Different Career Paths In The Healthcare Industry
Ruby Clarkson is an emerging freelance writer focusing on career advice and is passionate about helping people succeed. After gaining a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing, she has been working to start her own freelance career, and longs to publish a novel one day. She's been writing for as long as she can remember, but started more seriously during her final uni year. Here she makes her writing debut for Zenopa by discussing the different career paths that are available in the healthcare industry...
"A career in healthcare offers several benefits including a rewarding salary, fantastic career progression, and excellent job satisfaction. One of the main reasons for people choosing to pursue a career in healthcare is the opportunity to help people daily and have a positive impact on society.
“Freelance Writer Ruby Clarkson makes her writing debut for Zenopa by discussing the different career paths that are available in the healthcare industry“
While jobs in healthcare can be extremely rewarding, they are also associated with long shifts and unsociable working hours. However, there is a wide variety of healthcare jobs available, some of which even offer regular 9-5 hours and greater flexibility. Below, we are going to explore some rewarding careers in the healthcare industry, including those that don't require unsociable working hours.
Professional Carer
Carers have a significant impact on the lives of others and help people maintain their quality of life when facing limitations due to age, disability, or illness. The role of a professional carer is diverse, and carers can choose to work within a variety of settings including senior homes, hospitals, and hospices.
For example, a live-in carer is responsible for visiting patients at their homes to provide support with their daily tasks. This may include cooking, housework, running errands, administering medication, or assisting with personal care. Experts at Helping Hands explain how - “The primary role of a live-in carer is to allow the person requiring care to continue enjoying a secure, comfortable, and independent life within the familiar surroundings of their own home.” To become a carer, you must earn the necessary qualifications and complete an accredited training course with a care provider.
Dietician
A dietician helps people lead healthier lives by encouraging proper nutrition and promoting healthy eating habits. In general, a dietician will meet with a client to assess their current diet and overall health. They are also responsible for diagnosing and treating a variety of diet and nutritional problems such as food intolerances and malnutrition. A dietician will then create a customised eating plan tailored to their clients individual health and fitness goals. Many dieticians are employed by the NHS and work within a hospital or community setting. A full-time dietician usually works around 37.5 hours per week in a 9-5 role. With the right level of experience, dieticians can also choose to work on a freelance basis and enjoy higher earning potential, flexible hours, and the opportunity to choose their own work schedule. To become qualified, a dietician must complete an approved programme in dietetics and become registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Healthcare Administrator
Healthcare administration is a fantastic option if you want to work in healthcare but don’t want to be responsible for medical care. Another great benefit of pursuing a career in healthcare administration is that many of the roles require standard 9-5 working hours. For that reason, many healthcare professionals move into an administration role when they want to achieve a better work-life balance due to starting a family or getting closer to retirement age. Broadly speaking, a healthcare administrator is responsible for providing valuable support to both clinical and non-clinical medical staff.
According to information on the NHS website, some of the most popular healthcare administrator roles include health records staff, medical secretary, personal assistance, and switchboard operator. The qualification requirements vary for different administrator roles, but you will need to possess strong communication and organisational skills to be successful in the role. You should also have good IT skills to enable you to operate NHS online systems efficiently.
Medical Sales Representative
A medical sales representative is responsible for selling medical products, such as medicines and medical equipment, to a variety of customers including general practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists. Often, medical representatives specialise in a particular medical area, which allows them to develop expert knowledge of the medical or pharmaceutical products that they are selling. The role is target-focused and will usually involve cold calling, arranging and attending sales meetings with potential buyers, and preparing presentations. There may be some early mornings or late evening work required, but the role does not typically involve any shift or weekend work. A career as a medical sales representative could be perfect for anyone with an interest in medicine who enjoys working in a fast-paced, competitive environment.
Final Thoughts
A career in the healthcare industry can be extremely rewarding and offer several long-term benefits. However, anyone considering a career in healthcare should be aware that many roles involve shift work and unsociable working hours. That being said, there is an excellent variety of roles in healthcare that are suited to those looking for a 9-5 job. Some of the above roles could be perfect for those looking to stay involved with the medical world, while still maintaining a work-life balance."
About Zenopa
With nearly 30 years’ recruiting experience within healthcare industry, our team of consultants are ready to help and support you find your dream role. We recruit for sales, marketing, management, technical and engineering role within for various healthcare markets including, Pharmaceutical, Medical, Scientific, Animal Health, Dental, Engineering, Consumer Health, and Medical Communications.
If you would like to find out how we can help you or your company, call the team on +44 (0)1494 818000 or email enquiries@zenopa.com