Resources for Researching a Healthcare Career
This month, I want to share with you some tips and resources to help you as you search for the right occupation for you in healthcare.
- Think outside the box: While most people think of doctors and nurses when thinking of the healthcare industry, there are actually many more occupations within the sector. What types of professions and skills does a hospital, health center, doctor’s office need to keep their operations running? They need facilities managers, clerks, accountants, social workers, and many other non-clinical staff. Of course, people with clinical skills, like laboratory technologists and medical assistants, are also important to the industry. To learn more about healthcare occupations, look at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook.
- Talk to experts: Find people who are working in the occupations that you are interested in and ask those people questions about their work and field. Those experts can provide you information about what it means to work in the occupation on the day-to-day basis. Search the internet for local chapters of professional organizations for the occupation that you are interested in and reach out to them for advice.
- Learn more about licensure, certification, or registration for your selected occupation: Once you find the right occupation for you, look into licensure and credentialing. One excellent resource is the New York State Education Department Office of the Professions. Also, look at the New York State Department of Health website for the occupations that it credentials, i.e., Emergency Medical Technicians. Be sure that you understand all of the requirements for licensure and credentialing so that you have the correct documentation when it comes time to file for your license. Is there a standardized test that you have to take? Are there additional clinical internships required for your field? What type of documentation do you need from your education or training program? Getting the answer to these questions will prepare you when you need to apply for your license or credentials.
- Identify accredited programs of study: There are many educational organizations. Be sure that the one you ultimately attend is accredited for your field of study. If not, when it comes time to take a standardized test or apply for a licensure or credentials, you might not satisfy eligibility requirements. Take a look at the Know Before You Enroll website for additional helpful information.
- Learn more about the larger industry: The healthcare industry is undergoing many changes as the result of reform efforts. Those changes might affect your job responsibilities. Learn more about healthcare reform efforts at http://www.healthcare.gov/
Unlike other industries where the work hours are between 9AM and 5PM, the healthcare industry is open 24-hours each day, 7-days per week. As a healthcare worker, you might have to work on a day, evening, or night shift. The work is not always easy or without stress. There is often little glamour. But, the opportunity to work on a team that helps patients get healthy or recover from an acute illness can be a really rewarding one. Good luck in your search!
Jenny Tsang-Quinn
Jenny Tsang-Quinn M.D. is the Executive Director for the New York Alliance for Careers in Healthcare (NYACH). At NYACH, Jenny is overseeing a project that engages healthcare employers in the analysis of current and future labor force needs and partners with workforce training organizations to meet those needs.
On the 2nd Friday of each month, Jenny will share advice and insight on jobs in the healthcare industry. If you have a question or comment for Jenny, drop her a note below. And, don’t forget to share this with your friends on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
For the mothers of your students in Sunday school needing help
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I’m interested but would like to keep money coming information rent food bills I work from Thursday throw Sunday can you help
Hi Edith Hobson, You can visit any of the Workforce1 Career Centers Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. Locations and hours are here.
Thanks
Dear Dr. Tsang-Quinn,
Thank you very much for the timely article you posted on this website. I find it very interesting that you are currently overseeing a project that involves the analysis of current and future labor force needs/partner re workforce training organizations to meet those needs.
I am currently unemployed and wondering about the need for nurses or technicians in bloodless surgery. What certifications are necessary to start and what courses on Staten Island are you aware of that can assist me in getting started? My background is in sales and secretarial/legal support in the entertainment industry. There is nothing in my background that details healthcare so I am guessing that the transition into this sector would have to begin from scratch.
Any info re the above is highly appreciated and I can be contacted at the email address provided below. Thanking you in advance and wishing you continued success.
Sincerely,
Ninoska Nina Perez
Dear Ms. Perez,
Thank you for your question. Bloodless surgeries – or surgeries that do NOT use transfusions as part of the procedures – as an option for some elective surgeries have existed since the 1960s, and the number of hospitals and practices that offer bloodless procedures is growing. Advances in technology and training makes bloodless or transfusionless procedures possible.
Nurses, technicians, and other healthcare providers who work in facilities that offer bloodless procedures must meet State and national credential requirements for their occupations. If you’re interested in becoming a nurse or technician and working in a facility that performs bloodless procedures, you must attend an accredited program (nursing school, for example), pass standardized testing (NCLEX for nurses, for example) and become licensed in your field. As you consider educational and training programs in your interested field, please reach out to their admissions office and inquire about training in techniques required in bloodless procedures.
Then, while you’re in school, research hospitals and other medical facilities that offer bloodless procedures and identify organizations that offer training for nurses, technicians and other providers who are interested in this work. Contact those organizations and find out if you can complete your clinical training/internships there or participate in a post-licensure training program.
Good luck!
Do. You. Have any. Training. For. Lpn thanks. For hha training and. Grants
Hi Richard Parker, Please find information related to training here. You may also be interested in the training provided through the Workforce1 Healthcare Career Center.
I am currently unemployed, now looking for a career in Healthcare. I have basic knowledge of ICD-9, CPT-4 coding, medical terminology, Microsoft Word and Excel. I also briefly volunteered at a Brooklyn Hospital…. How do I get my foot in the door? I have been turned away so many times.
Hi Stephanie Sinclair, Have you contacted the Workforce1 Healthcare Career Center?
YOU keep referring to the queens healthcare workforce center- Ive called them on a regular basis for over a year that Ive been unemployed and they have NO TRAINING GOING ON OR COMING UP AND NO HELPFUL INFO AT ALL- I called multiple times