The population is growing exponentially, and with its growth, the health care sector is under tremendous pressure. Numerous diseases afflict people, ranging from physical complaints to mental health issues, a professional needs to help these patients. Therefore, there are many career paths you can go down in the healthcare sector, some Top Career Trends for Healthcare Practitioners. Here’s an introduction to these careers:
- Telehealth Nurse. Practicing medicine has been going through many changes. Telehealth nurses are becoming increasingly popular as more patients are seeking care without going to the hospital. As a telehealth nurse, you will use telecommunication through video conferencing, phone calls, emails, and messaging to provide care to patients. You can help patients with minor health problems and refer them to the nearest emergency if their case is critical.
You can also help patients who live in areas where accessing a hospital is impossible by talking to their available healthcare practitioner and communicating a treatment plan through them.
- Education. As a telehealth nurse, you will need to go through the process of getting the proper instruction. You will need to earn your Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or go for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
After which, you will need to go for a master’s degree and earn your certification. Even if you’re just a telehealth nurse, your fieldwork is just as important. Don’t skip out on getting helpful experience by working as your study.
2. Public Health Worker. It is an essential aspect of the healthcare sector to look after individual patients and a whole community. This is where public health professionals come in. As a public health professional, you will examine every aspect of an individual’s life and how it affects a community. You will be responsible for tackling alcohol consumption, substance abuse, and obesity and how it will positively impact society. You can do this by collecting data and studying trends.
Hospitals may lend you support through nurse practitioners to make sure patients receive optimal care. You may even refer them to counseling and support programs to better understand their health.
- Education. As this is a lucrative field, you will need to work beyond a bachelors degree in any science-related area. You will need to look for a masters that you can easily find online, such as a masters in public health online. It will prepare you for your field with important concepts on dealing with community health.
3. Clinical Scribes. Digitization has also taken over medical records. Healthcare professionals are now logging their clinical notes and patient information instead of taking them down manually. It has made it easier to keep the system updated and keep track of all medical records. Hospitals are now using speech-to-text programs to make it easier to recite the medical notes and watch them get transcribed onto the system. However, this technology is not quite at peak performance yet.
There are still numerous errors while entering the data, and that is where clinical scribes come in. As a scribe, you will proofread all documents and make relevant edits. You may even provide appropriate changes to the software to make sure it performs better with every update.
- Education. You may start even if you have only a high school diploma. However, you can find out what your employers demand. Some may require a college degree or certification. This field is dominated mainly by college students who are working their way to medical school. Having a science background gives them the necessary knowledge to know medical terminologies and help physicians maintain their notes.
4. Audiologist. Being part of the healthcare sector is not constrained by working only on diseases. As an audiologist, you will meet patients who have difficulty hearing or cannot hear. You will examine the inner ear and diagnose problems and complications. You can help them by making sure they get the proper hearing aids. In some instances, you may guide the patient by counseling them on communication such as lip reading and monitoring their progress. As the population is aging, hearing difficulty is a common problem and a field you should consider.
- Education. After high school, you may need to look into a relevant undergraduate degree such as communication in sciences and disorders (CSD). You must earn a doctoral degree (AuD) and make your license to start your career as an audiologist.
5. Optometrist. Eye conditions and diseases can occur at any time and age. It is critical to examine these symptoms and defects and treat them accordingly. As an optometrist, you will be responsible for every aspect of the eye. You will need to be aware of health conditions such as high blood pressure, affecting the vision. You will also treat eye injuries and offer appropriate clinical advice or prescribe spectacles when necessary.
Your job is not limited to emergency cases, but you may be required to perform routine eye checkups. In some instances, you may need to refer your patients for surgery and make sure they know how they must monitor their health before and after their surgery. It is another field you may look into if you wish to work with the population closely.
- Education. It is the most technical of all health sector fields and requires you to have a solid educational background. To become an optometrist, you may need a bachelor’s degree that deals with pre-medical or biological sciences. You will also need to get three years of postsecondary education before enrolling in an OD program.
Once you get your OD degree, it is best to register for a one-year residency and get specialized training. This training is essential to prepare you for examining patients under the strict supervision of a senior optometrist. The eye is a delicate organ, so you must take care while preparing yourself for your career. Therefore it is recommended you train as much as possible.
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This position is known to be one of the most vital roles in medical systems, which is why it is among the most sought-after positions among nursing career fields. As a labor and delivery nurse, you will play an integral role in the birthing process, as well as providing postpartum care, assisting midwives and physicians. Not to mention, you will be able to witness the miracle of birth. Apart from all the mentioned perks, the average salary for a labor and delivery nurse is approximately $73,300/year which fluctuates based on your experience, and location of the position.
Wrap Up
There are many careers you can take as a healthcare practitioner. As a telehealth nurse, you can connect patients to quality healthcare. You may work as a public health worker and ensure communities can meet their needs while managing their diseases. You may become a clinical scribe and help physicians prepare their notes. As an audiologist, your job is fundamental in taking care of patients and making sure they can hear. Finally, as an optometrist, you look after patients and help them take care of their eyesight. Ultimately there are many career options for you.
