There are so many options for someone interested in healthcare - some are clinical - hands on patient care, and many have no clinical component. Some people know right away what they want to do and other need time to really learn about all the options.
 Explore healthcare careers by:
- letting your student "shadow" a healthcare provider
- finding books in the library - both you and your student should read them and then talk about what you read
- talking to relatives, friends and neighbors who are in the healthcare field. Find out why they chose their career -what they like, don't like, would they do it again and why,
- conducting an internet search - do it with your student - talk about the different sites, write down questions that come up.
Have your student take an assessment test that may indicate some of their skills, interests and abilities and give them career tendencies that they may have - many of these are free and available over the internet.
Encourage extracurricular activities that get them involved in healthcare, making sure that these activities are balanced with their academic life in order to maintain a good GPA. Some examples include:
- volunteering
- summer job(s)
- school related clubs (Health Occupations Student Association - HOSA).
- Medical Explorer Post (Boy Scouts)
If you know a healthcare provider, ask them to present information at the school's career day -what they do, why they like what they do and how they decided to become a healthcare provider.
What are the Hot Jobs for healthcare in North Carolina?
Listed below are a number of hot job categories for healthcare in North Carolina.
You can obtain more detailed information about the individual careers under each category by
going to the North Carolina healthcareers website.
| Clinical Laboratory Science |
Military healthcare |
| Dentistry |
Nursing |
| Dietetics and Nutrition |
Pharmacy |
| Health Information & Communication |
Public Health |
| Health Services Administration |
Radiology |
| Medical Careers |
Science and Engineering |
| Medical Office Personnel |
Special Technologies & Services |
| Mental Health Professionals |
Therapy |
| Veterinary Medicine |
Vision Care |
healthcare Educational Programs
Many things will go into helping your students make the decision in selecting his/her career.
We have already talked about passions, but another factor is the length of time and type of
program to get the degree/certification your students desire. Take a look at the various programs
available for careers in healthcare.
| GED/ H.S. Diploma |
12-24 months |
2-3 years |
4-6 years |
| Certified Nursing Assistant |
Surgical Technologist |
Registered Nurse |
Registered Nurse |
| Phlebotomist |
Licensed Practical Nurse |
Radiologic Technologist |
Registered Dietician |
| Dental Assistant |
Pharmacy Technician |
Respiratory Therapist |
Registered Occupational Therapist |
| Medical Assistant |
Occupational Therapy Assistant |
Medical Laboratory Technician |
Psychologist |
| Cardiovascular Technician |
Physical Therapy Assistant |
|
Medical Technologist |
| Paramedic |
|
|
|
| 5-8 years |
7-11 years |
8-9 years |
| Physician Assistant |
Audiologist |
Dentist |
| Physical Therapist |
Psychologist |
Pharmacist |
| Nurse Practitioner |
|
Doctor of Medicine |
For more information on any of the above jobs, check out nchealthcareers.com (The North Carolina AHEC healthcareers Web site)
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