Certification and Degree Strategies For a Career in Health Care

The importance of healthcare workers has become abundantly clear over the past year as we faced the challenges of COVID. The daily contributions they bring to their local communities around the world remind one how much meaning a medical career can offer. Most find work in the healthcare sector pays well, has good benefits, and is very fulfilling. It also encompasses a broad array of careers to suit your needs and interests. However, most jobs in healthcare require a degree or that you acquire relevant certifications to show you have the qualifications necessary to perform the assigned duties for your specific position.

Today is an especially an exciting time to pursue a career as a medical professional. The field is expected to grow by 16% over in the next 6 years, which means 2.4 million new jobs in the US alone. This article will outline some certifications and degrees you should get to get a jump start on your healthcare career.

3 Major Categories to Choose From
For starters we can put positions in healthcare into three broad categories:

1. Allied healthcare: offers plenty of career options, many of which involve dealing with patients directly. Positions include assisting healthcare practitioners, ensuring medical clinics and facilities run efficiently. However other positions give you the opportunity to handle electronic healthcare records and healthcare technology. Positions accommodate a variety of diverse skill sets, due to the variety of different paths available. Medical and pharmacy technicians, dental hygienists, and home care helpers are some of the positions available to name a few.

2. Healthcare Technology: Amazing technological advances have greatly impacted the entire medical field. You can build a career around the technology you love. Positions include healthcare technology support, operating complex medical technologies, managing healthcare records, and systems to ensure patients’ privacy and accuracy is maintained.

3. Healthcare Management: People with strong leadership skills are needed to manage hospitals, healthcare establishments, and other medical offices to help them run smoothly and efficiently. If you are organized and have great communication skills, you can be quite valuable. Other tasks include budgeting, facilitating communication among leadership teams, managing staff, and business-related aspects of healthcare systems. Jobs in healthcare management cover positions like office managers, desk supervisors, and records clerks.

Finding the Right Career Path For You
Now that you have seen some of the available career paths, it’s time to whittle down the options available. You should ask yourself:
 - How many years do you plan on attending school?
 - The salary you seek?
 - What else are you looking for the in the job? Challenge? Predictable hours? Interaction with patients?
 - Where do you see your career ending up? What are the advancement opportunities?

When looking for a course provider, you need to make sure they provide comprehensive training with verified, updated information about accreditation. It’s best to choose a HIPAA training provider who has been operating for over 10 years and has a great deal of experience and a track record helping potential applicants find the right career for them. Consider where you intend to live later as certain positions require state specific licensing and certifications.

Here are two career fields that might be of interest to you:

Nursing Assistants
They are responsible for providing care to patients. They perform tasks like checking patients’ vital signs, cleaning patients, monitoring and dispensing their medications, and assisting with eating. They can work in hospitals, nursing homes, or other residential facilities. It is usually a full-time job, which often requires you to work nights, weekends, and holidays. Demand for nursing assistants’ jobs are expected to increase by 11% in the next 6 years. This is partly due to the rising number of baby boomers reaching senior age. Seniors experience medical conditions like dementia or chronic illnesses, which makes them more likely to require long-term care. Good nursing assistants have skills like:
 - Providing compassionate care.
 - Showing patience with their patients.
 - Handling physical tasks and staying on their feet for long hours.

Each state has its particular requirements and exams required to work as a nursing assistant. These programs are offered at high schools, community colleges, and training schools. A few nursing homes or hospitals have their own training programs and exams, as well.

Medical Records Technicians
They are responsible for preserving health data and ensuring that it is well-organized, free of errors, and up to date. These records help doctors make accurate medical decisions and prevent mistakes. Technicians are responsible for data entry and keeping patient records secure. It is a full-time position, often with regular and predictable hours.

They can work in hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes. Medical Records Technician jobs are also expected to increase by 13% in the next 6 years. Because medical records are increasingly digitized and demands for record keeping only increases, jobs are expected to be in demand in the near future. Good medical records technicians need:
 - Technical and analytical skills.
 - Ethical integrity to handle private data
 - Attention to detail
 - Interpersonal abilities

Many hospital and health groups need official certification before hiring candidates or shortly after getting the job.

Healthcare jobs provide good, stable incomes. They also offer career advancement opportunities with opportunities for personal growth. The feeling you get when you work with sick people, caring for them, watching them get better, or simply making them more comfortable is its own reward. Perhaps most importantly, the career options are varied, with many options to choose from depending on your particular skill set or passions.