Choosing a Career in the Medical Field

Health care is one of the largest hiring industries in the United States and choosing a career in the medical field can often be a daunting task considering all of the options that are available. It is important for an individual to take into consideration a number of factors while making a decision on what form of health care that he or she would like to investigate.

One of the primary factors to investigating a career in the medical field is for every individual to determine their own academic strengths. For example, if an individual has had strong science grades in high school or in junior college, then applying those science skills could lead to a career as a:

• Medical doctor or surgeon
• Medical biologist
• Pharmacist
• Chemist
• Surgical nurse
• Registered nurse

If an individual has average science skills but outstanding people skills and the desire to help others then appropriate medical fields may include:

• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
• Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN)
• Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)

If an individual has strong academic skills in English and Communication then they may want to investigate choosing a career in the medical field pertaining to communications, such as:

• Audiology (the study of hearing, works with Ear, Nose and Throat physicians)
• Speech-Language Pathology (works with children and the hearing impaired)
• Sign Language Interpreter

If an individual has academic skills in mathematics and accounting there are a number of options for job research in the medical field for positions such as:

• Hospital administration
• Clinic management
• Medical billing and coding
• Insurance and Medicare specialist

Each medical specialty has a different approach to what forms of education are required for certification, licensure or earning a degree. Some medical careers require only two-years of formal education like nursing, while physicians must attend college, medical school and an internship at a hospital, which can take between eight and ten years to complete. Throughout the career of most medical professionals, there is also Continued Medical Education (CME) that must be completed in order to retain licenses and certifications.

Local colleges and universities have career planning programs and counselors that can assist an individual in choosing the program that best suit their interest and their skill sets.

Some medical educational training is available online for individuals who must work full-time while expanding their education or for individuals who do not live near a college or university. Some of the most popular medical online sites are:

• World Wide Learn
• Continued Education
• Online Medical Education

These top six medical careers are each available for online instruction for both the associate and bachelor’s degrees.

The level of income earning is important to an individual who is interested in pursuing a career in the medical industry. Earnings are variable and are typically comparable to the level of education that an individual has.

For individuals choosing a career in the field of medicine, this is the optimum time to move into this industry. The “baby-boomer” generation has begun moving into the realm of becoming senior citizens and they will continue to do so for a number of years. With this large population of individuals reaching ages up into the octogenarian years, health care providers are urgently needed in order to care for the large numbers of individuals that will require a greater level of health care than in previous decades.

• Written by Sherry Ferraro

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