5 Unique Benefits of Working in Healthcare

Every type of career has its pros and cons, the healthcare industry included. However, what distinguishes the careers in healthcare and medicine is that they represent a calling. There is something inherently noble about helping people when they need help the most, and careers in healthcare and medicine present the perfect opportunities for people that want to offer that help.  Below, you will find out why working in healthcare will be the best choice for you, and you will see how the benefits of a career in healthcare outweigh the cons.

We provide testimonials from healthcare and medicine workers and how great pay and job stability are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to healthcare benefits. Additionally, the various career opportunities and different specializations present opportunities to help people without ever coming near wounds or blood (if you’re a bit squeamish) Healthcare administrators and managers are needed just as much as doctors and surgeons because they ensure that everything runs smoothly and that the patients are taken care of as soon as possible. This means that any specialization you choose will put you on the path of a rewarding career and that your work will always be needed and appreciated.

1. Numerous Diverse Career Specializations

You may start your career in healthcare as a volunteer or as a check-in assistant. Or you may start as an intern right after graduating from medical school. No matter how you start, working in healthcare is such a growing industry and one that will face shortages in the coming years due to aging baby boomers.  Even if you change your mind down the road about which specialty, you can still switch and specialize in different healthcare or medical fields, without losing your status. Most hospitals and healthcare centers offer their employees the opportunity to undertake special training if they want to specialize in a certain field. So, even if you haven’t decided yet what you want to specialize in, you can start as an intern and move up from there. Once you get a better feel of the normal workday in a hospital or healthcare center, you can explore many options before settling down on what aspect of working in healthcare appeals to you the most.
In other types of careers, when you want to switch to a different department, there is always the possibility that you will have to earn less during the training period, or you might need to quit your current job to find another one that suits your tastes better. However, once you’ve decided on the healthcare industry, then you have plenty of different career specializations at your fingertips, and you can do it in the same healthcare center or hospital. Every field in the healthcare industry is needed, which is what contributes to the rapid growth of vacancies, making the healthcare industry one of the best industries to begin a career in. Additionally, working in healthcare means you can travel as you work, as healthcare workers are needed everywhere, especially in big cities that have a large population number.

 

2. Career Stability, Steady Earnings

Hospitals and healthcare centers are open 24/7, and working in one means always getting full hours, twenty if you work part-time, and thirty if you’re a full-time employee. However, hospitals are busy places, and most employees get overtime because of the need for more healthcare workers. This ensures that you get steady earnings week after week without worrying about your hours.

Additionally, there are plenty of opportunities to move up in your field quickly. A registered nurse has stated, “I’ve worked here for 17 years. We have an awesome leadership program, with lots of opportunities to advance. I became a charge nurse in one year.” Her testimonial shows that if advancing is your goal, you can achieve it much more quickly when compared to other industries, where you need to work and hone your skills for many years before you will be offered a promotion. Additionally, in the healthcare industry, teamwork and great skills are vastly appreciated, which means that as long as you’re a good team member, and do your job proficiently, you will advance quickly, because there is always a spot above your own that needs to be filled.

 

3. Great Working Conditions and Employee Benefits

“Nurses have a big voice when it comes to directing patient care. Nursing and physician collaboration is awesome here, and I have great managers!” As a nurse from Einstein Medical Center has stated, working in healthcare means being part of a team. Everyone has a specific role in taking care of just one patient, and the more eyes watch over them, the better. The testimonial from above is not surprising – often, nurses and young interns will notice an oddity before the doctors do, and often, they have saved patients’ lives by noticing a single abnormality and then notifying the doctors of it.

A testimonial from a registered nurse working with Outpatient Services. States, “After 11 years, I’m still impressed with the dedicated team of professionals who work with me. The outpatient department is stable and dynamic, and we energize one another. My skills are constantly challenged. In what other professions can you make a difference every day?”

Testimonials such as these prove that working in healthcare means upgrading your skillset day by day, all with the support from the other team members. “I wanted the atmosphere of a small hospital. I’ve been here now for 15 years, and there are many of us who have been here that long. We’re a good team, and we deliver a high standard of care. Best of all, when we have employee forums, the management really listens to us and takes action.” Cindy, RN, Charge Nurse. “People here work as a team; we help each other when the pressure’s on, and together we make things work.”

