Health

5 Best Degrees for a Promising Healthcare Career

When we think about a healthcare career, we often imagine a doctor in scrub and a lab coat, checking patients and rushing from one emergency ward to another in a hospital. Even though this is an accurate depiction, but this is not necessarily the only depiction of a healthcare career. There are enormous healthcare careers you can choose from other than being a doctor or a dentist.

You don’t always have to go to medical school for half a decade to have a career in healthcare or get certified or licensed by various boards before providing your services. There are many degrees that you can choose from that will give you a promising career in the healthcare field.

In this article, we put forward the five best degrees that will give you a promising career in healthcare.

If you want to work in the medical field but you are more inclined towards management positions, this is an amazing option for you. You can serve as a medical and health services manager after completing a master’s in health administration. When you work as a healthcare service manager, you are responsible for smoothly carrying out day-to-day operations and ensuring overall productivity. You can work as a manager, administrator, or executive in different medical settings too. These include working in leadership positions at clinics, public health systems, medical facilities, hospitals, physicians’ offices, hospital network systems, outpatient care centers, etc.

Medical and health services managers can be put in charge of a whole facility or charge of a certain department in a facility. They also have complete, updated knowledge of changes in protocols, policies, laws, and procedures in the medical field. The salary that medical and health services managers earn is much higher as compared to other professions. According to BLS, medical and health services managers earn a $101,340 annual median salary. 

 

  • Nursing:

Getting into nursing is a sure way of establishing a promising career in the healthcare field. As the majority of the older population is aging now and facing different health complications, this has put a rise in demand for nurses. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the world was heavily reliant on nurses, and it has thus made it clear how much the need for competent nurses is there.

The role of nurses is now not only limited to being in hospitals. Nurses can also work in many managerial roles. If you have organizational skills, physical stamina, and attention to detail, you can apply for a management role in the field of nursing. Graduates with BSN can easily find many employment opportunities. BSN-prepared nurses earn approximately $77,600 in annual income, and this number is going to increase with the increase in demand for nurses. Nursing graduates can find job vacancies in inpatient care, physician’s office, home care services, businesses, schools, outpatient clinics, long-term care facilities, and so on.

 

  • Clinical Research Coordinator:

The research in the medical field never stops. Especially after the whole world got shaken by the Covid-19 pandemic, it became evidently clear that there needs to be accelerated research in the medical field so not only can we cover the damages caused by the pandemic but also prepare ourselves for any such unfortunate events in the future. That is why the demand for clinical research coordinators is increasing day by day, and it’s a very promising career in healthcare. To administer and organize clinical research, you need to study courses like pharmacology, medical terminology, research design, basics of clinical research, data management, project management, ethics, and regulatory compliance.

After getting the necessary knowledge from these courses, you will be ready to assist and lead in clinical research that benefits the whole of humanity. As a lead investigator, your team of professionals will administer, coordinate and organize clinical research trials. As research in the medical field will never stop, the demand for such experts will also not decline.

 

  • Speech-Language Pathologists:

Speech-language pathologists, also known as speech therapists, work with different types of patients in different settings. To become one, you need proper licensure and must also complete a master’s in speech-language pathology. Speech therapists evaluate, diagnose and treat people who experience problems in speech, language or swallowing. Speech therapists treat a range of patients, like babies who have trouble swallowing, stroke victims relearning to speak, children with language delays, people who speak with a stutter, etc.

There is going to be a boom in demand for speech-language pathologists. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that from 2021 to 2031, the growth rate of employment for speech-language pathologists will be 21 percent. This high growth rate means more and more job openings in this field. In 2021, speech-language pathologists made $79,060 in terms of median yearly salary. And with an increase in demand in the future, their salary will increase even more.

 

  • Dietitian and Nutritionist:

Over the past few years, there has been a surge in demand for dietitians and nutritionists as more and more people are becoming aware of their health and bodies. That is why in the field of healthcare, the role of dietitians and nutritionists has increased to a great extent. Nutritionists and dietitians are experts who propose diet and nutrition plans for different types of patients. Their patient can be a person who is trying to gain weight or lose weight to reach a healthy weight. Or, they can be someone suffering from a serious ailment that needs to meet their daily nutritional requirement, etc.

With the increasing trend of consuming junk food and other unhealthy habits that people develop as they have been normalized, more people than before feel the need to consult an expert to discuss their health condition. According to BLS, the growth rate in this category is 16%. Dietitians and nutritionists can work in a variety of settings like residential centers, hospitals, outpatient care clinics, etc. Clinical nutritionists can specialize further in any area like pediatrics, genetics, oncology, renal disease, etc. 

Conclusion:

This article will help you determine which healthcare degree is the right one for you. It will provide you with information about the best degrees for a promising healthcare career. These degrees will give you the knowledge and skills you need to accelerate in this field.

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