Think outside the box to land a lucrative career in healthcare
Maybe you're in a funk at work and want to try something new, or perhaps you've decided to go back to school to improve your prospects in today's challenging economy. Whatever your reasons for pursuing a healthcare degree, you're not alone - millions of students are heading back to college to advance their careers. However, like some students, you might not know what to study. Here are two healthcare careers that may have slipped under your radar, but could really pay off:
Dental assistant
When you think of careers in the healthcare sector, you could overlook the crucial, yet often unsung, role of dental assistant. These professionals work with dentists to provide support in a variety of roles, from record keeping and office administration to patient care and surgical assistance.
Dental assistant schools have experienced a surge in popularity in recent years, driven largely by the expected demand for these professionals in the coming years. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for dental assistants is projected to increase by 31 percent through 2020, significantly faster than the national average for all occupations. With prospects like these, it's little wonder so many people are going back to school to become dental assistants.
Health information technicians
Although doctors and surgeons take much of the credit when it comes to helping people get back on their feet, they couldn't do their jobs without the support and expertise of health information technicians.
Health information technology (IT) is becoming an increasingly vital part of the healthcare system in the U.S. Long gone are the days of physicians scribbling notes on paper charts. Today, sophisticated IT systems enable doctors to keep track of everything from patient allergies to medications. However, without skilled health information technology specialists, these systems wouldn't do a whole lot of good.
These professionals are responsible for a wide range of tasks, from ensuring systems are secure from malicious attacks and unauthorized data breaches to entering patient information into the system. Data from the BLS indicates that demand for healthcare IT specialists is due to increase by 21 percent through 2020, faster than the national average. As technology continues to shape the landscape of the healthcare industry, a career as a health information technology specialist could be an increasingly attractive career choice for ambitious students.
