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5 Reasons to Consider Allied Health Careers
In the healthcare industry, a team of professionals work tirelessly to support physicians, nurses, and other primary care providers. These people are known as allied healthcare professionals. While many of these professionals in allied health careers operate behind the scenes, they are crucial in supporting patient care and helping to diagnose, treat, and rehabilitate patients.
It’s estimated that professionals encompassing a wide range of allied health jobs comprise 60% of the U.S. healthcare workforce. Allied health careers include certified medical assistants, speech-language pathologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, pharmacy technicians, paramedics, phlebotomists and more. To help anyone with an interest in working healthcare, we put together this guide of the top five reasons why a job as an allied healthcare professional may be right for you.
1. Flexible hours. Some allied health jobs, such as medical billing or coding, can be scheduled like a traditional 9 am to 5 pm job. Other positions require staffing around the clock and offer a nontraditional schedule, such as clinical positions in a hospital setting. If you prefer to work evening hours, a night shift could offer you the flexibility to take care of personal tasks during the afternoon, and work in the evenings. A career in allied health can let you choose a work schedule that fits into your life.
2. Variety of paths. Whether you love working hands-on with people or prefer to remain behind the scenes, an allied health job offers many different options and job paths. Love working with numbers? Medical coding or billing is a great option. Want more interaction with people? Help people recover from injuries as a physical therapist, or work with children in a school setting as a speech-language pathologist.
3. Faster entry into the healthcare field. If you want to work in the healthcare field but find the schooling and time requirements for certain positions — like a medical doctor or nurse — daunting, entry-level allied health careers may be right for you. For example, many dental practices are willing to hire a dental assistant with minimal experience and provide training while they work. Depending on the state you work in, many dental assistant programs can even be completed in as little as a few weeks.
4. Job security. With the ever-growing need for healthcare services, allied healthcare is one of the fastest-growing job sectors in the United States. Overall employment in healthcare is projected to grow 13% from 2016 to 2031 — an increase that will bring as many as 2 million new jobs. Allied health professionals are in high demand, ensuring job security and competitive compensation.
5. Rewarding work. Many allied health careers require working hands-on with people to some degree, often directly and positively impacting their health. If you’re looking for a meaningful, flexible profession where you can help people live healthier lives, allied health jobs are a great choice.
If you’re ready to begin a rewarding job as an allied healthcare professional, explore how Amergis Staffing can help you find the perfect job.
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