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Ten-Step Guide to a Career in Healthcare

Step 1: Learn About Healthcare Careers

Healthcare: It’s the best

What other industry lets you tend to the sick, work out with the well, look after with newborn babies, or run a hospital? In healthcare, you can go high tech (be a biotech all-star), low tech (be a dental hygienist) or no tech. Go high touch (as a physical therapist) or high res (as a med tech). There is a plethora of directions to choose from.

Practitioner Careers

Practitioners are technical, hands-on careers that involve intense schooling and lots of patient contact. These individuals tend to make the most money, and have letters like M.D. and D.D.S after their names. A career as a healthcare practitioner is best for someone who like to be around people, isn’t scared off by 7-10 years of school, and cares intensely about the welfare of others. Roughly 5% of healthcare professionals work in the practitioner field. Practitioner careers include dentists, occupational therapists, surgeons, and internists.

Allied Health Careers

Allied health careers are the backbone of the health system. Allied health professionals assist healthcare practitioners in day-to-day business, as well as heading-up patient care. A career in allied health often involves less school, but it gives you a solid basis for job growth if you decide to return to school to further your career. 19% of healthcare careers are allied health professionals. Common allied health careers include medical assistant, EMT/paramedic, home health aide, and cardiovascular technologist.

Supportive Careers

Healthcare supportive careers are those aides and assistants who work alongside their more experienced counterparts. Supportive careers are an important part of the healthcare system. They often get to know patients on the most personal level because they have the ability to spend more time with them, particularly through rehabilitation processes. A career in supportive health can usually be achieved with an associates degree. Support careers include occupational therapist aide, dental assistant, pharmacy aide, and medical transcriptionist.

Managerial Careers

A healthcare managerial career is best for someone who does not want to work directly with patients, but still wants to work in the healthcare system. Many hospitals want their healthcare administrators to hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, but their are managerial positions that do not require as much schooling, such as administrative assistants. If you are organized and good at multi-tasking, a healthcare managerial career may be for you. 18% of healthcare careers are office and administrative support, and 4% are management, business, and financial positions. Common positions include healthcare administrator and medical and health services manager.