Choosing a Career Path in Healthcare

Finding your niche in the field of health care

If you have decided to pursue a career path in healthcare, your options for a fulfilling, engaging job are almost endless. But because your job will be such a large part of your life as an adult, it’s important that you find a role that suits your ethos and goals, and opens a fun, rewarding path where you can learn and continue to grow. 

As a young adult, it’s quite normal to know the industry you want to explore, but not be totally sure of what you’re role will look like in health care system. That’s why I’d like to share some tidbits of wisdom and experience to help you reach a satisfying final decision that you can be happy pursuing for the long term.

Here are five tips for finding your niche in the field of healthcare…

1. Narrow down your career options by setting

The heath care system has endless opportunities for new hires, and almost as many specialties. You can choose to work with children, seniors, people battling certain diseases and health issues, or choose to work with the general population as a general practitioner, laboratory, or in a clinic setting. You can also choose from many different settings—private practice, hospital, private clinic, etc. However, you can narrow down your choices by asking yourself a few questions:

• Do you like to work with people? This can help narrow down your options of public-facing role or an independent role in a high tech lab environment
• Are you afraid of blood? This can narrow down roles as far as operating rooms or even administering needles

2. Length of training

Jobs in healthcare require mandatory college or university degree in medicine, physical assistance, surgery, public health care, or nursing. However, if you’re not able to pursue a lengthy degree, a role as a physician or surgeon will be out of the question since you require training well past a bachelor’s degree. However, a role in public health care admin, physical rehabilitation, or even nurse practitioner careers might suit your career schedule better via a college diploma with the chance to upgrade skills and advance later on. I suggest researching the career path prior to making any kind of decision.

3. Narrow down you career option by role

Perhaps you enjoy working as part of an extended team? Then perhaps a role as a nurse caring for patients might fit your preferences. However, if you prefer a role where you work independently, a role as a laboratory researcher or even a hospital admin (one where you’re not as public facing) might suit you better.

4. Think about situations concerned with life and death

Does the idea of being somewhat entangled in emergency situations or those concerning life and death results scare you off or fuel you? If they fuel your personality and passion for the job, a role in a hospital or emergency clinic, or even ambulatory care might be your natural environment.    

5. Career advancements

For instance, if you have aspirations to become a licensed practical nurse, you have the option to upgrade during your career to pursue training as a registered nurse via a degree program. You also have the option as a RN to work in a private clinic, a high-paying multinational company, a hospital, an educational institution, in a government environment, or in an elderly care facility. In the end it’s most important to choose a career path in healthcare that provides you with the advancement possibilities you desire—both financially and professionally.