When thinking about careers in the healthcare field, positions like physician, nurse, or surgeon often come to mind. While these are great jobs to strive for, there are so many other opportunities within the field to think about! As someone who is not 100% sure what career path I want to follow, I understand how overwhelming the process of career planning can be. Below, I have outlined some of the more uncommon career pathways with excellent job outlooks in healthcare.
Anesthesiologist Assistant
Anesthesiologist Assistants work under Anesthesiologists and with a care team to ensure proper anesthesia practices, typically in a hospital setting. Unlike Anesthesiologists, this pathway does not require medical school.
Average Salary: $95k-180k
Years of higher education: 6
Resources:
American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants
American Society of Anesthesiologists
Occupational Therapist
A career in occupational therapy allows one to work in a multitude of different settings and with people of all ages. Occupational therapists help people who are suffering or have suffered mental or physical illness better perform everyday tasks.
Average Salary: $80k
Years of higher education: 6-8
Resources:
American Occupational Therapy Association
Forensic Toxicologist
Forensic Toxicologists are a part of a crime scene investigation team, often working in a lab setting to identify and make conclusions on unknown bodily samples. They also can also assist in drug/alcohol testing as well as environmental contamination assessments.
Average Salary: $34k-64k
Years of higher education: 4-8
Resources: American Academy of Forensic Science
*Pro-tip: The field of forensics has many career opportunities, including Forensic Pathology and Forensic Biology. Check them out here: https://explorehealthcareers.org/field/forensic-science/
Environmental Health Practitioner
Environmental health practitioners work to improve and protect public health, either generally or in specific areas, such as air quality control, soil monitoring and hazardous waste management.
Average Salary: $45k-113k
Years of higher education: 4-6
Resources:
National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council
Choose a Career in Environmental Health
If you are someone who is interested in the field of healthcare, but are still unsure exactly what you want to do, there are so many great resources out there to help guide you!
- Visit the website: https://explorehealthcareers.org/ which provides general information about many healthcare careers, lists career opportunities currently available, and can help you determine if healthcare is right for you.
- Make an appointment with a career coach or peer fellow at the Knowlton Center. This is a great place to start if you are unsure about what path you want to take, or even if you are sure and want to make sure you are on the right track.
- Talk to peers in your major classes. You never know what cool healthcare career pathways you may learn about and want to find out more about!
