When it comes to choosing a career, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the number of options. You have to assess your skills, look into the qualifications required, and figure out what you enjoy.
Healthcare is a popular career choice for a reason. It is a field that requires a variety of skills, so whether you are a people person or a hard-core academic, there is a role perfect for you. If you are looking for a career change, or you’re only just choosing a college major, here are the reasons for choosing to work in healthcare is the best choice you can make.
Plenty of Roles to Choose from
Choosing to start a career in healthcare doesn’t place you into a small hole. While with other areas such as accounting or childcare, you are confined to one specific kind of work, with healthcare, roles range from sitting at a desk all day to performing medical treatments every night. This means that no matter where your skills lie, there is a healthcare career for you.
What is especially beneficial about this is that there are many opportunities to climb the ladder. If you start working as a qualified nurse, you always have the option to progress further. After working as an RN for several years, for example, you could then decide to become a family nurse practitioner and go for your FNP qualifications.
So, whether you dream of working with children or you’re a keen academic wanting to spend your working years researching, then you are sure to find an ideal career in healthcare.
High Salaries
Healthcare holds some of the highest salaries in the US. If money is a motivator, and you’re willing to put the work in, you could earn six figures. The average salary for dentists is around $150k per year, while many surgeons earn above $200K.
With such high salaries comes the requirement for skill and education. The work you put in at the beginning comes back ten-fold eventually, however, so if you are determined to climb the ranks, then you could end up earning a salary much higher than the average.
Many Healthcare Roles are in High Demand
Healthcare is one of the oldest jobs in the world, and it certainly isn’t going anywhere. As long as human bodies get sick and age, there is a need for healthcare workers.
With the aging population, healthcare roles are in more demand than ever. Job security is important when searching for a career path, and by choosing a healthcare role, you can rest assured that your skills will come into use.
It is Well Respected
Think about the last time you met someone who worked in healthcare. What was your reaction when they told you their role? The chances are that information instantly placed them higher in your books. People who work in healthcare are generally well respected by the majority of people, as it is a role that involves hard work, dedication, and helping people.
By choosing a career in healthcare, you are sure to gain the respect of those around you. While that might not be the most important factor when it comes to selecting a career path, it is certainly a benefit.
The Social Aspect
If you are a social butterfly, then there are plenty of healthcare roles that will satisfy your love of conversation. For example, nurses deal with many patients throughout the day, many of which they form close bonds. For this reason, it is rare for nurses to feel lonely.
As healthcare is such an intense career, the bonds the workers form with co-workers is also strong. Friendships are crucial for getting through the toughest days, and as a healthcare worker, you are sure to find friends that you can’t imagine living without.
The Difference Made is Visible
Many jobs involve work where the person cannot see the impact of what they are doing. With healthcare, this is anything but the case. As a healthcare worker, you see the difference you make in front of you every single day.
When working with patients, their improvements are visible. When surgeons perform a successful surgery or midwives deliver a healthy baby, their hard work pays off in the form of gratitude. Being able to see the impact of your role really makes a difference in job satisfaction.
A Variety of Educational Paths
With healthcare, you can successfully find a role with a high school diploma, a bachelor’s degree, or a doctorate. Due to the sheer number of careers, there is a role for everyone at any educational level. It means that if you are not academically gifted, or you simply do not like exams, then that doesn’t mean you are excluded from working in healthcare.
On the other hand, if you perform exceptionally in your studies, then there are long educational routes you could take to secure a professional healthcare role.
The Hours are Flexible
Healthcare isn’t a 9 till 5 kind of service. People break legs in the morning, evening, and in the middle of the night. If someone has a heart attack, they can not wait until working hours to seek medical attention! Due to this, medical roles are available in a range of shifts. It is especially beneficial for those who are carers at home or who have children.
Some doctors work consistent night shifts, and some nurses change their working schedule depending on the week. If you are someone who dislikes the usually 8-hour workday and prefer to schedule your hours around other responsibilities, then healthcare could be the career choice for you.
It is Ever-Changing
The greatest minds in the world are constantly researching new medical developments. This means that there are always fresh ideas, techniques, and treatments to use. Working in healthcare means working in an area at the forefront of scientific change, which is exciting and educational.
