Thinking about a career in medicine? Well, doctors are not the only ones who get to heal the sick. Here are four other hot careers where you get to make people healthy...
In American today it is not easy to find a job. Thousands are out of work and the job outlook for young people is not good. One place however where there is actually good news is in health care. As a huge generation of Americans retire in the next 10 years, there will be a big demand for people who can help and heal. Job growth is expected to be excellent in this field and with so many different specialty options there is surely a job for everyone who is interested in the healing arts.
Here are 4 healthcare careers to consider as you think about college...
Radiologist
What you do: When people break bones it’s almost always necessary to take x-rays of the injured area and the person who takes these X-rays is called a radiologist. He or she is responsible for positioning the patient at the right angle under the machine as well as covering up vital organs that can be damaged by the X-ray’s harmful radiation. Re-assuring nervous patients is also a big part of this job so this would be a good career choice if you are the kind and gently type.
Highs: Solid and reliable hours, you can live anywhere and find work, not too much blood and guts.
Lows: The work can be repetitive; not much contact with the patient; too much time with the X- ray machine may also deaden your social skills.
Anesthesiologist
What you do: Slicing up a bloody organ with a metal scalpel does not feel like a massage, so patients are put into a deep sleep when they undergo surgery. In charge of this crucial process is the anesthesiologist. Using a combination of injected drugs and gas, he or she puts the patient into such a deep that they don’t feel the pain of the surgical process.
Highs: Get to be in the operating room which is where all the excitement happens, excellent pay, opportunity to interact with patients.
Lows: The work can be stressful and demanding, surgeries can be very long, scared patients can be hard to deal with.
Physician’s Assistant
What you do: Doctors have too many duties, so oftentimes they have an assistant, called a PA, who helps them with a lot of their work. This job is great because you get to do almost everything a doctor does. You meet with patients, diagnose illnesses, write prescriptions and even assist in surgeries. In fact, these days many patients will end up only visiting the PA when they go to the doctor’s office. Even in emergency rooms PAs will handle most of the initial treatment.
Highs: Only two years training after college, terrific salary, hefty responsibilities, challenging work environment.
Lows: Difficult patients, gross skin growths and viruses, can be high stress in emergency situations.
Average Salary: $80,000
Education: College degree + 2 years PA school.
Speech Therapist
Most of you probably love to talk but some people have trouble getting their speaking skills going when they are young. People like this go to a specialist known as speech therapist. Also known as a speech pathologist, this person gets to help with all problems connected to speech, language, voice, and swallowing. After meeting with, and diagnosing a patient’s impairment, the therapist will then create a treatment program that is designed specifically to improve that impairment. Treatments can include everything from vocal exercises to automated devices and sign language.
Highs: Working with children, reasonable hours, pretty good salary, can work in school systems where you get summers off.
Lows: Heavy traveling between patients can mean a lot of time in the car, progress can be slow with harder cases, everyone asks you for free advice when their kid starts to have speech problems.
Average Salary: $62,000/year
Education: College degree + 2 year Master’s Degree in Speech Pathology
Plastic Surgeon
Sadly, we all get older every day but some people don’t want their bodies to let that secret be known. These people get their bodies nipped and tucked by doctors known as plastic surgeons. Everything from noses and lips to bellies and rear-ends can be re-sculpted by the scalpel of the plastic surgeon. This is a peaceful career for those who like the field of medicine but who don’t want the stress or depression that can come with working with people who are really ill. However, it is not all nose jobs and tummy tucks. There are many kind-hearted plastic surgeons out there who perform serious plastic surgeries on those maimed in fires, wars, hurricanes, tornadoes and other disasters.
Highs: Not too much dying and disease compared to other doctors, phenomenal salary, rewarding in the sense that you get to physically see the results of you work.
Lows: Crazy patients who don’t like their new noses, high malpractice insurance, strange questions people will ask you at parties like, “Whats like to staple someone’s stomach?”
Average Salary: $250,000/year
Education: College Degree + 4 years of medical school
By Ayal Korczak