How to Start a Career in the Medical Industry Today

Healthcare is one of the most desirable and fastest-growing industries. To work in a hospital, you do not need to care for patients or have 10 years of experience. Specific medical education is also not always required. For some positions, it is enough to have persistent motivation, a great desire, and meet the requirements of an open vacancy.

In this article, you find practical advice on how to start a career in medicine, what documents you need to prepare, and a shortlist of professions for beginners.

How to get a job in medicine

Starting a career in the healthcare industry may seem like a hard task, but this is only at first glance. Usually, people give a big role to education and work experience but forget about other important employment steps. Let’s consider each case separately.

Education

Medical education provides more opportunities to launch a successful career in medicine. There are different ways to get medical education: through university, college, or specialized courses. For example, to be a surgeon, you must have a master’s degree or higher, finish a residency, and obtain a license. Type of education depends on which direction in medicine you choose. Of course, it’s best to define your future profession at school to devote the appropriate amount of time to relevant school subjects, such as biology and chemistry.

Specialized education is only the first step to getting a job. Usually, after graduating from university, students do not have the work experience that employers require. What should you do then?

How to get into the medical field without experience

Many job seekers want to find work in the healthcare field. This can be explained by the fact that salaries are high, and the work is stable. But what if you don’t have work experience yet or are entry-level?

4 steps how to get into the healthcare

Create a resume. Your resume shouldn’t be longer than two standard pages. You can create two or three resumes for different specializations and notice each vacancy’s required skills separately. For example, for work as a veterinarian, you can indicate the ability to euthanize among the hard skills, and among the soft skills – quick reaction, the ability to learn quickly, love for animals.
Once the vacancies have been selected, send a cover letter with your resume. Cover letters should be written individually for each company. Do not use the same template for every job. If you don’t know how to write cover letters and what should be included, you can use specialized online services like www.getcoverletter.com and make a cover letter for a lab assistant, for example. A couple of clicks and you have a quality letter.
Prepare for your interview. Search the Internet for information that can help. Look for common questions candidates may be asked when applying for a given position, and questions applicants should ask during the interview. Go to the company’s website and social media pages to learn about its corporate policy, values, and how to get to the company so you won’t be late for your appointment.
Be natural during the interview and show the recruiter that you are interested in the job. For example, tell them how you volunteered for three months and helped stray dogs and how this invaluable experience you received can be used when working as a veterinarian.

Even if you have not yet worked in the medical field, then during the studying, you probably did an internship. The experience gained during the internship can be referred to as work experience. It should also be included in the cover letter if it is relevant to the vacancy requirements.

But best of all, during applying, a mentor will vouch for you. A mentor is a specialist who is ready to take responsibility for you and teach you everything they know. Such surety gives you a solid land under your feet and a good start in your work. For example, you want to become a professional surgeon, but you do not yet have the necessary skills to perform your first independent surgery. For getting this experience, the surgeon-mentor takes you as an assistant. And in a few years, it will be easy for you to carry out an operation of varying complexity.

How to get hired into healthcare without medical education?

Doctors and nurses are not the only jobs in healthcare. Hospitals hire all sorts of professionals, many of which don’t require a medical degree, including medical translators, healthcare administrators, cleaners, bookkeepers, security guards, ambulance drivers, and many more.

Many potential workers do not have enough money and time to attend a nursing school or medical college. And without the necessary education, you cannot become a doctor or a nurse. But even so, you can specialize in something else. For a better understanding, let’s start with the simplest examples.

Medical Translator

Medical translation is a service of a high level of complexity and risk since one mistake can lead to tragic consequences. A medical translator can be compared to a surgeon because their words determine how accurately the doctor understands the patient’s diagnosis and how well the patient understands the doctor’s recommendations.

Medical translation is a narrowly specialized field. It is not enough for a translator to know a foreign language at an advanced level. In addition, a medical translator must constantly learn specialized terminology, new medical products, techniques, and procedures.

A bachelor’s degree in foreign language translation is not always a demand to work in a hospital. It is enough to know the languages fluently as not to make mistakes in translation. But you have to pass a test of your knowledge of languages and medical terminology.

Billing Manager

The billing manager assists in day-to-day accounting functions related to healthcare operations. Responsibilities include modernization of payment collection and billing processes, implementing a billing program, enforcing written policies to regulate accounting, compiling statistical and financial reports, following up on belated invoices, disciplining and rewarding employees, and sometimes hiring new staff. As you can see, the billing manager doesn’t even need to know medical terms to work in a hospital.

Required education: a degree in the field of business management, finance, or accounting.

Security officer

A security officer ensures the safety of the property and people in the assigned area. Their responsibilities include preventing damage and loss, deterring violators, providing assistance to patients, if necessary, monitoring the territory, and compiling security and incidents reports.

Education requirements differ depending on the place of work, but candidates must be physically fit.

Claims Examiner

Claims examiners process and investigate any claims received at the hospital. Their responsibilities include collaborating with doctors and nursing staff, negotiating health insurance, handling claims and finding solutions, and adhering to established company standards.

It is enough to have a high school diploma to become a claims examiner, but a specialist with a college or university diploma is preferred.

As you can see, different people with different experiences and knowledge can work in a hospital.