Pursuing a career in the healthcare sector can be tremendously challenging and rewarding in equal measure. While healthcare professionals invariably enjoy the UK’s best pension schemes and job satisfaction, a great deal of hard work and dedication is vital to the success of your career. If you can handle long working hours and fast-paced, dynamic working environments, your role in the healthcare sector could make a significant difference in the lives of many individuals. In light of this, here are some tips for procuring a job in healthcare.
Contrary to popular belief, a degree isn’t necessary for a respectable healthcare career. Many positions in the wider healthcare sector don’t require a university education, such as support worker, equipment technician and medical transcriptionist. That said, an apprenticeship could be your route into one of the hundreds of available healthcare positions, so check online regularly for apprenticeship opportunities near you.
Although a university education isn’t a crucial requirement for many healthcare positions, a degree in biology or biological sciences is often the starting point for a speciality medical career. For example, along with a bachelor’s degree in medicine, UK doctors must complete several years’ worth of postgraduate study, specialising in a specific area of medicine. NHS nurses require a minimum of five GCSEs and two A levels or equivalent before they begin their undergraduate degree.
Surprisingly, the healthcare sector is open to postgraduate candidates with degrees outside of the medical or nursing field. There are various training courses and study schemes across the NHS and private health care board, ideal for postgraduate candidates with qualifications in every area from software development to project management. For example, you can undergo speciality training in public health to become a public health consultant regardless of your medical degree or lack thereof.
There are around 25,000 vacancies advertised per month for the NHS alone - not including private healthcare facilities. As is the key to obtaining any job, your first port of call is to scour careers websites, whereby you will find valuable information regarding training, apprenticeships and other requirements for your desired career path. If you require more information before applying, don’t hesitate to contact the department’s hiring team or HR department.
While a hospital may be the most obvious choice of working environment for those keen to procure a job in healthcare, don’t forget to consider the many other facilities that require an exceptional team of professionals, medically trained or otherwise. For example, you may wish to adopt a community-based approach by pursuing a career as a community health service pharmacist. You may even want to use your medical degree to go down the route of veterinary medicine.
Medical centres and healthcare facilities involve a high degree of organisation, with everything from medical equipment PAT testing to barrier cleaning being treated with the utmost seriousness. Individuals working in non-clinical healthcare roles make up the teams and departments responsible for the behind-the-scenes procedures that keep the healthcare sector running like a well-oiled machine.
When deciding on your healthcare career route, assessing your individual strengths and weaknesses is vital before making informed decisions. For example, if you find working with children enjoyable, it may be worth considering a position as a paediatric nurse. Similarly, a job as an emergency service call handler could be ideal if you work well under pressure. That said, the vast majority of healthcare roles require patience, compassion and exceptional communication skills.
Struggling to make informed career decisions alone can be profoundly overwhelming; therefore, it could be worth contacting a careers advice service. Speaking with a career advisor could provide guidance and impartial insight into your options. You could also receive vital information regarding qualifications and training to obtain your dream position.
While there are currently thousands of healthcare positions available, keep in mind that it is a highly competitive sector. Certain divisions, such as the health and social care sector, are perpetually in need of skilled, compassionate individuals. On the other hand, speciality fields such as radiology and psychiatry receive high numbers of applicants per vacancy, requiring persistence, robust training and years of experience.