Alternative Healthcare Careers for Nurses
Are you a nurse considering a career change? The healthcare field offers many career opportunities arising not only from the aging of the population, but also from technological advances, and the expansion of healthcare services outside of hospital settings. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the following occupations are among those expected to be among the fastest-growing through the year 2016.
· Physician Assistants (PA): Overall responsibilities include taking patient histories, performing examinations, ordering and interpreting lab tests, as well as overall care and treatment of patients under the supervision of physicians. Like doctors PAs may specialize in certain practice areas such as internal medicine, cardiology, or pediatrics. In 48 states, Physician Assistants are also permitted to prescribe medication.
· Respiratory Therapists: Under the direction of a physician Respiratory Therapists are responsible for the evaluation and therapeutic treatment of patients having breathing and cardiopulmonary disorders.
· Physical Therapists: Work with patients to restore functionality, increase mobility, and prevent permanent disability. Patients include accident victims, those suffering with back pain or arthritis, those having sports-related injuries, as well as patients with a history of head trauma.
· Occupational Therapists: Work with patients to improve their ability to perform tasks of everyday life and work such as dressing, eating, driving, or using a computer. They work to restore or improve motor function in patients who include those with emotional, physical, or developmental conditions.
· Medical Assistants: Perform both administrative as well as clinical tasks to ensure smooth and efficient operations of medical facilities. Most medical assistant work with doctors in private practice.
· Health Information Technicians: These healthcare workers are responsible for the organization and evaluation of patient medical records. They seek to ensure that the records contain a complete medical history, that all forms are filled-in correctly, and that the information is transferred accurately into the computer.
The need for all of these health care workers has expanded beyond traditional hospital setting to include community outpatient clinics, mobile surgery centers, assisted living and long-term care facilities, nursing homes, as well as corporate health offices. Whether you are a recent high school graduate exploring career options, or someone with experience considering a career change, the medical field offers tremendous opportunity with attractive salaries, rewarding and challenging work, as well as long-term career stability.
For comprehensive information on any of the above careers, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics at www.bls.gov/oco and input the specific job title into the search bar at the top of the page.
