If you’re passionate about encouraging wellness for all in your community and you want to get paid for your efforts, you may want to consider applying to jobs in the health and medical sectors. For many folks who love working with people and value making their communities healthier spaces to live, work, and play, working in healthcare can be the most rewarding thing you’ll ever do. Even if you currently work in a field that’s unrelated to medical care, you can use the skills you’ve developed thus far in your career to help people become the healthiest versions of themselves if you know how to pivot from your current career trajectory and you get the right training to switch gears.
While it might seem like a lofty goal to help bring about wellness for all, you can start small and recognize ways that you can contribute to the medical field as an individual. Even if you work in a part of the healthcare sector that seems insignificant to you like providing customer service in a hospital gift shop, the work you do to maintain a sanitary space and ensure that your customers feel valued while they’re looking for gifts for themselves or their loved ones can make more of a difference than you might think. You can also start in one part of the medical and health industry like being a respiratory technician with goals to end up in another part of the healthcare sector such as medical coding and billing.
You may be wondering, also, if you need to go back to school for these careers. While different states or settings may have different requirements for healthcare positions, you might not need to go back to college or trade school to get a job in healthcare if your current experience is enough to qualify you for your desired position. If you don’t have a high school diploma or equivalent, you may need to take a test for the G.E.D. or get your high school diploma if you’re still in high school before you can qualify for many entry-level positions in healthcare. Even if you have a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree in a field that seems unrelated to healthcare, you may be able to get professional certificates and highlight relevant coursework to get an interview for your dream job in healthcare if your work experience matches what the hiring manager wants.
If you want to work in a specialized area of healthcare such as phlebotomy or sonogram technology, you may need to go through specialized training programs before you can qualify for those roles. Still, there may be some hospital or clinic settings that offer to train new hires on the job and provide training programs that are affordable to those who are attempting to re-enter the workforce. Even if you need to go through an educational program to get the job you want in healthcare, it’ll all be worth it when you get to go to work every day to do something you love and help your community members stay healthy.
Hormones
For those who want to study the impact that hormones may have on our health and treat conditions related to hormone imbalances, becoming an endocrinologist may seem like the most logical next step. Of course, if you can’t afford to go to medical school or you can’t imagine spending almost a decade in school, some jobs are related to endocrinology that doesn’t require you to go to medical school for a doctoral degree. If you already have a bachelor’s degree, you may be able to become a physician’s assistant who works in endocrinology if you make the right moves or you could look for administrative positions in the offices of endocrinology practices if you like the idea of working in this field without higher levels of education in medicine.
Since different parts of healthcare intersect with hormone-related wellness for all, you can also channel an interest in researching how nutrition or environmental factors impact our hormones and how hormonal health impacts fertility into research assistant positions if you like to do that type of work. You could also write about hormonal health if you’re a writer or make illustrations about the endocrine system if you’re a medical illustrator. Although these might not be the same as working as a specialist in endocrinology, they’re important roles that support the work of those who treat patients for hormonal imbalances.
Aesthetics
For those who appreciate aesthetic beauty and cosmetic treatments, working in aesthetic services can be an ideal fit in healthcare. While people sometimes think that cosmetic treatments are shallow, the truth is that aesthetic health options allow folks who have a variety of conditions and disfigurements to embody the version of themselves that makes them feel most confident. Since some aesthetic treatments are also used to treat illnesses and reverse the effects of injuries, it’s not as superficial as it might seem at first glance to work in this area of healthcare.
One of the exciting aspects of working in aesthetic healthcare to promote wellness for all is working in nutrition counseling. Many people want to be a certain weight or chase after health goals related to their shape, so there’s no shortage of people who could benefit from your work if you decide to pursue a career in this part of the health industry. If you’re thinking about working in aesthetic healthcare settings, you could work as a surgical technician for a cosmetic surgery practice or even work in a health spa that provides aesthetic wellness treatments to certain populations.
Dermatology
We’ve all had a situation with our skin that couldn’t be resolved by purchasing cleansing face wash, so we all know how important it is to have qualified dermatological healthcare professionals in our society. Skincare is an exciting field that’s experiencing new developments and advancements every day, so it’s a good part of the healthcare and medical industry for folks who enjoy new technology to consider for a career. One of the perks of working in dermatology is learning how to take better care of your skin, so if that interests you, you should pursue a career in this side of healthcare.
