7 Lucrative Healthcare Careers and How to Land Your First Job

The healthcare sector is vast and offers some of the most rewarding careers. Quality healthcare is a basic need since patients deserve compassionate care, and healthcare organizations always look for qualified professionals to fill open positions.

Healthcare needs are rising, creating a higher demand for health-related services. Statistics show that the healthcare sector will have about 16.8 million job openings by 2030. This is the right moment to pursue one of the following lucrative healthcare careers.

1. Pharmacist

Pharmacists are responsible for dispensing different prescriptions to patients. The career path has various subcategories, including general practitioners, hospital pharmacists, and hospice pharmacists. Besides administering and tracking medications, pharmacists collaborate with healthcare professionals on an ongoing basis to offer expert advice to patients.

These healthcare experts ensure the medication instructions are accurate and determine if a prescription might interfere with other drugs, leading to adverse effects. In addition, pharmacists administer immunizations and provide essential medical records to ensure insurance companies compensate eligible patients. Pharmacist jobs are expected to increase as more baby boomers become senior citizens.

2. Optometrist

Optometrists focus on eye health and often diagnose and treat eye-related issues. Unlike opticians, optometrists can detect abnormalities and symptoms that might lead to eye problems. These specialists can identify bigger health problems like diabetes by examining your eyes. While the primary role may seem similar to that of an optician, optometrists have well-rounded medical training to conduct a complete diagnosis, and they are involved in preoperative and postoperative patient care.

Typically, optometrists are eye doctors responsible for carrying out eye tests for conditions like glaucoma, farsightedness, nearsightedness, and low vision. They can also perform corrective surgery to restore vision depending on the eye condition. This specialization is becoming more popular, given the baby boomers’ growing need for corrective procedures and treatments.

3. Dentist

This career option might be great if you are interested in oral health, teeth, gums, or other areas of the mouth. Dentists examine, diagnose, and treat different health conditions that may affect oral health. Typically, a dentist cleans, fills, and extracts defective teeth depending on the diagnosis. Also, they offer patient education on proper oral hygiene and care.

The role involves many skills, and additional training can help you specialize as an orthodontist. Basically, orthodontists deal with the movement of your jaw and teeth. They prescribe and install braces on patients that need teeth alignment.

Depending on your interests, you can assume vital roles in the academic sector, conduct research, or teach dental health students. However, they primarily work in hospitals and dental clinics.

4. Occupational Therapist

Unlike most therapists, occupational therapists treat patients in normal living settings. The patient can have severe injuries or a disability and often need professional assistance to recover and return to everyday life. These medical experts are vital in helping cerebral palsy patients perform tasks like using a wheelchair and leg braces or learning how to perform daily chores.

Most importantly, schools rely on occupational therapists to help modify classrooms and make them suitable for students with disabilities. They also develop critical interventions for infants to prevent developmental delays, but they can also help elderly patients improve their living environments. Institutions dealing with people suffering from mental issues and drug addiction often involve occupational therapists to help patients manage their mental challenges. The job prospects in this field are expected to grow more than in most professions.

5. Physical Therapist

A physical therapist helps patients with movement difficulties and manages any underlying issues causing the condition. They often deal with people needing rehabilitative care after severe injuries or chronic ailments.

Most patients are recuperating from physical injuries, fractures, amputations, arthritis, sprains, and strains. However, a physical therapist can treat mobility issues arising from neurological disorders like stroke and cerebral palsy.

These experts can interpret medical notes from physicians and surgeons to diagnose mobility problems. They establish physical therapy treatment regimens with specific outcomes that should be achieved depending on the patient’s condition. Besides prescribing exercises and equipment to manage the pain, physical therapists use hands-on therapy techniques to enhance mobility and prevent further injuries.

Some physical therapists can specialize in particular areas like orthopedic or geriatric care. Similarly, you can specialize in specific types of injuries.

6. Registered Nurse Practitioners

Nurse practitioners are basically Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) and often provide primary and specialized healthcare services. However, the exact job description can vary from one state to another.

APRNs record a patient’s medical history and symptoms but may also conduct necessary medical examinations or tests without a doctor. They can also develop treatment options after getting the test results. Nurses have adequate training on medical equipment used to diagnose and treat patients.

While nurses can monitor and evaluate a patient’s progress to determine the effectiveness of a treatment plan, they often consult with senior physicians when necessary.

7. Medical Records Specialist

A medical records specialist interprets the medical records in a health facility by studying doctors’ notes and assigning unique codes that denote any service or procedure a patient has received. The codes and information are used to correlate the reimbursements that doctors get, making accuracy a critical aspect of this profession.

Besides keeping records for financial reimbursement, a records specialist maintains the confidentiality of the patient’s medical information to ensure regulatory compliance. The medical records career is ever-evolving because regulatory policies are never static, especially with increasing privacy policies.

Getting Your First Job

While healthcare careers offer lucrative opportunities, you need solid qualifications to get your first job. In addition, you can increase your chances of getting hired by personalizing your resume and preparing for the interview.

Practice interviews can help you learn how to stay calm in a nerve-wracking interview process. Typically, you’ll go through difficult questions and how to phrase a winning response. Most importantly, a good mentor will help you plan your career, hone your soft skills, and suggest possible openings in organizations that are likely to hire professionals with entry-level skills.

Endnote

The healthcare sector has numerous lucrative careers, and you can take advantage of the promising job prospects. Once you choose a suitable career path, it’s time to get relevant qualifications and certifications. Depending on your lifestyle and commitments, you can find different education programs that can suit your needs.