Healthcare fields

A student wrote to me: “I read your blog about Healthcare jobs because I am planning to study in the U.S. I am very interested in learning more about these jobs, especially the fields that do not require a lot of time and money. Please advise.”

Answer: My knowledge of healthcare field is limited so I can only write about what I know. Today Healthcare workers are in high demand due to the aging population in the U.S. as well as in many European countries. There are jobs that require 5 to 7 years training such as Medical Doctors or Registered Nurse but there are many jobs that only require 12 to 24 months training such as Dental Assistant, Pharmacy Assistant, or Medical Technologist etc. Most of these fields are taught in the Community College where graduates can get a certificate or an AA degree.

Dental assistants work in an office under the supervision of a Dentists. They perform a variety of patient care, and laboratory duties such as obtain patients’ records, sterilize and disinfect instruments and equipment, prepare and lay out the instruments and materials required to treat each patient.

Pharmacy assistants work under the supervision of a Pharmacists. They prepare medication and other healthcare products to patients. They also perform administrative duties such as verify that information on the prescription is complete and accurate.

Medical technologists provide diagnostic or therapeutic application of technology to patients. This is a broader field with many specialties such as radiation therapy, X-ray therapy, cardiovascular technology, Medical Sonography etc.

There are much more healthcare occupations that I am not familiar with but you can also research and get better information from the community colleges. To study these fields, you need to have a good command of the English languages.

Sources

  • Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University