Are you considering a career in professional healthcare in the United States? It’s a noble calling, with fulfilment on many levels on offer, not just financially. You get to help people when they’re at their most vulnerable, providing essential services to keep them healthy and support their well-being. You’ll feel proud about the work that you do, and you won’t be ashamed to share what you do for a living at a social event, unlike some other professions.
However, if you choose a career in healthcare, there are a variety of specializations to choose from. Even within distinct fields such as nursing, medicine, mental health, and more, there are a wide range of roles that you can perform. You might do an online ABSN or other qualification and then specialize from there. The sheer variety of roles to choose from can be overwhelming, which is why we’ve prepared this helpful article. This comprehensive guide to specialized healthcare career pathways will detail several different ways to various specialized fields. Continue reading to learn more.
Become a Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a highly specialized medical doctor who has completed comprehensive postgraduate training in psychiatry. Psychiatry is a highly regarded profession that diagnoses, treats, and prevents mental, emotional, and behavioural disorders and issues. For instance, a psychiatrist can diagnose borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, major depression, and generalized anxiety disorder.
A psychiatrist can also prescribe special mental health medication to treat mental illnesses, such as antidepressants, anxiolytics (anti-anxiety medications), antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers. These medications, in combination with talking therapy, are proven to be effective in treating such conditions.
Psychiatrists work in a variety of settings, including inpatient mental health units, community health settings, and private practice.
Becoming a Psychiatrist?
Becoming a psychiatrist is a long and arduous journey and can take up to ten years or more to achieve. To begin with, you need to undertake and finish an accredited medical undergraduate degree, such as a Doctor of Medicine or a Bachelor of Medical Studies. This typically takes six years of full-time study or more for part-time. After this, you need to complete a year’s internship with a hospital before you can apply for registration as a medical practitioner with the relevant authoritative bodies in your state. Next, you must apply to a specialized psychiatry college to undertake the specialized training. This can take five or more years and includes supervised placements in specific settings. You can become a qualified psychiatrist after this incredibly long and challenging process. The rewards are worth it, though, as you’ll have a distinguished career and earn an excellent salary.
Train to Become a Specialized Nurse
If you’ve studied an ABSN and want to become a full-time nurse, this is a rewarding and valuable career pathway that will provide job stability and fulfillment. Once you’re a qualified nurse, you can work in a variety of healthcare settings. Nurses work in hospital wards or emergency rooms, tending to patients with health issues ranging from the life-threatening to the mild and inconvenient. For instance, nurses can work in wards ranging from oncology to fractures to pediatric and more.
As a nurse, you could specialize in a particular nursing field, such as an oncology specialist nurse, a geriatric nurse, or a surgical nurse. Each of these has its unique requirements. The best baseline qualification is the ABSN, but after that, once you’ve gained 2,000 hours of clinical experience, you can specialize and gain certifications in various fields that we’ve just mentioned.
Each state has different requirements, but usually, you’ll need to undertake a certain amount of clinical hours in the field that you’ve chosen before sitting an exam or passing a board to obtain your certification.
Consider a Career as an Exercise Physiologist
Exercise physiologists are highly trained, specialized healthcare professionals who assist patients to become fitter and healthier. This role treats people with various medical conditions through exercise and physiotherapy. You can work with patients who must lose weight or modify their lifestyle to avoid the risk or exacerbation of chronic health conditions.
As a qualified exercise physiologist, you may wind up working with people who have high cholesterol, heart disease, cancer, or other physical health issues such as arthritis that impact their ability to function and well-being. You will provide patients with coaching, health education and information, and physical rehabilitation therapy so they can live their lives feeling better and performing well.
To train in this vital healthcare specialist role, you will need an undergraduate degree in exercise physiology, exercise science, kinesiology, or other related healthcare qualifications. There are masters level courses available, too, which are ideal for those wanting a higher qualification to specialize truly.
Train as a Pharmacist
Not all healthcare professions provide direct treatment of patients, such as pharmacists. However, this role is just as vital to patients’ care and well-being as some people need vital medications in order to live a healthy and happy life. For some people, regular medication means the difference between life and death.
As such, you could consider a career as a pharmacist, working to dispense these vital medications to consumers. As a pharmacist, you’ll be a trusted professional and help people with their ongoing health and well-being. You’ll become a specialized expert in all medications, from tablets to topicals and liquid medications. You can provide your customers with advice on the most effective ways to treat common illnesses with over-the-counter medication and prescriptions. As a pharmacist, you can work in a local drug store or within a hospital pharmacy.
In order to become a pharmacist in the United States, you need to complete a Doctor of Pharmacy or PharmD. Most places will take you even if you don’t have a related undergraduate qualification. No matter which program you choose, ensure that it is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). The entire process will take about four full academic years to complete.
Launch A Career in Healthcare Management
Finally, another viable specialized career pathway in the healthcare system in the United States is to work towards a management role. In all cases, you’ll need a few years of experience in a direct healthcare setting working as a nurse, psychologist, therapist, or other clinician role providing direct healthcare support. After you’ve gained this valuable experience, you could apply for a team leader, senior, or lead role. Then, you can work your way up the ranks over the years.
There are a variety of management roles available in healthcare settings such as hospitals, non-profit organizations, community care settings, and other places. Some management roles include ward unit managers, directors, administrative managers, and even executive-level management like Chief Executive or Operating Officer. Some people go back to study for an MBA, which they can apply to healthcare management settings with excellent results.
A Specialized Summary
This highly informative article has shared about various specialized fields in healthcare, from psychiatry to healthcare management. This should help you decide on your potential career pathway in this esteemed field.
