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A Healthy Start on a New Career

By Kate McIntyre
Learning & Life Columnist
October 6, 2006

The healthcare field is red hot right now. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, eight out of the top 20 fastest growing jobs are in healthcare, and 19% of all new jobs will be in this dynamic industry. If you are already a part of this vibrant and important field, you have truly exciting options in front of you. The expertise you already have--combined with a new degree in a related field--could set you on course for a higher salary and even more opportunities for advancement. Here are two possible paths to the career of your dreams:

Become a Nurse Practitioner

Are you currently working as a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse with a diploma, an associate's degree, or a bachelor's degree in nursing? Consider earning a master's degree in nursing. This two-year degree allows you to advance your career as a nurse practitioner. Nurse practitioners have much more independence than RNs or LPNs. As a nurse practitioner, you might specialize in an area that particularly interests you, such as family practice, women's health, or pediatrics. In most states, you will be able to prescribe medications to your patients.

If you work in a location that does not have many health professionals, you could be performing many of the same tasks as a primary care physician. Becoming a nurse practitioner makes you much more flexible and knowledgeable, and therefore, much more attractive to potential employers.

Healthcare Administration to Healthcare Management

Hospitals and health centers bustle with activity, and capable, responsible administrators must make sure that everything runs smoothly. If you already have experience working in healthcare administration, earning a master's degree in healthcare management could lead you to bigger opportunities. Someday, you might oversee the daily operations of an entire hospital.

Granted, health care mangers may work long hours, but they reap the rewards of their efforts. Though salaries vary depending on the size of the health care facility, the level of responsibility, and the amount of experience, health care managers' median earnings run more than $67,000, according to the BLS. Those who manage large medical practices average twice that.

These are only two of many paths for advancement in healthcare. This field is expanding so fast that you can find new opportunities--for advancement or entry into the profession--no matter your current career.

Sources

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Health Care
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Registered Nurses
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Medical and Health Services Managers

About the Author
Kate McIntyre, a fiction writer in Portland, Oregon, holds an M.F.A. in fiction writing from Oregon State University.

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