02/1/2022
Available healthcare jobs keep rising every year. To keep up with the demand, online medical degrees are becoming more popular.
Getting your degree online offers greater flexibility than the traditional class schedule. Many online medical programs offered are hybrid — online course material and in-person clinical hours.
Here are eight medical degrees you can earn online, job descriptions, and career prospects.
A health facility requires qualified leaders. Health business administrators help manage the healthcare system. If you’re looking to help in management at a medical facility, this is a great degree to choose.
Typically, you’ll need at least a bachelors’ degree to be in healthcare management. Whether you want to work in nursing or social services, you’ll need a degree in health administration. You can also pursue a doctorate or master’s degree in this field.
Your classwork will focus on health information systems, healthcare economics, and human resources courses.
Before moving to a higher management position, you’ll likely need to gain experience in a management role at a hospital or clinic in a lower management position.
As a health administrator, you’d be responsible for helping a medical facility run smoothly to give the best possible care to patients. You’d be helping with the organization and communication elements of running a medical practice.
Your duties could include:
Health administrations have great opportunities to earn a high income and advance their careers.
More and more health facilities are looking for people to help in management and leadership positions. You can work in various settings, including hospitals, clinics, and primary care networks.
Pharmacists ensure that patients get the medications that are essential to their health.
If you’re interested in working as a pharmacist, you’ll need to get a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree.
PharmD is a professional degree different from a Ph.D. A Ph.D. in Pharmacy allows you to focus more on research instead of working with the general population.
For your coursework in a PharmD program, you’ll take classes in areas like chemistry, medical ethics, and pharmacology. Most people can complete a PharmD program in four years.
Pharmacists play an essential role in the healthcare system. They help dispense medications prescribed by doctors.
Pharmacists also help educate patients on drug use. Also, by their knowledge of drug interactions, they ensure medications are combined correctly. In most states, they can also give vaccinations and flu shots.
The average annual income for pharmacists in 2020 was $128,710 per year.
You’ll have extensive job opportunities as a pharmacist. You can work in:
In outpatient pharmacies, you can serve members of your community and help people get their prescriptions. Also, you can choose to work in a hospital setting, monitoring the supply of medicines used in the hospital and dispensing medications.
As a pharmacist, you can also act as a consultant to insurance companies and healthcare facilities.
Physician assistants work in the assessment and diagnosis of patients. They collaborate with doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to provide patient care.
Typically, they work under the supervision of a physician. However, the supervising physician doesn’t always need to be onsite for PAs to provide medical care.
To become a physician assistant, you’ll need to complete about two years of extra education after getting your bachelor’s degree. Your bachelor’s degree should be in the sciences.
Your coursework will include classes in anatomy and physiology, diagnosis, and clinical medicine. Also, you’ll likely have to complete a certain number of clinical hours for your program.
Once you’ve completed your program, you must pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) to practice as a physician assistant.
As a physician assistant, you can help patients as a direct healthcare provider. Your role may include activities like
Your role will depend on where you want to specialize.
In 2020, the average annual income for physician assistants was $115,390. The profession also boasts high job availability. Jobs for physician assistants are expected to increase by 31% by 2030.
As a physician assistant, you can work in outpatient and in-patient settings. Work settings include:
You can also specialize based on specific health areas and patient groups. For example, you could specialize in:
A surgical technologist helps prepare the operating room and ensures surgeries go smoothly by anticipating the surgeon’s needs. They are an essential part of the surgical team.
To work as a surgical technologist, you must complete a certification program or an accredited surgical technology program. The time frame of each program varies and could last from months to 2 years.
While you can complete the classwork online, you’ll need to fulfill the in-person clinical time. Coursework focused on anatomy and physiology, sterilizing techniques, and infection prevention components.
As a surgical technologist, you’ll assist the rest of the surgical team in surgical operations. Your duties will include:
In 2020, the average annual income for surgical technologists was $49,710.
