6 Great Career Options if You’re Looking for a Job in Healthcare
Good health, in any capacity, is dependent on the dedicated people who work tirelessly in healthcare. A career in health can be a very appealing job decision for those who want to work within in-demand services and help people on a daily basis.
If you're uncertain which healthcare roles might appeal to you, here are six of the most popular positions within healthcare.
- Dentist
Dentists work to identify and treat a variety of problems or health concerns focused on the mouth, gums, and teeth. Your duties as a dentist, alongside general oral care for patients, may include teeth extraction, cavity filling, and denture fitting. Dentists can also work to treat serious oral diseases.
You may also want to specialize in a certain area, such as focusing on teeth straightening, which falls under Orthodontics, or perhaps a focus on oral hygiene, specifically while working as a dental hygienist.
You also have the option of becoming a dental assistant if you would like to work to support a dentist and their procedures.
- Physician
Physicians are usually the first port of call for any medical concern or emergency. This could be anything from everyday illnesses like coughs and colds to more serious health concerns or injuries.
The role of a physician will vary greatly, depending on the area of work that interests you. Physicians can work in emergency rooms or clinics, they can focus on the brain or heart health, or they can specialize to work with a certain patient demographic.
Any physician role will see you diagnosing and treating a range of different ailments for a wide variety of patients.
- Physical Therapist
Physical therapists will work with a focus on physical injuries or issues, whether it's general injury recovery from fractures or broken bones or sports injuries suffered by athletes. Physical therapists may also work with patients who need support with motor skills if they have suffered with a medical condition such as a stroke or neurological problem.
Physical therapists will usually work directly with patients to develop a rehabilitation program to see them on the road to recovery and support them all the way through. Treatment should include a focus on reducing pain and building strength, and physical therapists can be expected to arrange programs that include exercises and stretches.
In this role, you would usually be expected to work with a variety of other healthcare professionals, too, in order to get the best well-rounded healthcare for your patient.
- Nurse Practitioner
Registered nurses can become nurse practitioners with extra training, and this additional education means that nurse practitioners can perform physical exams, order lab tests, prescribe medications, and authorize certain treatments. This will be alongside a nurse's role of caring for, and educating, patients and their families on good health.
Nurse practitioners can work to specialize in certain areas and categories of medicine, or they can focus on a specific category of patients. Nurses may also want to further their training by achieving additional credentials like a Masters of Science in Nursing. The role of a nurse is vital in supporting physicians and other healthcare professionals in their work, too.
- Nutritionist
If you love the idea of focusing on food-related health and assisting others with their nutritional needs, then this role is ideal. It will see you becoming an expert in food and nutrition in order to best advise patients or clients on how to eat healthily.
This could be in line with personal goals, if you have clients who employ you to help them with their weight loss goals, for example, or it could be on a more serious healthcare level whereby a patient needs nutritional support in managing a health condition, and what they can and can't eat.
Nutritionists can work independently with their own clients, or they may be employed by hospitals or clinics in order to provide necessary nutritional advice to patients.
- Psychiatrist
Perhaps your healthcare interest is more aligned with mental health. If so, the role of a psychiatrist is a crucial one, which may appeal to you. Psychiatrists diagnose and treat mental health or mind disorders in patients. To do so, psychiatrists will train in medical school to understand the mind, as well as train to identify a whole range of mental health conditions.
This role will also see you working with patients to develop a treatment plan which can support their mental health recovery. The type of patient psychiatrists can work with include those suffering from depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia.
Your role may also see you prescribing certain medication to patients who may need it in line with any disorders.
Do any of these healthcare career options appeal to you? Plan your career goals and choose the right role for your future.