If you are a compassionate person who likes to help others, then you may have thought about a career in health care. Whether working in a private practice or public hospital, health care is a great sector for those who like to come to the aid of those in need. For many though, the obvious roles such as doctor or certified nurse may not be suitable or appealing.
Rather than giving up on a medical career though, you may be interested to know that there are many other roles beyond the most obvious that we all know. Health care is actually very wide-ranging, which means that there are a huge number of other roles to think about moving into. If you need a few ideas to get you thinking, then the below should help.
Pharmacy technician
One out-of-the-ordinary health care career you may not have thought about before is pharmacy technician. This is actually a very rewarding role and a perfect example of the sheer variety on offer when you go beyond doctor or nurse. In simple terms, a pharmacy technician helps a licensed pharmacist prepare medicine for patients. This would usually involve processing prescription requests that come in via email, in writing or over the phone.
As befits such a responsible job, you need specialized training to work in this area. Pharmacy technician training is fairly easy to access though as Bryant and Stratton’s training program for this role shows. On pharmacy technician training courses, you cover key subjects such as calculating drug dosage and inventory control.
Phlebotomist
If you want an alternative health care career that is always in demand and you don’t mind blood, then training as a phlebotomist is a great idea. Phlebotomists carry out blood tests on patients and deliver the samples collected to labs for testing. This is a role that all health care providers need, so you would be able to work in hospitals, clinics and private practices. This role is also good for meeting new people on a daily basis and is perfect for those with good people skills. As with pharmacy technicians, phlebotomists need to gain the correct qualifications before being eligible to start work.
EKG technician
This is one job that you may not have heard of before, but it is becoming more in demand as time progresses. EKG technicians are trained in carrying out electrocardiograms, Holter monitor work and stress testing. As the need for these specialist workers grows, it means that the opportunities across health care when qualified are massive. Most courses that you take to train for this career will involve class-based work along with practical experience. All EKG technicians will also have to pass the CET exam. This is a great career for anyone with a calm, focused approach to work, and it also pays pretty well!
Medical coder
When it comes to working in a range of different careers in health care, back office roles offer as much as frontline ones for many. Medical coders are a great example of this and play a vital role in how hospitals or clinics function. When working in this field, you are responsible for entering the correct codes on a patient’s records to tell the story of each visit along with keeping medical records organized. This is a great role for someone with an analytical mind, a high attention to detail, and the ability to work in an organized way. Depending on where you work, the salary for this role can range from $35,000 to $50,000 on average.
Occupational therapist
In their most basic form, occupational therapists help people to adapt to their living environment so that they can continue to enjoy a full life there. This is a diverse role that will see you working out in the field with a whole load of patients. As such, it needs a lot of patience and compassion to pull off, but it is very rewarding. If you want to become an OT (Occupational Therapist) you will also need a creative side so that you can find ways to help your patients solve problems and live comfortably in their homes. If a person has lost mobility in one arm, for example, an OT may find ways to help them still cook and drive.
Blue-sky thinking
As the above shows, there are lots of medical careers you could follow that are different and maybe more appealing as a result. While many will need some training, the rise of online or part-time study now makes this easier than ever. Many will also not have the intense years of training that doctors undergo, for example. If you want to make a difference and help people, then the above are worth thinking about.