What Are the Most Popular Medical Jobs?

 

As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on our physical and financial health, the healthcare industry has become the most popular and rapidly growing sector in the world. If you're looking for a fulfilling and rewarding career path, consider applying for a health care job in your area.

For those applicants seeking generous compensation and ample advancement opportunities, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the medical industry will experience 18 percent job growth within the next few years. Unlike other industries, the healthcare sector remains insulated from the effects of crashing job markets that may result from coronavirus and related quarantine procedures.

Despite popular misconceptions, a medical job doesn’t require ten years of medical training under your belt or an “M.D.” alongside your name. The healthcare sector offers several job opportunities that require different certifications, skill sets, and levels of experience. So, if you’re passionate about caring for others, here’s a list of the four most popular medical jobs you should consider during your job hunt. 

Registered nurse

 
A registered nurse (RN) is a healthcare professional who assists doctors with patient care. These healthcare professionals often work with physician offices, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities, recording crucial patient information and administering medication.

Suppose a certified RN prefers to avoid restrictive work schedules. In that case, they can opt to work as traveling CNA nurses and travel to cross-country or international locations to offer the needed medical services. With generous food stipends, travel reimbursement programs, and free private housing, you can explore exotic locations while pursuing a healthcare career.

To qualify as a registered nurse, you’ll need to complete a bachelor's degree or earn an associate’s degree. You also must have a state nursing license.

After meeting these prerequisites and securing employment, you’ll be responsible for monitoring patient health, completing the necessary documentation, providing emergency care, and overseeing patient administration. Despite the high-stress work environment and long hours, you’ll enjoy a generous salary or hourly compensation while climbing the ladder and building your expertise. 

Physician

By definition, physicians are medical practitioners required to attend to various patient needs. These professionals include gynecologists, neurologists, obstetricians, primary care providers, dermatologists, and ER doctors.

Physicians fall into two basic categories: Doctors of Osteopathy and Doctors of Medicine. Although you can separate these healthcare professionals into two brackets, both Doctors of Osteopathy and Doctors of Medicine generally perform the same job duties, which involve diagnosing and treating patients for a range of medical problems.

Pharmacist

If you’re willing to dedicate six years of your life to your education, a pharmacist position is another excellent medical job you can consider. While many of us interact with a pharmacy team on a monthly or even weekly basis, you may be unfamiliar with a pharmacist’s relevant job duties.  Briefly summarized, a pharmacist is a licensed professional who provides patients with critical medical information and medications.

These healthcare professionals fill medication prescriptions and direct patients on how to take them. Pharmacists also explain the potential side effects of the drugs prescribed and recommend a course of action if patients experience adverse effects. Additionally, pharmacists help patients by determining if a particular medication reacts negatively with current medications and health conditions. Not to mention, they can administer immunizations.

Most of these professionals work for pharmaceutical companies, universities, or local pharmacies. Most full-time pharmacists should plan to work 40+ workweeks. 

Dentist

Dentists play a significant role in ensuring patients' teeth are healthy and not causing discomfort. Primarily, dentists assess and treat a range of problems involving teeth, mouth, and gum health. Often, a dentist’s job duties also include filling cavities, fitting dentures, and whitening teeth.

As a dentist, you can choose to specialize in treating severe oral diseases, performing oral surgery, or straightening teeth. These healthcare professionals often recruit dental assistants and dental hygienists to help clean patients' teeth, maintain patient records, and sterilize instruments. If you aren’t willing to undergo six to eight years of dental training, you can research dental hygienist and dental assistant positions in your area. 

Nurse Practitioner

Nurse practitioners are healthcare professionals who provide advanced care services. Some consider nurse practitioners to be advanced RNs with additional responsibilities, including examining patients, providing treatment, diagnosing illnesses, prescribing medications, ordering patient tests, and analyzing results. Unlike registered nurses, the duties of a nurse practitioner resemble those of a doctor.

With training to perform health care services like examining and treating chronic conditions and acute illness, these healthcare professionals often qualify for $89,000 to $130,000 yearly salaries. Nurse practitioners can choose to specialize in pediatric health, geriatric health, and mental health. Those interested may want to specialize in patient populations, where they train to work in different areas such as pediatrics and women's health. 

Conclusion

 
With the job market susceptible to yet another crash, secure employment in an industry with unrivaled job security and incredible benefits packages. If you aren’t interested in applying for medical school and are currently looking for positions with minimal schooling requirements, be sure to research openings for nursing assistant positions, medical assistant positions, and pharmacy technician positions.

This is a guest blog entry.