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The Most In-Demand Medical Career Specialisms to Consider

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article | The Most In-Demand Medical Career Specialisms to Consider

Working in the professional field of medicine and healthcare, regardless of your current position on the proverbial ladder in terms of your job role, salary, and the nature of your daily working life, is a vocation full of as many rewards as there are challenges.

As a medical professional, either on the science, research, and development side or else in the practical, face-to-face context of working with patients in a hospital or other medical institution, part and parcel of your career is the plethora of opportunities to move into another area.

So, with that being said, continue reading to learn of the four most in-demand medical career specialisms for your consideration.

1. Pediatricians

One of the biggest shortages when it comes to specialized physicians in the United States is that of pediatricians, who help treat and monitor illness and disease in babies, adolescents, and children.

Preventative medicine is a massive part of the daily working life of a pediatrician and their key roles and responsibilities include, amongst a host of others, the following:

  • Monitoring the progress of patients and their treatment responses
  • Prescribing therapies, medication, and surgeries
  • Assessing disabled, ill, or injured children of all ages
  • Training and supervising junior and trainee medical staff
  • Explaining treatments and diagnoses to children and their parents
  • The referral of patients to specialists and other types of physicians

2. Internists

Internists are part of a group of medical professionals known as primary care physicians and are both currently and projected to be highly in demand now and in the future. In fact, the AAMC (the Association of American Medical Colleges) actually predicts a shortage of over fifty-five thousand primary care physicians over the next few years.

Internists are solely concentrated on the performance of non-surgical diagnoses and treatments of injuries and diseases and are usually tasked with treating adults rather than children.

Internists can work in a wide variety of locations, including long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities, physician’s offices, and traditional hospital settings.

3. Medical Researchers

From finding the connection between certain forms of cancer and Myeloid cells and other gut microbes to trialing a new vaccine for a persistent strain of a disease, without medical researchers, there would certainly be a considerably higher fatality rate not just in this country but throughout the world.

Medical researchers need a specific and thorough base of knowledge around the science of medicine and drugs and dedicate their professional lives to the pursuit of even more knowledge and medical discovery. Medical researchers are employed in a wide range of different settings, from medical research institutes and medical research charities to higher education institutions, hospital laboratories, and research institutes.

Typical skill sets required of a medical researcher include, in addition to the aforementioned wide knowledge base in scientific medicine, excellent time management and organization skills, strong foundations in mathematics, good decision-making skills, an ability to work on instinct, and being able to communicate with people from all walks of life.

4 Career Options in the Medical Field

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article | 4 Career Options in the Medical FieldThe medical field is one of the most stable industries. With a career in the fast-paced medical field, you can earn a great living and make a difference in the world. There are many jobs to choose from so you can find one that suits your preferences and allows you to turn your dreams into reality. Here are four possible jobs in the medical field.

Nurse

As a nurse, you can choose several different career paths. You can work in a hospital setting as a surgical nurse or a caregiver. Some nurses choose to work in doctors’ offices, either with pediatricians, primary care physicians or specialists. Others opt to find jobs in nursing homes or hospice facilities. You can even pursue a career as a chief nursing officer. One benefit of pursuing a nursing degree is there are different programs available. Depending upon your individual needs, you can choose online or traditional degree options.

Anesthetist

An anesthetist is responsible for sedating patients when they undergo surgery. Although it requires a few years of study to earn this degree, you can make a good living as an anesthetist. You may have to work on a rotating schedule if you choose to work in an emergency surgery position, but if a stable work schedule is important to you, you can elect to work in an outpatient facility. This job comes with a great deal of responsibility as you will have to monitor sedated patients to ensure their vitals remain stable throughout the surgery.

Physician Assistant

If you want to be a doctor but aren’t quite sure about devoting so much time to school, becoming a physician assistant could be the right choice for you. You will have to work under a doctor’s privileges, but you can see patients by yourself and diagnose health problems. You can prescribe treatments as necessary. Since hospitals do not typically hire physician assistants, you can plan on having a stable work schedule in a doctor’s office so you have plenty of time to spend with your family. If you want to focus on a specific area of medicine, you can elect to work with a specialist.

