You’ve heard it again and again – health care is and will continue to be one of the fastest growing industries over the next 10 years. This usually means more jobs, more salaries, more opportunities to move up or to a different job in the industry. (For more information on employment projections, please see these data tables from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.)

“But I don’t want to be a doctor or a nurse.”
“It requires too much school and money.”
“I don’t like hospitals or doctor’s offices.”

With more than 200 health-related occupations available, almost any personality type can find a job in this field. (Also, don’t forget that health organizations still need workers from other non-health professions, like accountants, systems analysts, administrative assistants, etc.) Visit the websites below to learn about the different jobs in health care.

GENERAL DESCRIPTIONS

The Career Guide to Industries tells you about occupations in the industry, training and advancement, earnings, expected job prospects, working conditions, and information about the job market in each state. It is a companion to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, which provides information on careers from an occupational perspective.

Career Ship offers detailed descriptions of tasks, knowledge, and skills required for hundreds of careers. Users can search careers by interests, clusters, or keyword. This service is part of Mapping Your Future, a national collaborative, public-service project of the financial aid industry to provide free college, career, financial aid, and financial literacy services for students, families, and schools.

FIND LOCAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Contact your local Area Health Education Center (AHEC). Find it with the National Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Organization’s directory. AHECs and Health Education Training Centers (HETCs) are federally created programs that use the resources of academic medicine to recruit, train and retain a health professions workforce committed to underserved populations and to serve specific populations with persistent, severe unmet health needs. These centers operate in almost every state and the District of Columbia and collaborate with approximately 120 medical schools and 600 nursing and allied health schools. “Connecting Students to Careers, Professionals to Communities, Communities to Better Health” is the mission of the National Area Health Education Center Organization, the AHEC/HTEC membership network.

Check your school or public library for these books on choosing a health career, recommended by Kids Into Health Careers, a website maintained by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. Ask a librarian for other recommendations, and browse nearby titles.

Search the Internet for “health careers [state name]”. Many schools, colleges, and universities, and health-related organizations have collected local information on in-demand jobs, training and financial aid programs, and local chapters of professional associations, among other resources. Example: The Medical Center of Central Georgia’s Health Careers: An Internet Resource Guide for High School Students.

Check in your area for Federally-Funded Health Professions Programs, some of which are listed below. Click on the program name to see if it is offered in your area:

Health Careers Opportunities Program — Provides students from disadvantaged backgrounds an opportunity to develop the skills needed to successfully compete for admission to and graduation from health professions schools, allied health professions schools, graduate programs in behavioral and mental health, and programs to train physician assistants.

National Network of Health Academies and Health Career-Focused Programs — High school career academies are small learning communities within large, usually urban, high schools. Of more than 2,000 academies nationwide, close to 20 percent of them focus on health related careers. The program’s mission is to increase the effectiveness of high school health career programs and the numbers of students entering health occupations. The network will provide and generate support for high school students to learn about and pursue careers in health-related occupations through the collaboration of school systems; Health and Human Services agencies, resources and funded initiatives; individuals; and national organizations dedicated to expanding and improving life options for youth.

Centers of Excellence — This program is designed to strengthen the national capacity to train underrepresented minority (URM) students in the health professions. It provides support to schools of medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and other public and nonprofit or educational entities and graduate programs in mental or behavioral health that train a significant number of the targeted minority students. It also supports "Other" Minority Health Professions Education programs at health professions schools having enrollments of underrepresented minorities above the national average.

FINANCIAL AID

Read through our FAQ, “Where can I find information on college scholarships and fellowships?”, paying special attention to the advice about contacting your high school’s guidance counselor, your college/university’s financial aid office, AND the department office for your studies (e.g., the office for the nursing school or program).

U.S. Bureau of Health Professions introduces federal aid programs for training in a health care profession.

At Govbenefits.gov, you answer a series of questions about yourself in an anonymous questionnaire, and then this federal website returns a list of government benefit programs you may be eligible to receive along with information about how you can apply.

Check all national, regional, state, and local chapters of the professional association for your chosen field.