March is a huge month for health awareness! Since disease prevention has never seen so much publicity, more and more people are putting their health on their top-priority list. This means that a career in the medical industry will never go out of style! There will always be a need for qualified health professionals, so opting for a job in the health field is a smart way to recession-proof your career.
Take a look at some well-known (and not-so-well-known) health observances in March:
- National Kidney Month
- National Nutrition Month
- Save Your Vision Month
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Week
- Brain Awareness Week
- Latino Health Month
- National Diabetes Alert Day
This century is experiencing a huge increase in population, in addition to an even larger rise in life expectancy. We have witnessed the elimination of many infectious diseases, improvements in food safety, better prenatal care, and improved vaccinations. Who is responsible for all these achievements? Health care professionals!
Unfortunately, we have not seen the end to all diseases. With an aging population, we are experiencing a host of new and different problems. Heart disease and cancer are responsible for the deaths of thousands of people each year. Each century sadly brings an influx of new diseases that require an increasing number of doctors, nurses, medical assistants, pharmacy technicians, and physical therapists.
Medical television dramas like “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Scrubs”, and “E.R.” have done a good job of shining the spotlight on the medical field. The field of medicine has never seen so much publicity! While these programs show physicians and surgeons performing miraculous life-saving tasks, they don’t portray the other hard-working medical personnel that work on the operating tables and emergency rooms. Although these shows inspire many people to enter the medical field, they are often discouraged by the years of schooling that it takes to become a doctor.
The good news is that you don’t have to endure ten or more years of school to enter the medical profession! While it is true that education is a pre-requisite for starting a health career, there are lots of options out there for people who want to get started on a rewarding career as soon as possible. Did you know that you can get certain medical certifications in as little as 18 months? Remember, when there’s a will, there’s a way!
Being healthy means having a better quality of life. You can be an important part of disease-prevention and help make people’s lives better! Why not start looking at college programs in the medical field today?
Career of the Month
Spotlight on Health Careers
No matter what the economy is like, people will always need quality health care. That’s why health care is one of today’s fastest growing industries! According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, seven of the top twenty fastest growing careers are related to health. In fact, over the next eight years, jobs in health care are expected to grow twice as fast as those in all other areas of the economy.
Check out some of the top five career choices in the field of medicine:
1. Health care aid
Anticipated job growth: 53%
Salary range: $17,895 to $23,481
There is a huge demand for qualified health care aids these days. Home care aids are individuals who provide in-home care for people who are disabled. They can help by performing a variety of tasks that include laundry, cleaning, and cooking. Additionally, some health care aids may advice patients and their family about nutrition and other general-health issues.
2. Medical assistants
Anticipated job growth: 36%
Salary range: $24,317 and $36,987
Medical assistants help with a variety of tasks in hospitals and clinics. They may be responsible for doing a wide range of tasks that include updating medical records to taking patients’ vital signs.
3. Physical therapists
Anticipated job growth: 33%
Salary range: $44,762 to $61,139
If you have ever been injured, you might have seen a physical therapist. These people help patients recover from injuries and work to prevent new ones. A physical therapist should get a college degree before they get started on their career, but they can begin earning up to $60,000 a year right after certification!
4. Pharmacy technicians
Anticipated job growth: 32%
Salary range: $30,085 to $40,285
Pharmacy technicians have a very important job! Since they help to dispense medicine to people, they need to be sure that the proper medications reach the right patient. They also help the pharmacist organize patient records, stock inventory, and organize insurance forms.
5. Dental hygienists
Anticipated job growth: 31%
Salary range: $60,654 and $93,475
Dental hygienist clean teeth, look for signs of oral disease, and provide preventative dental health care. Since they frequently work with delicate medical equipment like X-ray machines and syringes, dental hygienists need to complete a certification before they begin work.