Surgeon

Becoming a surgeon is the most extensive path in the medical field. You must first complete medical school and then complete several years in a surgical residency program in a teaching hospital. During the program, you will have the chance to work with different surgical specialties so you can choose which path you want to pursue. After passing an extensive exam at the end of your residency, you’ll complete a year as a surgical fellow before becoming a full-fledged attending surgeon. Although it requires an extensive amount of schooling, surgeons earn a great living and can often set their own schedules depending upon their specialties.

Because the medical field continues to grow, many people want to pursue careers in the industry. There are numerous job paths you can follow if you don’t want to become a doctor. These four career options are all valid so consider choosing one of them.

Who Knew There Were So Many Financially-Rewarding Nursing Careers?

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article |Nursing Career|Who Knew There Were So Many Financially-Rewarding Nursing Careers?Becoming a fully-trained doctor is a massive undertaking and something that can take many years. A medical student can start college at the age of eighteen and still be doing exams as they approach their thirtieth birthday.

Sure – they ultimately wind up making a lot of money. But getting to that point is by no means easy. There are all kinds of pitfalls and struggles along the way.

However, taking one of the top online LPN programs provides an alternative route into the medical profession. And it is no less rewarding. Many senior nurses get paid over the odds for the work that they do. And they develop specialisms to rival those of any fully-trained physician.

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

The opportunities to help people who have psychiatric disorders, for instance, are considerable. Psychiatric nurse practitioners work alongside physicians and provide mental health support for patients with identifiable disorders in the DSM-5.

While these nurses work alongside psychiatrist physicians, they are almost always specialists in their own right, providing front-line care to those who need it most.

Nurses who want to go into this field require a Master of Science In Nursing – the lowest degree requirement for becoming a nurse practitioner. Getting an MBA, however, is usually pretty straightforward. You just put in a couple of years of your time and get a significant pay-off when you come out on the other side. Psychiatric nurse practitioners typically earn around $105,000 per year, translating to around $51 per hour worked.

Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse

Nurses who can work in neonatal intensive care are in high demand right now. Hospitals need professionals who can work alongside doctors and provide the correct level of attention to premature babies.

Currently, this area of medicine is experiencing rapid growth. New technologies are coming online that are allowing premature babies to make it to maturity when they simply wouldn’t in the past.

The work, however, is also becoming more labor-intensive. More babies are viable, so hospitals need more staff to look after them all. And that’s pushing up demand for certain types of nurses – particularly those able to work in the neonatal unit.

Salaries for neonatal nurses, therefore, are going up quickly. The latest figures suggest the average nurse in this professional earns $102,000 per year, translating to roughly $54 per hour.

There are employment opportunities in various settings, including birth centers, intensive care units, and well-baby units.

Registered Nurse Anesthetists

Administering anesthetics is a highly specialist job, requiring an immense level of skill and training. Anesthetists must understand how to prepare and administer sedatives in a variety of settings, including operating theatres. It is essential to get it right to protect the patient and ensure the operation is a success.

Pay in the sector, therefore, is tremendous. A qualified nurse anesthetist can earn upwards of $167,000 per year, translating to around $80 per hour.

The growth outlook for the sector is also quite considerable. For instance, the BLS expects demand for anesthetist services to grow a whopping 17 percent annually, with only a moderate slow down as we go into the mid-2020s.

The requirements for the role are also relatively mild. As a minimum, you need to have completed a master’s degree from an accredited institution and completed an anesthesia educational program. You also need to complete the National Certification Examination – as all nurses must.

These nurses find employment in a variety of settings, including surgical and pain-management centers.

StrategyDriven Professional Development Article |Nursing Career|Who Knew There Were So Many Financially-Rewarding Nursing Careers?General Nurse Practitioner

What if you don’t want to specialize in any particular area? Do you still have options?

