Medical Careers

Hospitals and other types of health care facilities around the U.S. cannot find enough qualified candidates for certain high demand positions. It's a great time to look into medical careers, which is why many people are reentering college to take classes required to enter the most in demand fields. Health jobs are great because hospitals and health industry employers usually offer superior benefits and the pay is excellent.

Here's a sampling of health care jobs that employers are struggling to fill due to a shortage of trained applicants.

Nursing Jobs

Which medical career option is the shortest on qualified candidates? Nursing. People who graduate with a nursing degree these days have no problem finding a nursing job in the U.S., where there's a shortage of several hundred thousand nurses. One reason for the nursing crisis is that baby boomers are aging and there's an anticipated need for many more nurses to care for this aging population. Additionally, more and more nurses are projected to retire in the next ten to 15 years. Although the need is not in doubt, colleges and universities have not been able to expand their nursing programs fast enough due to a lack of nursing school faculty, budget constrains, classroom and clinic facilities. Remarkably, despite the nursing crisis, many thousands of nursing school candidates are being turned away.

Those who become nurses frequently do so for job security, flexible schedules, excellent pay and benefits. Of course, they usually like working with and helping fellow human beings as well. As a nurse you can often work a schedule of four, ten-hour days or even three 12-hour shifts. Nurse scheduling is favorable compared to many professions. Also, as a nurse, you may be part of a labor union, whose role it is to look out for your pay and benefits over the course of time.

Learn more about nursing school in this informative article. If you're ready for a career change, then maybe it's time to go back to school and get a nursing degree.

Diagnostic Medical Imaging Jobs

As is the case with nurses, there is a significant shortage diagnostic medical imaging (DMI) specialists, sometimes referred to as sonographers. Sonography is also known as ultrasound, where high frequency soundwaves are used to create images. Jobs in this arena have titles such as radiological technician, clinical laboratory technologist, and respiratory therapist. And working in this industry you will be working with sophisticated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment or other high tech machinery.

To become a sonographer you need to graduate from a two- or four-year medical imaging program. More and more community colleges are offering associate arts degree programs in medical imaging sonography. Many find the coursework to be quite difficult, with classes focused on anatomy, medical ethics, physiology, patient care, the basics of physics, and diagnostic medical imaging equipment. The largest employers are hospitals, clinics, and doctor's offices. Since so many hospitals are faced with a shortage of radiological technicans and other types of sonographers, they sometimes pay for all or a portion of your education if you commit to working for them after graduation.

The median income for sonographers is nearly $55,000. Learn more about diagnostic medical sonographers on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.

Learn more: Medical Imaging (Article)

Dental Hygienist Jobs

There is an ongoing shortage of dental hygienists, those folks in your dentist's office who come in to clean your teeth, take dental x-rays, polish, and apply fluoride. The hygienist also works along side your dentists when he's giving you anesthetic for fillings, root canals, and other dental procedures.

You can't just walk into a dentist's office and declare yourself a dental hygienist. A tremendous amount of education is actually required. To get a dental hygienist job you need at least a two-year associates degree, if not a a bachelor's degree or master's degree in dental hygiene. After completing your education a state license is necessary, and you'll need to pass one or more examinations to get the license.

Statistics indicate that the average pay for dental hygienists is around $30 per hour.

Learn more on the American Dental Hygienists' Association website. Be sure to review their list of dental hygiene schools.

 

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