It is not always necessary to have been to medical school to forge a successful career in healthcare. The advancement of medical science, the need for effective data controls and a shortage of physicians and nurses mean that new avenues are opening for your personal advancement.
Healthcare informatics is the conveyance of medical information and records efficiently and effectively. Most healthcare professionals would receive on-the-job training in how to manage systems that are already in place. However, there are bachelor’s, master’s and certification courses available in this field, for working professionals provision can be provided to complete these courses online.
In 2016 Farran Powell of usnews.com listed the following six career paths as the best options in healthcare without needing to attend medical school: genetic counsellor; physical therapist; speech language-pathologist; occupational therapist; audiologist and nursing practitioner/nurse anesthetist/advanced practice registered nurse. All of these career paths require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, most a master’s degree or doctorate.
Related: 10 Growing Jobs in Education
The age profile of the population of the United States (baby boomers) means there will be a requirement for very specialized medical practitioners to meet the changing needs of the population. This represents an opportunity for you and a chance to train in a rewarding and much needed profession. Graduate study requirements vary, but typical courses may require under-graduate modules in chemistry, biology or statistics.
A shortage of physicians is leading to greater career opportunities for nurses, as there is greater need for nurse practitioners to help treat patients. Nurse practitioner courses are becoming ever more popular as fully qualified nurses begin to build upon their training and experiences to develop within the field of healthcare. Nurses have a unique place in the future of healthcare, much like the shortage of physicians there will also be a shortage of nurses. However, nurses have the capability to study further and assume roles formerly filled by physicians.
This transition is in part being driven by the inadequate levels of GME (Graduate Medical Education). According to the AMA (American Medical Association) there will be a shortage of 90,000 physicians by 2025. This shortage naturally means that other areas of healthcare provision will be called upon to provide expertise, care and treatment. Could your additional training help you to develop a career in healthcare?
The best graduate courses in the US at the moment have tuition costs of around $50,000 and more, they are typically a mixture of the Ivy League and the best southern and west coast universities. The truth is that these courses and their students will still fail to provide America with all the physicians it needs.
There are other options that will help provide America with the much-needed healthcare professionals it needs going on into the 21st Century. Maryville’s BSN to dnp degree program is an avenue which will allow you to develop a rewarding career in healthcare. Leadership is the key ingredient to continued success in the field and your personal success. Do you have what it takes to lead?
There are many avenues open to under-graduates and experienced professionals in the field of healthcare. Further study will allow you develop personally and provide additional expertise that will be valued and needed in the coming years. Building and utilizing systems to move medical data is a developing and required skill, could you become a specialist in healthcare informatics?
Nurses are a vital part of healthcare in America. Moving further into the 21st Century it is vital that their skills and careers are developed in order to meet a shortfall in physicians. Are you a nurse that feels you could develop further? Are you going into nursing to develop into a practitioner role? Maryville’s BSN to dnp degree program could be for you.
A bachelor’s degree is now the minimum expectation for a healthcare professional. It used to be the case that to progress a graduate would be expected to attend medical school. Now many other professions in the field require master’s degrees and doctorates but do not necessitate a need to attend graduate school. As specialties diversify and become independent areas of expertise and study the traditional model of healthcare professions is evolving. This is also leading to an evolution of study within these fields, it is now possible to work full-time and study modular online courses that will lead to qualifications and certifications.
It is not a requirement to attend an expensive graduate school to become a well paid, well skilled and valued member of the healthcare profession. The future of American healthcare requires many kinds of skills and experience to meet the changing face of medicine. Could you be a member of the next generation of medical professionals?
You might also enjoy: Trends and changes in corporate training