It turns out that you do. Currently, there’s significant demand for general nurse practitioners – people who can slot into practically any medical setting.

General nurse practitioners can offer their services in hospitals and specialize in particular fields if they want to progress their careers.

General nurse practitioners earn an average of $107,000 per year. If they work forty hours per week, that translates to $51.45 per hour – which is a very competitive rate of pay, compared to most other sectors.

The requirements are a Master of Science in Nursing and a Nurse Practitioner License for the relevant state. Nurses can change from one state to another, but there are rules governing this that they must observe. These nurses tend to have the most options when it comes to choosing where to work. They can offer their skills in practically every setting.

So, are you considering pursuing a career in nursing that rewards you financially? You probably should!

Creating a Path to Become a Doctor

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article |Becoming a doctor| Creating a Path to Become a DoctorBecoming a doctor is a dream for many people when they’re children. But as they get older, many people can start to look at the reality of being a doctor and consider other paths instead. However, if you’re still interested in becoming a doctor, you might have what it takes to make it. Qualifying and getting your license is something that takes many years, but putting in the effort and dedication pays off in the end. There are many ways you can really make a difference as a doctor and lots of career paths for you to choose. If you want to be a doctor, you should think about how to create a plan or path that you can follow.

Decide If Being a Doctor Is Right For You

Firstly, you need to make sure that being a doctor is the right choice for you. Even if you decide that it is now, there’s still a chance you might change your mind later. Being a doctor is a hugely demanding job, and qualifying certainly isn’t easy either. You need to be able to recognize what it takes to be a doctor, including not just the academic ability but also the communication skills, the confidence and the ability to work under pressure. Doing plenty of research can help you to work out if being a doctor is right for you. You can try talking to doctors, reading or even watching documentaries.

Get a Bachelor’s Degree (If You Haven’t Already)

In the US, you usually need to have a bachelor’s degree before you can go to medical school. You may already have one, in which case you perhaps won’t need to think about this step. While there isn’t necessarily a particular degree that you have to have, some people choose pre-med or another related major, which can help you when applying to medical school. You should also consider any science requirements that you need to complete during your undergraduate degree. You will often need a year’s experience in chemistry, biology and physics.

Volunteer or Get Work Experience in Health-related Fields

While considering your path through school, it can also be helpful to get some experience under your belt. This is something you might want to consider doing while doing your undergraduate degree. Once you start medical school, it could be a struggle to find time to do anything else. You could seek out volunteering experiences, which might be at home or abroad. You can also see if you can find any work experience opportunities, which you might find through your college. Relevant experience can help with your applications to medical school and show that you’re serious about your goals.

Look at Medical Schools

When it’s time to look at medical schools, there are various options to consider. A few won’t require a bachelor’s degree, but the vast majority do. You’ll need to take the MCAT exam and get familiar with how to apply to medical school. When you’re considering where to go, it’s worth looking at schools in the Caribbean. Applying for medical school in the Caribbean can mean you can get your degree there, then complete your residency in the US or Canada. You might be able to save money, perhaps increase your chances of acceptance, and spend your time studying somewhere beautiful.

Consider Specialist Paths

There are many different specialisms that you can consider if you want to be a doctor. It’s not necessarily something you will decide before you’ve applied for medical school, but it is worth considering. It could help you during your applications or while you’re looking for work experience. It can even be useful if you’re deciding whether being a doctor is really the right choice for you. It might help you picture what being a doctor would really look like, from the environment you will be working in to what sort of people you might work with.

Have a Plan for Medical School

If you do get into medical school, there’s no getting around the fact that it will be tough. It’s a lot of work, and it only gets more difficult as you get closer to really becoming a doctor. Having a plan for how you’re going to approach it and how you’re going to perform well while at school can help you to start off on the right foot.

It takes time and effort to become a doctor, as well as talent, knowledge and skill. If it’s what you want to do, it’s useful to envision what your next few years might look like. If you want to explore other paths of becoming a Doctor, read this great article from online-phd-degrees.com