6 Reasons to Pursue a Career in Health

The health industry is continuously growing and in fast-increasing demand for healthcare professional as the global population grows and ages. If you want a rewarding job that is fast-paced and unpredictable, a medical career could be right up your street. 

With a wide variety of avenues available to study health online, there has never been a better time to gain a healthcare qualification!

Arguably, the number one benefit of pursuing a career in health is how rewarding patient care is. The healthcare sector carries with it many opportunities for personal growth, and regardless of the area of healthcare you work in, you will feel extremely fulfilled in realising how much of a difference you are making to people’s lives. 

It must be said, however, that careers in the healthcare sector are known for requiring a lot of hard work, both physically and mentally, as you are responsible for providing a high level of care to multiple patients, often working long shifts with few breaks. 

Even so, as a medical professional, you will be the person who sees patients at their most vulnerable and being able to help make them better or more comfortable will allow you to feel fulfilled and give you a sense of purpose.

Healthcare is a vast career field, with a number of specialisations in many different areas of medicine, ranging from working in public health to caring for the disabled and working with sick children. The many career options that are available within the medical field mean that there will always be a specific job that will suit your education and experience levels. 

Medicine encompasses the practice of treating patients suffering from a wide range of illnesses and ensuring that steps are taken within modern medicine to look for cures to diseases such as cancer.

With a medical degree, you can pursue a career as a GP looking after patients at a doctor’s surgery or in a hospital. Medicine graduates can also explore whether they want to work within the NHS or privately. However, a degree in medicine does not need to equate to becoming a doctor; a career in medicine can also branch into areas of healthcare such as pathology, paediatrics or orthopaedics. 

Nursing is the profession and practice of caring for the ill usually in hospitals or care homes.  

Nurses are doctors’ wingmen and often it is the nurse who will consult with the doctor and update them on the patient’s condition. Nursing predominantly focuses on the care of the ill, disabled and people who are close to death. However, the profession also looks at the promotion of health and prevention of illness. The type of nursing vocation that you go into can range from specialised nursing in hospitals to working in a nursing home looking after elderly residents.

It’s no news that the NHS is an extremely underfunded institution that is struggling to keep its head above water. However, that also means that there is no better time to join the NHS than now, as healthcare professionals across all medical areas are in high demand.

There is always going to be a demand for healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants, managers and dentists so you can be sure that the healthcare industry is a secure industry to be employed in. 

As well as boasting secure employment opportunities, pursuing a career in public health can also eventually lead to advancing into a management position, or becoming a public health consultant. 

The healthcare profession sets itself apart from other industries as it is fast-paced and dynamic. There is no fear that you will be bored at work and not stimulated in a healthcare job in the way that you could be in an office environment. No two days will be the same working for the NHS, which makes the industry exciting and dynamic as you will need to work at a fast pace and adapt to new situations as they unfold. The unpredictability of the role keeps the nature of the job exciting.

Due to the number of positions within the healthcare profession, there is competitive earning potential specifically for those who have attended medical school. The opportunities to advance in your career also mean that your salary is set to increase as you progress throughout your time in the healthcare profession and receive more training.

The NHS is globally renowned for the high level of healthcare it offers which means that there are also opportunities to work overseas. Medical professionals such as doctors are often required to work abroad in developing countries at short notice in order to provide humanitarian assistance and long-term health programmes. Not are opportunities such as these greatly rewarding but they give British doctors the opportunity to advance their skill-set and apply their knowledge to those in great need.

Whether it be enviable job satisfaction, a sense of genuine purpose or the diversity of career options offered by the healthcare sector, it’s no wonder people continue to pursue careers in health in great number.

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