Amazing Healthcare Careers: Apart From Doctors
When thinking about healthcare, the first career that comes to mind is a doctor.
However, not everyone wants to pursue that path. But not many people know about other healthcare career paths apart from being a physician.
This post is going to dive exactly into those career paths.
I am going to put a disclaimer here. I have included the average salaries below for each career. But depending on where you live, your educational training, and other factors, these salaries may be lower or higher than what I have found. The salaries I have included are merely average in the US.
Nurse
One of the first healthcare jobs that comes to mind is being a nurse. The duties and roles revolve around observing and monitoring patients. They are caregivers and help prepare patients for medical examinations. Not to mention they also administer treatments and give the appropriate medications.
Often, nurses are the ones that monitor patients for any reaction or effect the treatment may have on them. A typical duty of nurses is to draw blood and other fluid samples that may need to be sent to the lab to be examined further.
There are two types of nurses: registered nurses and nurse practitioners. Nurse practitioners are allowed to diagnose patients, prescribe medications/treatments, and order tests compared to registered nurses.
Nurses work in various settings such as smaller clinics, hospitals, nursing care facilities, and home healthcare services.
To become a registered nurse, depending on where you live, you can either get an associate’s degree in nursing or a bachelor’s degree in nursing to get a nursing license. An associate degree is around two years, whereas a bachelor’s degree is typically around four years.
The average salary of a registered nurse is around $75,000.
The average salary of a nurse practitioner is $110,000.
Physician Assistant
Another career that may interest you is a physician assistant (PA). A PA works with patients, mainly in primary care and any specialty. They diagnose and treat illnesses and may even perform minor procedures.
A physician assistant’s duties may sound very similar to that of a doctor. However, the main difference is that a PA works under a doctor’s supervision. In contrast, a doctor takes on full responsibility in a clinic or when in a patient care setting. It’s important to note that both work closely with one another.
To become a physician assistant, you need to get a Bachelor’s degree and then go for a Master’s for Physician Assistant. The master’s program is around 2 to 3 years long.
The average salary of a physician assistant is $115,000.
Physical Therapist
Physical therapists are experts in the field of movement. They take a more hands-on approach with their care and treatment and improve an individual’s motion-based needs with prescribed exercise. They diagnose and treat people of all ages.
To become a physical therapist, you must first get your Bachelor’s degree and then go for a doctor of physical therapy degree. That doctor’s degree is around three years long.
The average salary of a physical therapist is $91,000.
Occupational Therapist
An occupational therapist helps patients with cognitive, physical, and cognitive problems. They help treat patients through everyday activities with a therapeutic spin to them. Occupational therapists help patients develop and improve their skills for everyday living and daily tasks.
Occupational therapy may sound similar to physical therapy. However, the difference is that physical therapists focus more on motor skills in people. In contrast, occupational therapists focus more on an individual’s performance in performing everyday tasks and how they go about their daily lives.
If you want to go down the career path of becoming an occupational therapist, you first need to obtain a Bachelor’s degree. Then you have two options. You can do a Master’s in Occupational Therapy or a Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree. A doctorate takes three years to complete, and a master’s degree takes two years.
The average salary of an occupational therapist is $86,000.
Dental Hygienist
Another healthcare career choice is a dental hygienist. Their role includes various tasks such as reviewing dental/health history, screening patients for tooth and oral diseases, and performing dental cleanings. They also play a crucial role in taking dental x-rays and preventative care.
When comparing a dental hygienist and a dentist, a dental hygienist works under the general supervision of a dentist and mainly works in preventative care and treatment alongside the dentist. A dentist plays a more significant part in diagnosing and treating oral diseases, such as filling cavities and dealing with tooth decay.
To become a dental hygienist, there are three educational paths that you can take. You can get an associate’s degree, a bachelor’s degree, or a master’s degree for a dental hygienist.
The average salary of a dental hygienist is $72,000.
Medical Assistant
Medical assistants play an integral role in a clinical setting. Some key responsibilities are getting patient medical histories, preparing patients for examination, explaining treatment to patients, collecting lab samples, performing basic lab testing, and helping the doctor throughout patient visits.
They are essentially a doctor’s right-hand person.
To become a medical assistant, there is no formal education needed apart from a high school diploma or GED. But you can get a medical assistant certification with career advantages such as higher pay and more job opportunities.
The average salary of a medical assistant is $36,000.
Pharmacist
When it comes to the role of a pharmacist, these individuals are the ones who provide patients with their prescription medications and tell them how to use them safely and effectively. They can also monitor the drug therapies patients are undergoing.
They are essentially who you want to go to for medication information. Additionally, they can give insight into over-the-counter medications as well.
If you are interested in becoming a pharmacist, here is the educational training you need. You will have to get your Bachelor’s degree from a four-year undergraduate university. Make sure you look at prerequisites that need to be completed by the pharmacy schools you are interested in applying to. Then, you can apply to pharmacy school, which tends to be around four years.
The average salary for a pharmacist is around $129,000.
Radiologic Technologist
You will find radiologic technologists working in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Their daily duties involve working with maintaining and operating imaging equipment. They also have to prepare the equipment for procedures on patients.
Most of the equipment they work with is used for diagnostic imaging. These types of machinery help doctors identify where patients are injured. Some examples of equipment are X-ray machines, computed tomography (CT) machines, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices.
Something to note about this career is that these technologists are on their feet for a significant time and may need to lift or assist patients who could be injured.
To become a radiologic technologist, you can get an associate degree in radiologic technology after getting your high school diploma or a GED. However, some programs and colleges offer a Bachelor’s degree for this.
The average salary for a radiologic technologist is around $63,000.
These are just a few of the many careers apart from the traditional doctor path that is immensely valuable to the healthcare sector!