Working in healthcare is one of the best ways to give back to the community. You’ll be making a real difference; and the secret? You don’t need to be a doctor or even a nurse to make that difference. Work directly in care, or work in a supportive role. They are all critical to providing people with the quality care they need to get better and grow stronger.
If you are unsure what market to get into why not take a look at the ‘Top 12 Healthcare Marketing Tips for 2021‘ and see what job growth has had the biggest impact. That way you could plan your entire medical career around it.
Healthcare is a great industry to work in, and you can transfer your career into healthcare at almost any time. Sure, doctors need years and years to gain their qualification, but you can take your history in administration and translate that into a new career easily. You can become a nurse at any time. There are options available to you, including these top-10 career paths:
Top 10 Healthcare Jobs for Non-Medical Personnel
Healthcare is an entire industry unto itself, and therefore needs almost every career specialist under the sun. Technically, however, you don’t work in healthcare if, for example, you worked to build a new hospital. To work in healthcare, not just for the healthcare industry, you must actively be working to either help patients, or medical staff, on a daily basis.
Many of these roles are very well paid and have huge opportunities to continue to progress your qualifications. Continuing education is a hot ticket in healthcare, and with so many top options you can get started in healthcare and work your way up to the roles you want, in the healthcare setting you want.
To get just a taste of what you can do without a medical license, these are the top 10 options available to you:
- Healthcare Administrator
- Physical Therapist
- Speech Therapist
- Dietician
- Care Worker
- Mental Health Technician
- Counsellor
- IT Specialist
- Pharmacist
- Social Worker
These top 10 are just the start. There are dozens upon dozens of roles you can choose from that will help you earn well, help others, and don’t require you to earn a medical or nursing license.
How to Start Your Career in Any of These Roles
There are so many ways you can start a new career in these roles. Some can be started today, others will need more preparation, but all of them are possible.
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Use Your Existing Experience
For administration and a few other supportive roles, you can use your existing experience to get the job. They won’t need you to have formal qualifications or certifications, so you can instead showcase your skillset through your former job roles. This is important because legally many roles in healthcare require you to take and pass state licensing exams to work in the role. If a state licensing exam is necessary, you will need a relevant degree in order to take it.
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Complete a Relevant Online Degree
For those working in a therapist role or in a supporting role in therapy, then the best way to get involved is with a relevant degree. These can be done online, so you can continue to work and more importantly start to network and build your connections in healthcare.
There are options for almost all of the above job roles. Pharmacists often only need a four-year degree (and to pass the state exams). To be a Mental Health technician you’ll want to look into a BSc in Health and Human Services. These degrees will give you the skillset you need to get started working in either non-medical or in supportive roles faster and give you that needed edge over other job seekers.
The best part about a job in healthcare is that there are very clear ways to improve. You can work to become a Certified Mental Health Technician right through your degree, as it prepares you for the state exam and will help you be formally certified shortly after you graduate.
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Network
If you are taking a degree, make a point to network with your fellow students, your professors and staff, and most importantly the alumni who keep in touch with your school. They are excellent people to know and can be the difference between job-hunting and being awarded great opportunities because you are the first person they think of when an opportunity arises.
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Continuing Education and Training
The most important thing to remember is that healthcare is an ever-evolving industry. This doesn’t just mean that your employer needs to update, but you do as well. From knowing how to use new technology, to be formally certified and licensed to do your job, you must work to continue your education through ongoing courses, workshops, and programs.