As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak within the United States and around the world, healthcare and healthcare workers have been at the forefront of the public consciousness. With so many U.S. citizens also unable to work, it stands to reason that if you were considering a career in healthcare yourself, now would be a good time to get started. Currently healthcare is the largest U.S. employer, but with the pandemic still throwing up new challenges on a daily basis, it is also an employer that could do with all of the help that it can get. So, here are a few ideas to help you getting your start in the healthcare field.
Deciding Which Part of Healthcare is For You
Healthcare is about more than providing medical assistance on a first aid basis, or long term care within a hospital setting. As an industry it incorporates pharmacy work, therapy, medical equipment production and dispensary, transportation and upkeep of medical supplies, medical insurance, law and medicare claims—to name just a few examples. It’s obvious, when taking all of these options on board and knowing that they are just a small selection, why the field of healthcare is such a large employer within the United States.
To take one example, pharmacists are often people who are gaining experience within the medical field, before moving on to other health care based practices. As a supplier of medical supplies to the average citizen, the local pharmacy will be responsible for ensuring that the right medication has gone to the right people, and that the correct medical expenses and health insurance is being used. Pharmacists do more than provide prescription drugs, but are responsible for ensuring that the correct prescription medication is being used and that there is no conflict of effects with other medical supplies that have been overlooked by doctors before being prescribed.
As far as health insurance goes, pharmacy workers can also help patients get the best price for their prescription medication, and navigate what coverage will apply. As part of the United State’s Medicaid program, some discounts and coupons are available for certain individuals (such as seniors) and pharmacists are of the best position to advise on where to attain the best prescription discount card for them. On a related note, America’s Pharmacy is a company that provides prescription discount cards, as well as coupons to help those with medical conditions pay for their treatment, and are worth checking out.
People who work within pharmacy dispense prescription medication, advise on medical expenses, and provide much needed knowledge on how to obtain coupons and discount cards to help get the best price on medical needs. Within the field of healthcare, pharmacy work is a wide reaching job to start off with.
Other Examples
As the field of pharmacy shows, there is a wealth of different healthcare careers that once can be a part of. One that is often overlooked, is that of healthcare law. As renowned lawyer and mineral enthusiast Howard Fensterman demonstrates, there is a lot to healthcare law than ensuring that the correct people are doing their jobs properly. Although malpractice and medical negligence suits do happen, and are incredibly unfortunate when they do so, there is a lot more to healthcare law than assigning accountability when things go wrong.
Actually, healthcare lawyers are also there to ensure the smooth and legal running of a hospital and medical practice. They ensure that the correct guidance is being followed by the healthcare workers, and that they are protected from litigation if a health care provider has been wrongly blamed for the effects of something that they are not responsible for (like disabilities) instead of from malpractice. The field of medical law is also very much a multi-faceted and wide ranging area. As Howard Fensterman’s New York-based law firm shows, medical and health law are divided into a great deal of subsets and cannot be generalized under one particular form of practice.
However there is another way which Howard Fensterman uses his skills to provide more within the healthcare field. As a philanthropist, he helps various medical charities such as the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America in their efforts to find and manufacture a cure. Plus, he contributes his skills and knowledge to charities that are focused on medical supplies and research, as part of efforts of improving the lives of a lot of people who are dealing with medical issues. Sometimes, you don’t need to be a health care professional to be a health care provider.
Getting Started
Of course, aside from pharmacy work and medical law, the number of different options that are available to you are a chosen career path is extreme. But getting onto that path is not quite as straightforward. Being a fully fledged health care provider requires a lot of hard work and qualifications. It will help to have a job that pays your way, even if it is not was much money as you were previously making, and provides experience at the same time. Again, look into pharmacies that are close to home and see if they are taking on any new hires, or speak to drug manufacturers and medical suppliers and see if they can help too so that you gain experience as well as a paycheck.
You’re going to have to learn how to be savvy over the next few years too, and hunt for discounts and coupons wherever you can get them. Outfit stores such as White House Black Market (WHBM) will often have sales to pick up good deals on items such as petite sweaters, jackets, trousers and blouses. It’s not only best to keep an eye out for these so that you look good on a budget, but look professional, too.
When it comes to paying for medical supplies, health care workers will also be made aware of companies like Home Care Pharmacy who work to bill Medicare on your behalf if you are struggling to make ends meet, and ensure the cost of medication is kept to a low amount.
Medical professionals are a much needed and underestimated resource within the United States. If you’ve chosen to be part of the United States’ healthcare industry is on your agenda, then good luck on your journey.
