By virtue of being a healthcare professional, your choice of a professional career already has a significant impact on your community; however, the choice of making an even greater impact is entirely yours. The medical and patient care sectors are filled with opportunities for career advancement and community outreach, it is up to you to define how high your career will take you. With this in mind, here are four suggestions to help you further your career:
Help Improve Rural Healthcare
You have probably noticed that most teaching hospitals and comprehensive healthcare systems are traditionally located in the heart of major metropolitan areas; unfortunately, this often leaves rural areas with diminished access to quality healthcare. There is a lot to learn about health issues in rural communities due to socioeconomic and lifestyle differences; to this effect, you can become a member of the Mobile Healthcare Association and find out how you can contribute to their cause.
Stay on Top of Technology
In the 21st century, the fields of life sciences and biotechnology are on the cutting edge of advancement. Even if you specialize in traditional healing arts such as herbal medicine, there is always a new technological breakthrough that you should be paying attention to. A smart way to stay in touch with medical technology is to subscribe to established publications such as the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics and the Health Informatics Journal.
Take Leadership and Management Classes
There was a time when hospital administrators were criticized for being disconnected from healthcare professions; this criticism was not far off the mark since these administrators mainly came from the corporate world. Things have been changing in recent decades, and now it is more common to find healthcare professionals in management positions. If you would like to get into the lucrative and demanding field of healthcare management, you should start with taking courses on business administration and personnel management.
You can also consider furthering your own education. For example, if you’re a nurse you could take an rn to msn program online. Furthering your own education is a great way to continue growing your career and increasing your impact.
Volunteer
Healthcare professionals are highly sought after by charitable and volunteer organizations such as Doctors without Borders, New York Presbyterian and Frontier. Aside from the deep personal fulfillment of providing medical care to those who really need it, volunteering has another great advantage related to the diversity of professionals you will meet; this could open the door to many future career opportunities.
In the end, achieving a greater impact within your healthcare field will depend on whether you are willing to advance your career and elevate your professional profile.
