The health care field is booming. People are becoming
more educated about their health and new high-tech
options for diagnosis and treatment are becoming available
and affordable. Opportunities in health care abound
in almost every field, from insurance and billing
to the the emergency room.
Besides physicians and surgeons, there is a need
for nurses. Not only is there a shortage of nurses,
the field has become more highly specialized than
ever before. Besides the standard everyday patient
care, more and more nurses are flocking to specialties
like cardiac care, prenatal care, and even plastic
surgery.
Diagnostic technicians, emergency medical technicians,
nutritionists, radiologists, physicians, therapists,
medical assistants, and many other health care fields
will expand rapidly and need educated, licensed people
to fill the positions.
Educational Requirements
Because of the many subfields and specialties in
medical care, educational requirements vary greatly.
However, the minimum amount of time you should expect
to spend in a program is one year (for the least technical
and responsible positions).
Prospective nurses should expect to spend a minimum
of two years in school, with three making them more
desirable. Nurses sometimes choose to go on to bachelor's
and master's degree programs. Technicians often come
from the ranks of nurses, and require and addition
year to two years of education. Physicians often spend
over ten years fulfilling their licensure requirements,
and those who specialize will often have more.
Continuing education is important in all health care
fields, and most often it's required for continuing
license renewal. Be sure to research the requirements
for health care field you are most interested in by
contacting the state examination boards and professional
organizations, like the American Medical Association.
Salaries and benefit packages are expected
to grow in the health care field, and will vary widely
according to training and experience. There will also
be wage differences according to level of patient care
and responsibility.
To help you choose a career area in
health care-or to see more detailed data on a field
you are in now-search the Occupational Outlook Handbook
at the Bureau of Labor Statistics website (www.bls.gov).
Most employment analysts believe that
the demand for qualified people in the health care industry
will remain intense well into the next decade. Indeed,
in this day and age, many hospitals and medical centers
are painfully understaffed. These facilities constantly
are on the lookout for qualified employees.
With this in mind, if you are interested
in a career in the healthc care field, you really are
likely to find that on many levels you will be able
to write your own ticket, dictate the terms of your
hiring to a very significant degree if you are qualified
and make a professional presentation.
