You could be a doctor or a nurse. You could be a healthcare administrator. You could even be a dentist. But, most people choose these careers because they don’t realize the wealth of other opportunities in the healthcare field. If you want a job in healthcare that is relatively easy to enter and provides a number of satisfying rewards, look no farther than the following underrated careers in healthcare.
Anesthesia Technician
Anesthesiologists are notoriously some of the highest-paid healthcare professionals, but becoming a fully qualified anesthesiologist requires decades of education and training. You can work in the same high-paying field and enjoy similar gratification from the pain relief you offer patients by becoming an anesthesia technician. These professionals provide technical support to anesthesiologists and other anesthetics specialists, which may involve setting up essential equipment and monitoring patients. You can receive a certification that qualifies you for this job in as little as one year, and you can earn a median annual pay of about $53,000.
Recreational Therapist
Many patients need specialized therapy to help them overcome conditions that impair their physical, emotional and cognitive well-being. Recreational therapists design and implement programs that can deliver this therapy, helping patients achieve the level of well-being they want and deserve. There is a wide variety of different types of recreational therapists, from art therapists to sports therapists to animal therapists and more. The type of therapy you can provide will determine which qualifications you need and how much you can earn, though the median pay for professionals with this job title is around $52,000 per year.
Audiologist
Hearing is a valuable sense, and audiologists are specialized healthcare professionals who can diagnose and treat problems with hearing. Unlike other underrated jobs on this list, audiologists must earn an advanced degree in the field to qualify for positions, which means you may need to spend up to a decade in higher education. Still, opportunities for audiologists continue to rise as younger generations abuse their hearing in various ways. Currently, the median salary for audiologists is about $83,000, but more experienced professionals working in higher demand regions could certainly earn more.
Autotransfusionist
Any time blood is removed from a person, it must be handled with expert care or it becomes dangerously unusable. Autotransfusionists, which also sometimes have the title of perioperative blood management technologists, are highly skilled healthcare professionals who understand how to use complicated machines that clean and filter blood so that it can be transfused safely and effectively. These professionals must have immense attention to detail, harbor no squeamish tendencies and the ability to operate quickly in potentially high-pressure situations. Surprisingly, you can become an autotransfusionist with just a year of training, and you can earn a median income of $48,000 for the work.
Clinical Laboratory Technician
A significant amount of healthcare is performed not by doctors or nurses but by laboratory technicians, who process patient samples and deliver information that healthcare providers use to make diagnoses and develop treatment strategies. As a clinical laboratory technician, you need to know how to use various types of lab equipment and maintain a laboratory setting to ensure accuracy and precision in tests. You should be able to find technician positions with an associate degree in a science field, and you can earn upwards of $57,000 per year.
Speech and Language Pathologist
Humans are hard-wired to acquire language, but utilizing language skills properly does not come easily to everyone. Due to physical or cognitive impairments, children may struggle to use language effectively, and speech and language pathologists help them gain the skills they need to communicate. Speech and language pathologists can also be vital in helping adults who have suffered injuries that impair their speech as well as all manner of patients who struggle with swallowing. Most speech and language specialists have a master’s degree, which involves five to six years of higher education, but they stand to earn a median income of about $84,000.
Your career should not be limited to the professions you learned about as a child. With a little research and some investment in your professional credentials, you can create a high-quality healthcare career that you love.