If you end up working in healthcare for several decades, then the changes you see will be phenomenal. Think about the difference between healthcare 50 years ago to now, and you will understand just how much healthcare workers have developed.
The Absence of Boredom
Each day of working in healthcare is different. Whether you are on the front lines of the emergency room or you are running tests on pregnant women, every day will bring something new. With the number of people coming to you for help, there is no time to be bored. Once you feel you have accomplished a task, a new one will spring up, begging to be completed.
If you are someone who hates doing nothing and needs some form of stimulation at all times, then a job in healthcare would be perfect. You’ll never be bored – you won’t have a moment to even consider it!
You will Become a Better Person
The most successful people in healthcare are giving, compassionate, and empathetic. This means, if you are serious about succeeding as a healthcare worker, you will naturally become a better person.
The patients will help you become better in many ways. When you find yourself complaining about a late package or a disagreement with a friend, one look at a suffering patient will remind you of how lucky you are. Over time, you’ll become more appreciative and giving to those around you.
The Skills Learned are Transferable
The skills required to be a healthcare worker are ones that are transferable to other areas of life. The better you become, the more skills you’ll have to master life in general. Some examples include:
First Aid
While many people learn first aid, you will be an expert at it. This is particularly helpful in emergencies when help has not yet arrived. You will be the person able to give someone the help they need, which could even save a life.
Multi-Tasking
With how busy healthcare workers are, multi-tasking becomes second nature. This isn’t just useful when on a ward, though – when you have a handful of chores to do at home, it will serve you well.
Communication
If you work in a healthcare role that involves seeing patients, then over time, your conversational skills will become second to none. Communication is used in almost every area of life, from buying your groceries at the checkout to greeting your distant family members at the holidays, so you’ll be glad of how much healthcare improves your conversation.
The Chance to Witness Real Life Miracles
While working in healthcare is not how it is depicted on TV, many hospitals and clinic workers do end up seeing what they describe as a miracle from time to time. You won’t see the parting of the sea or a long-dead body come back to life, but sometimes, an event will happen that will bring you hope.
It could be a woman, who had ten failed pregnancies, delivers a healthy baby. Or it could be a surgery that had little chance of success succeeding and seeing the relief and joy in the patient’s loved ones’ eyes. Nothing will come close to seeing such beautiful events, and not many careers will allow you to experience them.
You will Learn a Lot
When it comes to healthcare, you will never stop learning. With all the information out there and the new developments made every day, the knowledge learned will never end. If you are someone with a thirst for knowledge, then healthcare will give you the satisfaction you need.
You will Gain a Fresh Perspective
It is no secret that many healthcare workers deal with death. In certain roles, you see people old, young, rich, and poor sadly pass away. While it never gets easier, it does give you a fresh perspective on life.
There is nothing quite as humbling as watching a patient suffering from a terminal illness push through the day and find moments to laugh. It will make you assess your own life and push you never to take a moment for granted.
There are a Variety of Settings
Some people declare that they cannot work in healthcare because they dislike hospitals. Fortunately, there are plenty of workplaces when it comes to healthcare. On top of hospitals, you could work in clinics, schools, universities, and many more. Healthcare is needed everywhere and is not limited to one type of building.
The Patients Will Lift Your Spirits
Many healthcare workers’ favorite part of the job is working with patients. Many of them will make you smile, laugh, and tell you stories you wouldn’t have heard otherwise. When you have a stressful day, a kind word from a single patient can be enough to help lift you out of a rut.
While not every patient will be warm and accommodating, the ones that are will stand out among the crowds and remind you why you chose a healthcare career.
You Get to Help People Every Day
Healthcare workers provide care to people every day. They look after the elderly, deliver babies, and work hard to save every single life they can. Imagine being part of something so benevolent?
The feeling of accomplishment given by working in healthcare is one like no other. Watching a patient get better because of your efforts will make you feel prouder than you have ever felt in your life. While working in healthcare, you have the opportunity to help people every single day, which is a privilege not many careers can offer.
So, How Do You Get Started?
First of all, you must choose the healthcare profession that is right for you. Research the many different roles and see which one you could picture yourself doing. From there, you must get the right amount of education, gain experience, and make enough connections to secure a role. Depending on the healthcare career you choose, it could be a long journey, but the satisfaction at the end is more than worth the effort required to get there.
