Career Options in the Medical Field

There are hundreds, if not thousands of options in the medical field to choose from. You don't have to be a doctor or a nurse to work in this field and there are tons of jobs in this field that don't require as much schooling. Some jobs may require two years of schooling to become certified, while others don't need as much. Before you throw away the idea of working in health care you may want to take a look at some of the career options available:

Medical Assistant

This is one of the fastest growing fields in the health care industry, and it is projected that there will be an incredible 36% growth in this career track by the year 2016 (according o the BLS). This role is very flexible and versatile, and it requires a minimum of post-secondary education.

Medical assistants help nurses and doctors with various administrative and medical tasks. They can work in doctor's offices and hospitals, and there are many different types of assistant jobs available. Usually to get the education required to become a medical assistant you will need one or two years of schooling, and then you can apply to write the Certified Medical Assistant's exam. You can choose not to take the exam, in which case you will have less employment options.

Home Health Care

As people age they find that living alone can be a bit of a burden, at which time they may hire a home health care worker. This field in the medical industry is expected to explode in growth by up to 50% in the next seven years, meaning that once you are qualified to work as a home health care worker you will have no trouble finding employment.

Home health care aides generally work for an agency or are hired privately by the care giver. They may be responsible for cooking, cleaning, and general care of the person whom they are looking after. These aides may have several different clients that they visit regularly, or may work exclusively for one client. Home health care aides usually have basic medical training.

Dental Technician

Learn how to help people keep their mouths and teeth clean and help out a dentist in your area by becoming a dental technician. Some dentists are willing to offer on-the-job training for their dental technicians while others may require their employees finish a dental technician program that is accredited by the American Dental Association. Most of these programs consist of two-year associate's degrees, with some four-year programs.

Dental technicians earn an average salary of $33,480 but can earn more depending on their education and experience. Since there are dentists in every city in the world this lucrative career can take you just about anywhere.

Laboratory Technician

A Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) looks at the available information to find clues about the presence or extent of a disease. They get to perform laboratory tests under the supervision of a medical technologist in a hospital or other medical setting. Generally to become an MLT one needs an associate's degree consisting of math and sciences (two years) as well as an MLT training program.

The average salary for a laboratory technician is around $32,000 and can go up to $50,000 or more. People who like working with equipment and solving medical mysteries to make a difference in the health and well being of an individual would probably like a career as a laboratory technician.

Published: 2009-11-02