Working in the medical and healthcare industry can be a great way to help others in your community while earning a potentially impressive salary. Before you undertake training in the field, you may want to consider what role and, if applicable, specializations, most appeal to you, as well as the ways in which you can further your career after you gain your initial qualifications. While it can be most
useful to make these considerations prior to obtaining your High School Diploma, that doesn’t mean that you should discount becoming a medical practitioner later on in life. Considering the amount of time that the average American spends working throughout their life, it can be important to seek out and achieve these career goals.

Nurse

Working as a nurse allows you to have a hands-on approach with a number of people who need medical care. While you may seek initial training at a nursing school, you might then wish to specialize further, such as paediatric nursing, mental health nursing, or even giving end of life care to the elderly or terminally ill patients that you see.

A nurse’s role is not one to be taken lightly. Not only will you need to help care for those within your
charge, at times your workload may be overwhelming, meaning you will need to ensure your people
skills remain at a high standard at all times, and that you build up resilience to fast-paced working
environments.

Phlebotomist

Working as a phlebotomist could see you earning approximately $35,510 each year. This profession involves taking blood, either from patients requiring medical attention or from those donating their blood to help others. You will then need to label the samples appropriately, input information onto the database, and ensure the patient is feeling well following their bloodwork, so that they may
leave safely.

Within this role, you will need to have a good bedside manner, especially considering that many people dislike, or even have a fear of, needles. A key eye to hygiene will also be required to ensure that the risk of infection from open wounds or blood contamination is as low as possible.

Researcher

For some, working in the medical field may involve working directly with patients, while others may prefer to be in the background, finding better ways to undertake procedures, new medical treatments, and even potentially life-saving drugs. As an individual with an interest in science, you may want to consider a role as a medical researcher. Gaining employment in this field might require
a professional degree or even a doctorate, so you won’t be able to shy away from studying to be able to achieve this career goal.

There are more roles within the medical field than just the traditional doctor. The one that you choose may depend on your interests, as well as any skills that you already have. By considering the full range of careers available to you, you may find a specialty that gives you a genuinely fulfilling working life.