The good news is that jobs in the healthcare industry are not just limited to professionals who have completed years of college education, internship and residency like physicians, physical therapists and pharmacists. There are other job opportunities that require less than 4 years of education and training but pay highly commensurate salaries. For this article, the allied health workers will be discussed since these are arguably the individuals to whom doctors and nurses rely on the most for support in performing their jobs effectively and efficiently.
Dental Assistants
As the name implies, dental assistants provide support services for dentists in a variety of jobs from patient care to office and laboratory duties. To name a few of these responsibilities, they sterilize, prepare and store dental equipment as well as maintain patient records and instruct them on postoperative care.
The working environment is generally the dentist's office. Thus, the working hours are variable depending on clinic hours although 35 to 40 hour workweeks are common. Part-time work undertaken by dental assistants will increase the number of working hours as well as the basic pay. The 2008 median annual pay was $32,380.
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
One of the important diagnostic healthcare jobs in the industry are the position for diagnostic medical sonographers. Basically, sonographers operate special equipment that direct high-frequency sound waves into the patient's body like the abdomen. The purpose is to form images of the internal organs, which will then be used for diagnosis by the physicians.
There are many specialties available in this line of healthcare work. To name a few, you can choose from obstetric and gynecologic sonography, abdominal sonography, neurosonography and vascular sonography.
As is usually the case with other healthcare professionals, the working hours and the working environment can vary considerably. It is possible to have 40-hour workweeks although on-call as well as weekend and evening duties are not uncommon. One may also choose to work full-time or part-time in many facilities like hospitals, clinics and mobile imaging service providers. Wages will vary depending on the work environment and the working hours with the median wage for 2008 set at $61,980 per year.
Surgical Technologists
Probably one of the more demanding support healthcare jobs is those performed by surgical technologists. Their main function is to assist in the surgical operations under the guidance and supervision of qualified medical professionals like surgeons, nurses and anesthesiologists. In fact, surgical technologists are essential members of the surgical team in most hospitals.
Formal education is necessary to acquire a certificate, diploma or associate's degree as surgical technologists, with programs offered by vocational schools, community and junior colleges and even by universities and hospitals. Military personnel can also avail of these programs lasting 9 to 24 months.
Certification is a preferred requirement for this type of healthcare work. It can be secured on a voluntary basis from the Liaison Council on Certification for the Surgical Technologist through passing the national certification examination, which will then lead to the Certified Surgical Technologist title. Continuing education for a minimum of 60 hours is required to maintain certification.
The salaries are also commensurate to the demands of the job. As of 2008, median annual salary for surgical technologists was $38,740 with the highest earners taking in as much as $54,300 per year.
Nursing Aides
And of course, there are the nursing aides without whom many tasks in the healthcare facilities cannot be performed. In many ways, nursing aides perform the dirty work of the healthcare industry. Their responsibilities include providing hands-on care for the patients, setting up pf equipment under the direction of medical professionals, and even the taking of vital statistics.
Nursing aides are employed in a wide variety of work settings hospitals to nursing homes. Median hourly wage for 2008 was at $11.46 although it can greatly vary with experience, setting and location. These healthcare jobs may not be as glamorous as their professional counterparts like the physicians and surgeons but these are very important jobs in the general scheme of things.
