While many industries are losing jobs, the health care field continues to grow. As baby boomers age and Americans just are generally living longer than ever before, the demand for health care is high. Those wanting to join the health care field have many choices available to them, from administrative jobs to patient care jobs. There are entry level jobs available as well as medical jobs for those who have or are willing to get advanced schooling and training.
Physician assistants are becoming more common in doctors offices and this job field continues to grow very fast. This person performs many of the same tasks that the physician does, but they work under the doctors supervision. You can become a physician assistant in approximately two to three years. The duties that assistants can do varies from state to state. Some are able to write prescriptions without a doctors signature while others cannot.
Medical secretaries are also in great demand. They perform administrative duties in health care facilities such as hospitals, clinics, doctors offices and nursing homes. Although formal training above a high school diploma is not always required, employers will look favorable upon medical secretary training or at the very least a strong administrative background.
For hospitalist jobs like medical assistants, they do some clerical jobs as the secretary does, but they also are trained to handle some basic medical procedures. The medical assistant generally will take a patients temperature, blood pressure and medical history. They may also draw blood and collect other lab specimens. You can complete training to be a medical assistant within a ten to eighteen month time frame.
Of course, physicians, surgeons and registered nurses are in great demand as are licensed practical nurses and licensed vocational nurses. Some RNs, LPNs and VPNs work in health care facilities while others provide home health care. It can take anywhere from eleven to sixteen years to fully complete schooling as a physician or surgeon. You can become a registered nurse in four years and a licensed practical or vocational nurse in one to two years.
There is also a lot of work available for pharmacists. Because a pharmacist is a doctor of pharmacy, extensive schooling is required. You will spend around 8 years in college to become a pharmacist. They are assisted by pharmacy technicians and pharmacy assistants. The technician works closely and under the guidance of the pharmacist. It is possible that you could land a job as a pharmacy technician without any formal training, but you will have a much better chance if you become certified. The assistant, on the other hand, handles public contact and other administrative type duties so this is usually an entry level job. Because the pharmacy assistant is usually the person who has first contact with the public, strong customer service skills are helpful.
There are also jobs associated with the health care field that you can train to do and work from your home. Medical billing and medical transcription are two such jobs. Medical billing clerks bill insurance companies for services received by the patient. A billing clerk works in hospitals, doctors offices, clinics and some are independent contractors who work from their home. Most billers who work from home successfully have had some training and or experience working in an office setting. Medical transcriptionists transcribe doctors notes and must be proficient in medical terminology as well as have good transcription skills. Training can usually be completed in less than eighteen months. Like a medical biller, some work in traditional settings while other transcriptionists work from home.
There are many choices for the person just beginning their career or for those who want to try something new. With lots of medical jobs to pick from, it is really up to you to decide which career path fits your interest and qualifications that you have or are willing to attain.
This dedicated healthcare staffing centre offers the most practical and diverse medical jobs across the country. We have a wide variety of physician jobs available, as well as employment opportunities for hospitalist jobs and RN jobs.
