Career Shopping: Is the Medical Field Right for You?

Posted July 16th, 2010 by admin

The economy; it’s become a crutch for anything that has gone wrong. For most of us the excuse has gotten stale. But when you can find even the brightest of Master’s degree holders manning the till at your neighborhood fast foot joint you know there really is trouble. While many fields have virtually locked out new applicant, the medical field continues to grow with needs on almost every area. The medical field is huge with thousands of different specialties from medical transcriptionist to neurovascular specialist and almost all are seeing shortages. The appeal of job security and attractive income is enough to convince many people that a career in medicine is the right choice, but other factors weigh heavily on a good decision.
The first step to figuring out if a career in the medical field is right for you is to do your research. There are numerous opportunities within the field alone. Narrow it down by learning what job duties various positions have. Determine the educational requirements and average salary of the more attractive positions. Then do a little more research. This process should quickly narrow down your medical field of interest.

The next step is to arrange for a job shadowing experience. Get in the field of play! Lining up a job shadow can be intimidating but people rarely get turned down. Shadow multiple professionals in your top 2 or 3 fields of interest. If you find yourself bored or overly uncomfortable after a few shadows then you have a good sign it’s not the right career path for you. On the other hand if you feel excited or the day seemed to go by really fast; that’s your green light to head into the field.

Another technique you can use to determine if the medical field is a good fit for you is to take an anatomy class in your first year of school (or jump in a night class at a community college). Even clinical administrators need to know basic medical terminology, particularly of the human anatomy. This is an excellent step in weeding out fields of interest. If you find yourself good at rote memory then perhaps you would make a good coder. You may find yourself entranced by the skeletal system and find out you want to go into Orthopedics. Or perhaps you find that the class is a struggle; a bad showing in an anatomy class is usually a strong sign that you would do better in a different field.

Another step you can take is to set up an appointment with a local college career services coordinator. If there is one thing colleges can’t stand it is drop-outs. Because of this they will do anything in their power to help you make the right choice to jump start your new career. You may go in thinking about medical coding and come out enrolled in the nursing program. Sometimes a simple chat with the right people will get you seeing straight.

The number one way to tell that the medical field is your calling: pay attention to how you feel. We as humans are intuitive and it often does us a lot of good when we listen to our gut. Choosing a career is like getting lost in a forest and having to choose between two unruly paths. After some good old fashioned research and observation, intuition will take over and lead you on the best possible road to career enlightenment.

Kyle Simpson writes for  Medical Coding Certification where you can find more information about a career and training in the medical field.