subject: Health Careers - A Quick Glance At Opportunities You Can Try [print this page] Health careers are something worth considering if you want to change directions in your life, or if you're out of a job as so many people are today. This is one industry where the jobs are always in abundance as more people need health care every day. One reason why the demand for health care is growing is that the Baby Boom generation is aging and has the need for more medical care. As you'll see in these paragraphs there are lots of different jobs and fields to choose from when it comes to health careers.
Even in places where there are high unemployment rates, you will see lots of job ads for home health care aides. These are jobs in which you will care for people who are sick old or disabled in their own homes. You may find yourself helping them with the tasks associated with daily life: taking the right medicines at the right times, eating, getting into and out of bed, etc. Home health care aides will also sometimes do different things like transporting their patients to doctor appointments, take care of the shopping and even fix meals. You can do this independently or contract through a home health agency. The educational requirements for this job vary depending on where you live. In some states you might need to be a Certified Nursing Assistant.
If you enjoy teaching and want a health related job, you should consider become a health educator.
There are tons of jobs available in this field; you could end up working at a school, a non-profit, a corporation or even for the government. Health educators inform the public on all kinds of health related topics, such as pregnancy, substance abuse, high blood pressure, the dangers of smoking, sexually transmitted diseases and many other issues. You will have the satisfaction of understanding that you are teaching people about things that are very important to their health and their well being. In order to become a health educator you need a degree in community or public health or a similar/related field. You'll then need to take and pass a test to become a Certified Health Education Specialist.
Occupational therapists are always in demand, and there are many environments where their services are needed. People who have injuries from an accident usually need an occupational therapist to help them deal with their injuries, to speed up the recovery time. Something as simple as learning how to walk again, is one of the many tasks that you will be asked to perform, when this is your career. The job is basically teaching another person how to live again, so it takes someone who can encourage someone to do better when they don't believe they can. This is a career that requires some investment in education, as you'll need a Master's Degree in occupational therapy. As long as you are not against hard work, and lots of education, this pays well, and will be a rewarding career.
If you're unemployed or not happy with your present career, health related fields offer you many diverse opportunities. If you think you're too old to change careers, or that you can't afford to go back to school, don't be so quick to assume it can't be done. There are some jobs in the health industry that don't require lots of training and you might be able to get a loan or a grant for your schooling.
