Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Getting Into Non-Clinical Careers

This is a guest post by Jim Kelly

The healthcare industry is a growing field, and as such, it is naturally attracting a lot of interest from those wanting to change career paths as well as many that are just now making career choices. While some people go into the medical field with a desire to work in a ‘hands on’ capacity, providing direct care to patients, others prefer something quite different; their goal is a non-clinical health care career. Many turn to The College Network for the training they need to get started in this lucrative and varied field.

Top Non-Clinical Career Choices

As the healthcare industry continues to grow and new discoveries are made, technological advancements and innovations must keep up. The behind the scenes activities in every healthcare system includes intricately orchestrated series of networks of departments that consist of individuals working together to achieve common goals. Within these systems are various jobs – each one essential to meeting the overall goal of the healthcare system. Although the people performing these jobs are not directly involved in patient care, the role they play is vital to the successful outcome or result of the care provided. Some of the top non-clinical career choices are discussed below.

Health Educators: Health educators work with groups as well as with individuals. Their job is to promote health and wellness through healthy lifestyles. Health educators ‘educate’ their clients about behaviors and lifestyles that prevent illness and disease and that promote good health. These individuals may be found working in community centers, schools, healthcare systems, or other public arenas.

Nurse Educators: Nurse Educators may work for a college or university or they may teach at a hospital or other healthcare facility. Their job is to educate and prepare nurses and other staff for taking on roles at a particular hospital. This ensures that everyone is performing tasks according to certain standards.

Medical Secretary: This is a fast growing field. With new advancements in office technology only those with updated knowledge can keep up with new trends. The responsibilities of medical secretaries can vary according to the facility and type of technology being used. However, to land the most in-demand jobs, it is important to be well-versed in the latest office technology.

Healthcare Administrators: This is a demanding job that usually requires an advanced degree. In most cases this is a ‘step-up’ position. These individuals need a background in both, healthcare as well as business.

Medical Records: Organization is key for these individuals. Because most healthcare facilities have already moved to an electronic record system and those that haven’t yet soon will, individuals in medical records must be familiar with the system and able to adapt to the frequent changes that are to be expected.

Medical Social Worker: Medical social workers work with patients as well as with their families. They provide support when it is needed. This is particularly true when dealing with patients with terminal illness or chronic diseases.

Rehabilitation Counselor: Persons in this role work to help those coping with social and vocational difficulties. The problems may be a result of anything from an illness to a birth defect to stress or disease. The goal for rehabilitation counselors is to help the person enjoy life more fully.

In reality, that’s what all of healthcare is about – helping people enjoy life more fully. Whether you are a nurse or doctor and you perform surgery or instruct patients about medications, or you simply organize patient records or something else, the ultimate goal is to ensure that patient care is the best it can be, and that the patient outcome or result is excellent. Each phase of the healthcare process is important and each step has an impact on the next and the next. Where do you fit in?

About the author:

Jim Kelly is an online blogger focused on education, career, science, and research. He has found online writing to be a passion of his due to the ability to write on numerous topic to numerous audiences. Kim has been reading and writing on those topics for years and you can find some more of Jim's writing at theeducationupdate.com

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