When people think of careers in healthcare, they typically think of doctors and nurses. However, there are many other career paths that you can take within healthcare. Below are just some of the alternative jobs to consider.
Medical law
Those who work in medical law help to settle legal cases involving the medical industry. This could include lawsuits made by patients against healthcare staff, or legal disputes between medical staff. You’ll need a law degree and some medical knowledge to work in this field. This makes it one of the most difficult industries to get into as it requires a lot of education. Medical law can be a good option for doctors that may want to change careers.
Healthcare administration
Healthcare administration is an important job that involves handling all the office work related to health care services. This includes printing off paperwork, booking appointments, dealing with insurers, handling phone calls and scheduling maintenance tasks. It can include everything from reception work at a local clinic to the running of an entire hospital. Healthcare administration online masters programs can help you to get into this field.
Medical recruitment
Recruiting medical staff is an ongoing task for many hospitals. Getting a job in medical recruitment could be ideal for someone who already has recruitment experience. An understanding of what is needed to work in a medical environment is also necessary. You generally don’t need any specific qualifications to get into this job sector, although having a degree will be looked favourably upon.
Health coaching
Health coaches are hired to help people make healthy lifestyle changes. This may include recommending diets and exercise, as well as helping clients to quit bad habits. No certification is needed to become a health coach, but studying subjects like nutrition and fitness can help you to gain respect in this field. Health coaches typically work privately, but are sometimes hired by hospitals too.
Healthcare marketing
Many healthcare services like treatments, medication and equipment need to be promoted just like any other product. While some healthcare companies hire general marketing companies to handle this promotion, many prefer to hire specialist healthcare marketing companies that have an understanding of the industry. If you have experience in marketing, getting into this niche could be worth considering – however you don’t necessarily need marketing experience.
Medical equipment maintenance
Medical equipment needs to be serviced and repaired like any other business equipment. If you’re an IT technician or you have experience repairing appliances, it could be worth considering moving into medical equipment maintenance. Hospitals may hire technicians in-house, while smaller clinics tend to hire private companies to handle maintenance. You could even get work for a medical equipment company installing equipment and servicing it.
Medical research
Medical research is an important field that involves studying the human body, medicines and more recently technology in order to find new improved ways of treating people. You’ll usually need a medical degree to get into this sector.
