Healthcare careers have been an integral part of our society from the dawn of time. And while many people will reference doctors, nurses, EMTs and other front-line professions when talking about the healthcare world, you might be surprised to discover just how vast the profession is.
If you’ve thought about working in healthcare but aren’t so keen on the clinical frontline work that requires more direct patient care, here are five alternative options that may be a better fit for you.
Pharmacy Technician
A pharmacy technician is a licensed healthcare provider who works and collaborates with a licensed pharmacist. Some of their responsibilities include distributing prescription pharmaceuticals, instructing patients on the use of certain medical devices, reviewing prescription requests with insurance providers and other administrative responsibilities. This profession is very versatile, existing in a variety of departments including retail, community and hospital pharmacies.
Medical Billing and Coding
If data collection and coding practice is more your speed, this field of study might just be perfect for you. The field of medical billing and coding is responsible for processing patient data, including records of treatment and insurance information. People who work in this career field work very closely with insurance providers to make sure every step in the medical reimbursement process is as efficient as possible. A strong understanding of medical insurance claims and appeals processes along with an overall financial literacy are necessary for success in this field. Most people in this field would work in a hospital or doctor’s office setting.
Medical Office Administrations Assistant
An administrative assistant is a versatile career that is available in a variety of healthcare departments. Responsibilities include health records management with consistent updates to patients’ medical information, day-to-day support operations for a healthcare office and in some cases, insurance coding. As an administrative assistant, you’ll also learn more about the business side of the medical field and how it operates.
This is another career that operates in many office departments throughout the healthcare field.
Opticians
Opticianry studies is a field of study focusing on the fitting and crafting of corrective lenses for patients based off prescriptions from optometrists and ophthalmologists. The duties of this profession include reviewing and selecting appropriate lenses based off prescriptions, measuring a patient’s dimensions for their correct lens frame size, and providing suggestions and descriptions for different lens options.
An opticianry is a great career if you are looking to work in a field of optometry but may not want the up close and tedious diagnostic work of an optometrist.
Medical Scribe Professional
Medical scribes focus on the information processing and creation of medical records for a healthcare office. A medical scribe’s duties include creating a record of medical documentation, assisting physicians by breaking down and understanding healthcare records, and providing personal assistance to physicians as they evaluate and diagnose patients.
A medical scribe profession is perfect if you are looking to aide in the work of a physician but aren’t as interested in direct patient care. The skills needed for this position vary but mainly focus on a vast understanding of medical terminology and strong reading, writing and listening skills.
If one of these careers sparks your interest, consider a program at Virginia’s Community Colleges and check to see if you’re eligible for G3 tuition funding.
To learn more about G3 funding and what options are available where you live, visit Learn how to Qualify and Programs for more information.
