The misconception among many is that to have any successful career in the medical field, you must complete the long and exhausting process of medical school. While you need a medical school degree to be a doctor, there are plenty of other medical jobs you can get with just an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. Here is a look at five great medical jobs for those who may not have a med school degree, but that still want to pursue a career in the health field..
1. Health Information Manager
By getting a bachelor’s degree in health care administration, you could get the chance to work as a health information manager. This position maintains patient records, ensures that databases are complete, accurate and secure, and supervises the inputs made by various doctors and nurses. In order to qualify for such a position, you should have taken courses that include health care ethics, accounting, and health care finance.
2. Medical Assistant
With a certificate or associate’s degree in medical assistance, you can become a medical assistant. This job requires you to perform simple, yet vital, tasks that include filling insurance forms, medical records, taking down medical histories, vital signs, explaining treatment to patients in detail, and assisting doctors and nurses in performing various examinations.
3. Dental Assistant
Instead of going to dental school and becoming a dentist, you can become a dental assistant through a few certificate courses. Your coursework will include dental assisting techniques, oral anatomy, and clinical practice tips. The job of dental assistants is to assist with procedures, keep medical records updated, and take care of appointment and billing files in the office.
4. Physical Therapy Assistant
Through an associate’s degree in physical therapy, you could assist therapists when they are putting recovering patients through their paces. You will help patients recover their mobility, help them get rid of pain in muscles, bones and joints, and help them overcome any physical disability they have have experienced.
5. Aging Services
By getting your USC Aging Service Management Master’s degree, you will be able to work anywhere in the aging services industry. The jobs you can take up are included, but not limited to, working at residential care facilities, retirement homes, assisted living facilities, and home care/hospice situations. With a growing population of older adults, it is necessary for plenty of aging services workers.
Each of these careers is fulfilling, rewarding, and well paying in its own right. While the perks and job description may not match up to a doctor or a surgeon, these jobs are a great way to stay in the medical field without having to go through medical school. With the healthcare industry continuing to expand and grow, these careers will also be in high demand for years to come, which means that you will usually not have to worry about unemployment. You also don’t have to worry about all of the lawsuits, horrible schedules, and other complications that come with being a doctor, allowing you to focus solely on helping others who are in need.