A registered nurse from Sacramento explains how they support, and teamwork extends to fieldwork. “Even though our caseloads can go up (and down), there is always additional help from the pool staff. The field staff must be able to work autonomously. If you do not come from home health or another job where you spend all your time in the field, it can be very intimidating and hard to get used to. When I ask my manager for help, they give it to me, and it helps me manage my schedule better.”

However, it does not end there. Working in healthcare means that there are two families you can fall back on if something unpleasant befalls you – your family from home and your workplace family. Sonya West, a communications assistant, has shared her story of a situation like that. “In 2005, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Following my surgery, I needed chemotherapy and radiation. Everyone in the facility who knew about my situation was helpful, caring, and understanding. My co-workers, manager, and the supervisor could not have been more understanding and supportive.”

 

4. Helping People and Healing the Community

Careers in healthcare are spiritually rewarding. Day in and day out, you will be working with patients and their families, helping them get through what’s probably the most difficult time in their entire lives. You will help and assist them with whatever they need. They will ask for help, for reassurance that their family member will be okay, and you have their trust simply because you’re there. You would contribute daily to the physical and emotional well-being of many people.

You will help patients with their physical needs, assist them in whatever way you can. Even if you’re only an administrative worker, you will still need to communicate with them, and the patients will rely on you to ensure that everything is okay with their family members, even if you’re not treating them. At the end of the day, many of them will be very appreciative of the hard work you put in, which is what makes every field in healthcare extremely rewarding.

A Charge Nurse working in the ER has stated the following reasons why she chose the ER as her workplace. “The ER is efficient and well-equipped, and waits are not long, which is wonderful for our patients. I like the family-oriented environment; everyone takes care of everyone else.”

Hospitals and healthcare centers form an integral part of the community. Working in one of them makes you, personally, a contributor to the well-being of many members of your community, earning their respect and appreciation. As another nurse has stated, your reward will be the knowledge of your active contribution. “I like knowing I’m part of a stable, successful healthcare system.”

5. Stimulating, Fast-Paced Work Environment

Working in healthcare means your days will never be dull or repetitive. There will always be people that need help. Every patient will need to be treated differently, which means that every day, you will face new challenges, both physically and psychologically. You will learn new things constantly, and always be in touch with people, with individuals who have their own stories and problems and look to you to help them. There is nothing as rewarding as that.

Of course, there are moments when you might not be able to help. As an intake advisor from Nashville, TN, has stated, there are times when you cannot help. “..The hardest part of the job is taking calls back to back and not being able to help all clients that are desperately in need of treatment…The most enjoyable part of the job is knowing that you successfully helped get a client in a treatment program and knowing that they are on their way to recovery.”

But you can use those situations to work even more diligently to ensure that every patient gets help. Your days will pass quickly due to being so busy, and most hospitals and medical centers will push you to your limits and more. There will be situations of life and death, but there will also be situations of great happiness and joy. You will be able to see miracles, but also witness great tragedies, so you will need to be strong enough to bear it all. Additionally, you will be able to keep in touch with all the new advancements in medical technology, which will enable you to ensure every patient gets proper care. You will learn to think on your feet and undertake many different tasks at once. But despite the demands, the rewards of a career in healthcare are overwhelmingly greater. Robin, a surgical technologist, had the following to say on the matter:

“I have been a surgical technologist for 16 years, and I love my job. Part of the wonderful satisfaction of my job is being able to save lives from trauma, fix parts of the body that are broken or do not work properly, and to give patients who have been sick or hurt a better quality of life. I work with a great group of employees and surgeons. We also have a great management team in surgical services. This job is a tremendous learning experience, and it challenges you every day to learn and grow as a healthcare professional. I am dedicated to my career as a surgical technologist because I love this job so much. Helping people the way we do just makes you feel so good inside. It also gives you the sense that you are doing good things for others.”

There is something inherently noble about helping people in the most difficult moments of their lives, which is what makes careers in medicine and healthcare so rewarding. It is an industry that constantly needs additions to its workforce because there are always people that are in need of medical attention. Working in healthcare means you will contribute to saving and improving people’s lives and making sure that they are able to overcome traumatic experiences with gentleness and care.