JOBS IN HEALTHCARE
If you’re passionate about helping people, finding a job in the healthcare industry can be one of the most rewarding careers out there.
Imagine the feeling of getting to come home everyday knowing that you’ve made a direct positive impact on people’s lives!
It doesn’t always involve a load of studying - contrary to popular belief, nor do you need to have an extensive amount of medical knowledge, to get started in healthcare.
Career Departments
Nutrition - Curious about how the food we eat affects our bodies? Maybe a role as a Dietician or Dietetic Assistant will suit you. Involving assessing, diagnosing and treating dietary and nutritional problems in patients. The main goal of this role is to promote good health and prevent disease in people and communities.
Ambulance Services - Consisting of Paramedics, Ambulance care assistants, Emergency call handlers and Transport service drivers for patients. This sector involves being at the frontline of emergency contact whilst being able to react calmly under pressure, with the ability to put patients at ease.
Doctors - Probably one of the more obvious ones, but this field might be one of the most diverse in terms of roles. Ranging between anything from GPs, Psychiatry, Pathology, Surgery to Ophthalmology. In this profession you could be working in a general practice surgery, in NHS hospitals or even privately.
Dental - The team of this department is made up of Dentists, Dental Nurses, Dental Technicians, Hygienists and Dental Therapists. Working with people to prevent and treat oral disease, along with correcting and treating dental irregularities and injuries.
Maternity - Job roles such as; Midwife, Maternity Support Worker, Community Public Health Nurse. Providing care and support to women and families through the stages of pregnancy, labour and after the birth of a baby.
Dermatology - Doctors who specialise in skin are called Dermatologists. They diagnose, investigate, treat and manage the skin conditions of people of all ages, as well as hair and nail conditions.
Psychological - There is a wide range of roles in this department, some examples include; Counsellor, CBT Therapist, Adult and Children Psychotherapist, Forensic Psychologist, Education Mental Health Practitioner.
Pharmacy - Job roles include; Pharmacist, Pharmacy Assistant / Technician. Responsible for preparing, supplying and administering medicines. Along with liaising with patients, customers and other healthcare professionals to ensure that medicines are being taken safely and effectively.
Public Health - Working towards the bigger picture, enhancing the health of our communities. Again, this is an extremely varied sector to work in, some potential job roles are Environmental Health Professional, Public Health Nurse / Practitioner / Manager, Health Trainer, School Nurse.
Healthcare Science - Ranging from Clinical bioinformatics - which is responsible for developing and improving methods for gaining, storing, organising and analysing biological data to support the delivery of patient care.
Alongside areas from Blood Sciences, Virology and Microbiology, to Medical Engineering - where they assess, modify and construct medical equipment.
Education & Training (Health Informatics) - Responsible for making sure that staff are up to date with the latest technology so that patient care is enhanced. Roles in this sector include; Trainer, Training Administrator, Training Manager. Duties across the roles involve identifying learning needs, publicising training courses, maintaining training records and resources, planning, delivering and evaluating a range of programmes to meet the operational needs.
Management - Working behind the scenes to keep everything afloat, proving you don’t have to be medically trained to work in healthcare. Clinical Manager, Finance Manager, Estates Manager, Human Resources are just some of the roles within this department.
Administration - Health records and patient administration employees store and retrieve records used in the diagnosis and treatment of patients. They are responsible for promoting and supporting the effective use of data, information, knowledge and technology within organisation skills. Some positions within this area include; Receptionist, Telephonist, Secretary / Typist, Clerk.
If you’re interested in doing a healthcare Apprenticeship - you should know that there are many available through the NHS. Including intermediate, advanced, higher and degree apprenticeships. In areas such as Nursing, Maternity and Paediatric, Dental Nursing, Leadership and Management, Health and Social Care, Healthcare Science and so many more.
Do check out the NHS website linked below for more information on these roles and opportunities, and how to go about applying!
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Get in touch with us if you have any questions or need help researching any of the roles you’ve read here.
Links:
NHS Apprenticeships - https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/career-planning/study-and-training/apprenticeships
NHS Careers - https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles
AUTHOR: GRACE MCGRATH - DIGITAL RESEARCHER
Simon is a Deputy Divisional General Manager for an NHS Hospital. In this video Simon shares useful career insight and advice on how to apply for jobs and gain work experience.