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Careers in the medical field are varied and abundant. We've put
together a set of medical career resources that span the range of
options from office staff, nursing, EMTs, physician assistants and
all variety of physicians. Below is a brief overview of what it
takes for each of these areas, and resources to you help you investigate
the fields.
Medical Careers: Physicians
To be a physician,
you must complete 4 years of undergraduate training, spend 4 years
in medical school, and 3-7 years as an intern and resident. If you
plan on sub-specializing, you'll have to do a fellowship - usually
1-2 years more.
Geting into medical
school is not a cake-walk. The "magic number" for medical
school admissions is an undergraduate grade point average 3.6
and an MCAT score
(Medical College Admission Test) of 30 or more. Doing well in college
is a must because competition for the limited number of spots in
medical is imperative. If you do succeed in getting in, chances
are good you'll graduate: 95% of students complete their medical
education.
To get a medical license,
you'll need to complete your MD, and pass the 3 steps of the USMLE
(U.S. Medical Licensing Exam) during the 2nd and 4th years of medical
school and your internship year. The tests are difficult, but 90%
of students eventually pass. As a side note, many of the requirements
for MDs are also options for DO physicians (osteopathic
medicine).
Once you're licensed, you have many options:
Physician Employment: Trends and options for physician jobs
and employment in the US healthcare system.
Locum Tenens:
These are short term positions for physicians - find out the benefits
and drawbacks
Physician
Job Resources: This is a set of resources for the job-hunting
physician, including physician recruiters and placement firms.
Medical Careers: Nurses
There are a number of medical careers available in nursing. Some nursing students
start out as Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) which requires
the completion of a short study program. Some medical facilities,
such as nursing homes, will even cover the costs of your CNA
training if you commit to one of their CNA
jobs. Of course, they can often recoup their costs through
slightly lower CNA
salaries, but this is often worthwhile as a start.
A second choice is
working as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). Like most medical
careers, this one does require college study but it can be completed
at most vocational schools. LPNs usually work closely with other
nurses and with physicians to provide care for patients.
At the top of nursing medical careers is the Registered Nurse
(RN). The RN completes either a 2- or a 4-year degree program,
then must pass the NCLEX-RN
exam to become licensed. RNs who complete the four-year program
are usually paid more than those who opt for a 2-year degree.
You can learn more about choosing medical careers in nursing by
visiting any of our nursing education resources:
Nursing
Degrees: Trends and information for LPN and RN nursing degrees.
Become
a Nurse: A introductory guide for becoming a nurse.
Online
Nursing Degrees: Online nursing schools abound - the benefits
and what to watch out for.
Nursing Jobs Resources
Nursing
job descriptions: A general discussion of job responsibilities
for the different nursing levels.
Nursing
jobs: Find out where the most job openings are and trends
in nursing jobs.
Nursing
job sites: Online resources for the nurse hunting for a job.
Medical Careers: Office Staff
If you want to work in the health care industry, but would prefer
something requiring less education, less patient care, and shorter
hours, then training to be part of the office staff may be an
ideal choice. Medical careers in transcription, coding, and billing
all begin with some basic training which you can usually receive
from a vocational college in just two years. To learn more about
medical careers in these fields, visit any of the following pages:
medical
transcription schools, medical
coding schools, or medical
billing schools.
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