicians’ perceptions and preparing medications accordingly
  • Overseeing labeling and packaging of pharmaceutical products to ensure they are in good condition and have not expired
  • Complying with laws and rules to prepare and dispense medications
  • Offering other medical services, such as checking blood sugar levels and temperature

A minimum of a four-year degree program (Pharm-D) is necessary to become a pharmacist. You also need a license to practice as a pharmacist. According to BLS, the median wage of pharmacists is $128,710 per year.

3. DENTAL HYGIENIST

Every individual wishes to have a pain-free, beautiful smile, so dental hygienists are always in demand. Dental hygienists are primarily responsible for cleaning patients’ teeth and counseling them on their oral health. You will work with patients of all ages, from children to adults. You need to have good eyesight and technological skills to perform best at your job. The daily job duties can include:

  • Using dental equipment to clean plaque and other stains from teeth and gums
  • Performing mouth screening and monitoring process for patients
  • Counseling patients on good oral health
  • Maintaining the dental history of each patient
  • Keep up-to-date with the latest developments in the field

You must earn an associate degree in dental hygiene and a license to qualify as a dental hygienist. The average salary of a dental hygienist is $77,090 per year as per BLS.

The job outlook of this profession will grow by 11%, which is faster than any other occupation.

4. NUTRITIONIST

Foods play a crucial role in an individual’s well-being. Put it this way; the better the nutrition, the higher the possibility of avoiding and recovering from diseases like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

As a nutritionist, you will use your knowledge to help your clients make better food choices that assist them in living healthy lives.

The work environment of nutritionists includes hospitals, outpatient centers, sports facilities, nursing homes, and even private practice. Typical job roles of a nutritionist involve:

  • Evaluating clients’ dietary habits by determining their exercise routine, sleep, and food habits
  • Proposing a personalized nutrition plan depending on the client’s need
  • Educating clients about the effects of nutrition on overall health
  • Conducting seminars or publishing articles to counsel other health providers and the common public about the importance of good nutrition

Individuals with a degree in nutrition or a related field can enter this field. According to BLS, the average salary of a nutritionist is $63,090 per year.

5. HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATOR

Like any other industry, the healthcare sector also needs administrators to oversee daily operations in the healthcare facility. If you have comprehensive knowledge of business but wish to pursue a career in healthcare, you can become a healthcare administrator.

As an administrator, you will supervise and manage all administrative aspects of a healthcare system. On any given day, your job duties can include:

  • Monitoring the finances and preparing the budget reports according to the findings
  • Overseeing staff work schedule
  • Keeping an eye on medical inventories and stocks within an organization
  • Ensuring patients’ medical records and insurance information are up-to-date
  • Ensuring the entire organization complies with medical laws and government policies

Individuals who wish to enter this field must possess a bachelor’s degree in business administration, healthcare administration, or any related field. In addition, excellent time management, communication, organizational, and leadership skills can prove helpful in this career path.

The median salary of health service managers is $104,280 per year, and the employment outlook would grow by 32% from 2020 to 2030.

6. REGISTERED NURSE

Are you looking for a career that pays high and is always in demand? Then, look no other than nursing. Nurses are frontline workers. Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for nurses has increased worldwide.

As a registered nurse (RN), your work environments may be hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient clinics, and other healthcare facilities. Some of the typical job duties of an RN are:

  • Monitoring patient(s) condition and performing diagnostic tests
  • Maintaining and updating patient’s records
  • Assisting surgeons in the surgery room
  • Working together with physicians and other healthcare providers to develop and implement a treatment plan
  • Participating in educational workshops and conferences to expand technical knowledge

Individuals seeking this career must earn a nursing degree and pass for a state license. Moreover, developing good communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills are necessary to succeed in this career.

The median wage of an RN is $75,330 per year. BLS also predicts the job outlook for RNs will grow by 9% from 2020 to 2030.

CONCLUSION

With the growth in population and advancements in technology, the healthcare industry continuously evolves. No more is healthcare a field restricted to doctors, physicians, and nurses.

Today, the healthcare sector introduces various new job roles to offer the best quality patient care and enhance efficiency in healthcare institutes.

So don’t be dishearted if serving patients in person doesn’t interest you; you can still enter this rewarding and lucrative industry.

The good news is that the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has already predicted that the job outlook of healthcare occupations will grow by 16% from 2020 to 2030, which means now is the best time to pursue a career in healthcare.

Hussnain Ali

www.whatsmagazine.com is emerging as a stellar platform covering the facts around the globe. Our first and foremost objective is to provide our readers with authentic and fruitful information happening in the world

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