Promoting wellness for all frequently starts with internal lifestyle choices that reflect positively on the outside. Even if you don’t work directly in dermatological offices, your expertise may intersect with this specialization in healthcare. After all, eating a healthy diet, drinking enough water, and making positive lifestyle choices all affect the condition of our skin so it’s not unlikely that you may end up working with dermatologists in the future if you decide to help clients achieve goals related to those areas of health as a health coach or other healthcare professional.
Eating Disorders
Whether you have personal experience recovering from an eating disorder or you’re passionate about helping others recover from these types of psychological disorders, you may want to consider working in eating disorder treatment facilities as a nutritionist, dietician, counselor, psychiatric nurse, or even technician. With eating disorder treatment, there are several levels of care so the type of work you may be able to get will depend on the levels of care that are available within reasonable commuting distance to you. Some cities may have more options for eating disorder treatment, which allows those who work in the field greater flexibility for the settings they may want to choose as workplaces.
If you’re comfortable working with folks who may be severely ill due to an eating disorder, you may be a good fit for working in residential or inpatient eating disorder facilities as a nurse or technician. For those who are more comfortable working with folks who are further along in their recovery, it can be rewarding to work in an outpatient setting as a recovery coach or counselor who specializes in eating disorder treatment. No matter what side of eating disorder treatment interests you, it’s good to approach this type of work with a mindset that wishes wellness for all of your patients as they pursue recovery.
Physical Therapy
From sprained ankles to torn ACLs, you’ll find all sorts of injuries as patients visit the injury clinic if you decide to work in that setting. Depending on your level of education and background, you may find it easier to start in this field as a physical therapy assistant or you might be able to apply for jobs as a physical therapist if you have the right qualifications. While you may think that physical therapy seems like an interesting field to enter as a new graduate, you should prepare for how physically demanding and exhausting this type of work can be at times so you can take good care of yourself as you transition from learning about this field to working in it.
Although patients frequently visit their physical therapist when they have an injury or they’re recovering from an illness, some folks visit physical therapists because they believe in wellness for all and want to improve their baseline health. Those who struggle with chronic illnesses may go to a physical therapist to improve their mobility or learn to cope with chronic pain. When you work as a physical therapist or a technician in this setting, you’ll need to stay flexible and open to all types of patients to thrive in this changing environment.
Eyes
If eyes truly are the windows to the soul, then eye care is one of the most important parts of healthcare for preserving someone’s quality of life. When you’re working in optometry or ophthalmology, you’ll spend your days helping people improve the quality of their vision, restore vision, and identify signs of conditions that they may be able to prevent or mitigate with key lifestyle choices. Since sight is a crucial sense, you’ll play an indispensable role on your patients’ healthcare teams if you decide to work in this field and promote vision wellness for all.
Dentistry
Having a healthy, beautiful smile can impact the rest of one’s health. As a result, those who work in dentistry play a unique role in helping their patients stay healthy. For those who are fascinated by teeth and dental healthcare, considering a career in dental care is a natural choice.
While you might think that you have to become an adult or childrens dentist if you want to work in this field, many roles don’t require that level of education and dedication in this area of healthcare. You could become a dental hygienist if you don’t want to go through almost a decade or more of schooling. If you simply want to encourage dental wellness for all, you can work as a dental health educator without having to get involved in the sometimes messy work that is dental healthcare.
Ear, Nose, and Throat
From allergies to hearing loss, you’ll find that an ear doctor knows their way around the ear, nose, and throat. If you’re considering a career that allows you to work with people and encourage wellness for all, you should think about specializing in this area of healthcare. Depending on your current education level, it could be a smooth transition or take some additional training.
General Doctor
If you’ve always looked up to your local physician, you should consider following in his or her footsteps. One of the best ways to promote wellness for all is to be a primary care physician. When you work as a family doctor, you’re the main point of contact most patients will have with the healthcare system so you’ll make a huge difference in their lives.
In short, regardless of what your starting career is, you can promote wellness for all by looking for jobs that align with your values and experience in the healthcare field. Even if you’ve never gotten a job in the healthcare sector before, you should be able to get your proverbial feet wet in the field by working in an entry-level position or gaining experience through a training program. Although you may need more college education or formal training for some positions in healthcare, there are plenty of positions that may not have strict educational and training requirements.