As a patient in a hospital or clinic, you see nurses, doctors and specialized direct-care personnel. But medicine is also a business. If you're interested in working in a medical setting and have transferable skills, you may be just a few steps away from being qualified.
Transferable Positions
"With the sudden decline in high tech, more and more people are considering [working in health care]," said John Lew, recruitment and retention manager for Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston.
While previous employment in a health-care setting and knowledge of health-care systems is preferred, most job descriptions do not state educational requirements beyond those needed for the same occupations elsewhere. While department heads usually handle hiring, an outsider is sometimes brought in to shake things up a little.
Positions Requiring Specialized Education
Some business positions within health care require education specific to the health-care industry. If your studies included the sciences or business, you may have less education ahead of you. The amount of study needed varies with the position. With the exception of a medical assistant, note that the occupations listed below do not include direct care.
Medical Assistants
Medical assistants are the people you meet when you enter a doctor's office. Their job is a hybrid of business and medicine. They check you in, process your records, keep appointments, track prescriptions and perform some direct care such as taking blood pressure, assisting the doctor in an examining room and performing simple lab tests. Some are trained on the job, but more frequently, they have associate's degrees that can be earned in two years at a community college.
Health Information Managers and Technicians
Health information managers manage the flow of medical records and other information. Although they don't normally interact with patients, they still must have knowledge of medical terminology, medical law and medical coding systems. Preparation for a career in health information management is typically a bachelor's degree in the field.
Though junior to health information managers, health information technicians are also responsible for medical information. An associate's degree is usually required. Health information clerks are junior to health information technicians. They work with charts and other medical information. You can find accredited bachelor's, associate's and certificate programs in health information management through the American Health Information Management Association.
Medical Transcriptionists
Medical transcriptionists transcribe recorded patient histories and clinical information. They need knowledge of medical terminology and the language and writing skills to transfer abbreviated and simplified note-taking into usable information for medical files. Community colleges offer associate's degrees in medical transcription. The American Association for Medical Transcription has extensive information on careers in the field.
Medical Secretaries
Secretaries manage information flow within medical offices just as with any business office. Office software skills are increasingly necessary, as is an understanding of medical terminology, which can be learned on the job, through in-house training or through specialized courses. Training is available at vocational high schools, training institutes and community colleges.
Health-Care Administrators
This is an umbrella title for a range of tasks. A health-care administrator oversees the organization and flow of a health-care office or project. Financial management, staff coordination, project planning, and policy and procedure implementation are common responsibilities. Candidates should understand finance, business organization, law and ethics as they relate to a health-care setting. A master's degree in health-care administration is usually required for this career track, though some people take an alternate route by getting an MBA with a concentration in health care.
The health-care industry is large and varied, with many opportunities at institutions of all sizes. It can also be demanding. "People have a misconception of health care as laid-back," Lew said. "We're actually pretty lean. Employees are asked to juggle."
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