Healthcare Career Guide for Students

The healthcare field has a lot of very different jobs that pay radically different salaries. Over the last couple of decades, career paths beyond traditional doctors and nurses have opened up. For example, demand for medical techs is greatly increasing. Many locations struggle to find enough qualified workers to fill all the available healthcare positions.

Healthcare can be a well-paying field, but it's also mentally, emotionally, and physically tiring. Almost all jobs in the healthcare field require a high school diploma. Most require education beyond high school. Students interested in a healthcare career should take science and math classes, along with any healthcare classes their high school might offer. It's also a good idea to shadow people who hold jobs you're interested in. One way to find people to shadow and potential mentors is by reaching out to local chapters of healthcare professional associations. Doctors, nurses, radiology techs, and hospital administrators are all examples of subsets of the field that have professional organizations.

Typically, the amount of money someone working in healthcare makes is tied to their education level. Most healthcare positions will require you to pass certification exams. Educational programs work towards preparing their students to earn their degree and then pass their credentialing exams. There are also specific programs designed for adults who have work experience and are interested in pivoting from their current work experience into a career in the healthcare field.

Often, students worry about the cost of obtaining the necessary post-high school education to find a good job in the healthcare industry. Luckily, there are many scholarships available. Some of these are offered by professional associations, others are offered by local government or nonprofit groups. Some might be offered to students who are from a certain area or are willing to work in specific locations post-graduation, or are offered to students pursuing certain fields of study. Groups like the Daughters of the Revolution offer a wide variety of scholarships to students interested in working in the medical field.

Today, more than ever, people considering a medical career have more ways than ever to learn about what it will be like to work in the medical field. You could listen to podcasts about jobs in the healthcare field. Students interested in becoming a doctor, for example, will be able to find podcasts discussing what medical school is like, how internships and residencies work, and then what it's like to be a new doctor forging a career. These podcasts aren't just aimed at future doctors. Almost all career paths in the medical field have a podcast that allows students and others considering the career a behind-the-scenes look into the day-to-day working life of the people who hold these jobs. You can also search for videos and articles all over social media that have firsthand accounts of what it's like to work in the field.

General Healthcare Career Resources

Healthcare Career Study Resources

Healthcare Scholarships

Healthcare Professional Organizations

Healthcare Career Podcasts

Healthcare Periodicals

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