Choosing a Career in the Health Field

Other Factors to Consider

Science and math course prerequisites: Science and math are common course areas in which pre-health students take throughout their undergraduate careers. Some fields incorporate a high degree of science. Others will require a lower amount of science. Reflect on how strong you are and how interested you are in these subjects.

Required Education: Healthcare careers vary drastically regarding the number of years of education and/or training to practice. Some positions like certified nurse aide only require a couple of months to be certified, while others such as allopathic medicine need a minimum of 11 years of education and residency. Assess how long you are willing to learn and train before being able to practice in your chosen field and whether you would be able to afford that financially, emotionally, physically, and time-wise.

Competitiveness: Healthcare fields drastically vary in the competitiveness of their professional schools. Evaluate how competitive your application may be when the time comes for you to apply and whether you would be willing to invest the time, energy, and funds to possibly reapply to schools if you are not accepted the first time. 

Handling Bodily Fluids: Occupations in healthcare vary greatly regarding the handling of bodily fluids such as blood, urine, and saliva. Some professions require daily handling of bodily fluids while others do not require you to even see bodily fluids. Ponder how comfortable you are with handling other people’s bodily fluids and how often you may do so.

Patient Interaction: Healthcare occupations vary depending on the depth and frequency of patient interaction. Think about what kind of patient interaction you would want to have daily.

• For example, nurses and occupational therapists see a high volume of patients in their practice so they need to have a particularly warm and caring personality.
• On the other hand, medical technologists and biostatisticians are more task-centered in their work wherein their practice involves little to no personal contact with patients.
  • These types of settings can be found in pharmacies, laboratories, or corporate/nonprofit/government offices, just to name a few.

Direct Impact on People’s Lives: Some fields work more behind the scenes, while other professions require constant direct communication with patients. Your impact on patients will also vary depending on the profession. Contemplate the degree to which you want to have a direct impact on patients and how you want to have this impact.

Stress Level: Some careers require facing life-and-death situations, working extremely long hours, and shouldering other heavy responsibilities every day, while other positions are not as strenuous. Be realistic and honest with yourself. If you feel that you can handle long workdays and are capable of handling stress, then pursue a healthcare career that will demand that of you.

Work-Life Balance: Some professions require more working hours and involve attending to more patient emergencies than others. Think about how much time you want to work versus being at home each day as well as if and when you would like to start a family. Be sure to choose a career that fits your lifestyle needs.

Working as a team member: Healthcare is a team-driven industry. A patient's recovery relies on the collaborative ability of a healthcare team and how each team member performs their specific function. However, healthcare fields vary in how much direct daily communication with other professionals is required. Deliberate over how much interaction with colleagues you would want to have every day.

Stratification: In general, you train for and remain in a specific career. Each career has a minimum number of years spent in training, a specific degree required to practice, and an income range related to the required training and experience. Levels of independence and authority also vary with each career, with doctoral education offering the highest level. Careers in healthcare tend to be static, or tied to the completed degree. For example, medical technicians can not be “promoted” to doctors. Changing careers requires additional education, training, and licensing. Give thought to where in the healthcare career stratification you would like to be. 

Setting: There are many different healthcare environments in which you can work, even while in the same position. You may be employed in a hospital, a community health center, a private practice office, or even in a patient's home. You may work in the city, the suburbs, or in underserved areas, which are often in the rural or inner-city neighborhoods. You might be a member of a small staff or a huge organization and may be working at the local, state, or even national level. Reflect on what kind of settings you would like to work in every day and whether you will be able to work in these environments based on the professions in which you are interested.

Job Outlook: Job outlook refers to the number of positions that are anticipated to be of need in the future. Research the outlook of careers that you are interested in pursuing, particularly in areas you are interested in living and working in the future.

Stability: Consider how long and where positions would last and what your preferences would be.

Geographic Mobility: Contemplate whether you may want to relocate in the future and whether the education and years of experience would vary depending on what state or country you may live in.

(Text compiled from Explore Health Careers, U.S. Department of Labor, NAAHP's Medical Professions Admission Guide: Strategy for Success, 5th edition, and the catalogs for UH’s campuses, Brigham Young University at Hawaiʻi, Chaminade University, and Hawaiʻi Pacific University.)