Numerous career opportunities exist in health and medicine.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 50 percent of the top 30 fastest-growing careers in the U.S. are in medicine or health care. This growth is attributed to technological advances and the increasing life-expectancy rate in the U.S. Anyone has the opportunity to work in this growing field by choosing a career in health and medicine.
Instructions
1. Learn about different careers. Visit the Explore Health Careers website to discover the opportunities in the medical field. Review the tasks and procedures a person in the position performs daily and the amount of education and training required for each career. List careers in health and medicine that interest you. This allows you to learn more about them before choosing the one that's right.
2. Review job statistics and salaries. Find each career on your list in the Occupational Outlook Handbook from the website of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Examine how much each position pays as well as how many hours of work it requires in a week. Learn whether positions in this niche are expected to grow or decrease in the next five to 10 years. You'll have a difficult time finding a job once you are finished with your education or training in a position that is in decline.
3. Meet with an educational adviser. Arrange a meeting with a career or academic adviser specific to health care students at a college or university in your area. Ask about the education required for each position on your list. Learn the classes you'll need to take in college and how long you can expect to be in school. If you find that one of the careers that interests you requires too much education for your interest and abilities, ask about positions that don't require as much time and training. For example, licensed practical nurses generally attend school for only nine months to one year, while registered nurses attend school for two or more years.
4. Network with employees in the medical field. Talk to doctors, nurses and other professionals to learn more about their jobs and whether they're the right career for you. Ask any questions that will help you choose the right career in health and medicine.
5. Shadow different careers. Arrange a time to shadow professionals in the health care field to get a better understanding of what a typical day is like. Spend the day following them as they perform their typical tasks. While you can get a good idea of a career this way, you might not have access to everything they do during the day due to patient privacy laws.
Tags: health care, health medicine, attend school, Bureau Labor, Bureau Labor Statistics