While the job scope of a surgical technologist might seem limited to surgeries, there’s the opportunity to specialize in helping with different types of surgeries. For example, you could end up helping with:
As a licensed practical nurse (LPN), you work directly with patients and play an essential role in the healthcare system. You can help with patient bedside care or in the outpatient setting.
To work as an LPN, you must complete a training program to get a certificate or diploma. Your training will involve courses in nursing and pharmacology. Most LPN programs take about a year to complete.
After completing the program, you’ll need to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN) to be licensed to practice as an LPN.
As an LPN, you help ensure patients get the best care possible. Your duties will include:
In 2020, the average income for LPNs was $48,820 per year.
As an LPN, you can work in various health settings, including hospitals, clinics, urgent care, or primary care offices. It all depends on where you want to specialize. You can focus on specialty based on age or a specific health area.
For example, you can work in:
There’s always a need for nurses, so job stability is promising
A dental assistant is a personal assistant to a dentist. They support a dental operator during a procedure. Typically, dental assistants are great at working with people and meticulous.
The qualifications of becoming a dental assistant vary between states. Some states allow you to get on-the-job training. In other states, you need to complete an accredited program and then pass an exam.
Dental assistant programs usually take about one year to complete. You can do some of the coursework online, but you’ll need to do some clinical time in person.
Coursework focuses on the mouth and understanding the tools that dentists use. It’s good to have a strong background in high school biology and other sciences.
You help the dentist work with his patients. Also, you assist in dental procedures, gather patients’ medical histories, and schedule follow-up appointments. You might also help with getting patient x-rays or teeth impressions.
Your scope of practice will depend on where you live. For example, some states also let dental assistants do dental cleanings.
The average earning for dental assistants is $41,180 per year. And job availability for dental assistants is expected to increase by 11% by 2030, making it a promising field to enter.
Most dental assistants work in dental offices. There are dental offices across the country. So the job allows for a lot of flexibility on where you want to live.
If you like IT, but your interest lies in the medical field, you should consider becoming a medical records clerk. These technicians ensure that the right processes are followed, and they secure the organization’s data.
To work as a medical records specialist, you’ll need a high school diploma. But you can get higher qualifications. It’s good to have a strong background in health and computer science.
You can get your bachelor’s degree in a healthcare-related field. Also, you can pursue specific certifications like one to become a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT).
Different certifications will require additional education and examinations. Your training may involve:
As a medical record and health information specialist, you would handle patients’ medical records at a medical facility. You would clarify discrepancies and ensure that all data is filed and stored correctly.
Your organization and handling of patient data ensure quality patient care and accurate billing with insurance companies.
The average income for medical records specialists and health information specialists is $45,240 per year.
You can work in various healthcare settings, including clinics, doctor’s offices, and hospitals. All healthcare systems have to keep records and need people to help with this process.
Doctors diagnose in various ways to determine the proper treatment for a patient. One of the standard methods used is blood testing, and that’s where a phlebotomist comes in.
The trained professional draws blood from a patient’s vein and then takes it to the laboratory for the recommended analysis.
You’ll likely need to go through a certification program to work as a phlebotomist. But it all depends on the regulations in your state.
These programs usually take less than a year to complete. Coursework would focus on concepts like human anatomy, medical terminology, and the process of drawing blood.
You can complete the coursework online, but many programs require you to have a certain number of successful blood draws before you can be certified.
Lab work is an essential part of health data. As a phlebotomist, you draw patients’ blood and transfer those samples to the lab for analysis. Accurate lab tests ensure that people get the medical care they need.
You can help patients feel relaxed and help the process of getting blood work go as smoothly as possible for them.
The average salary for phlebotomists is $36,320 per year. And the jobs available for phlebotomists are expected to increase by 22% by 2030.
Any sites that need to get blood work will need skilled phlebotomists. You can work in outpatient settings like labs or blood donation sites. Also, you can work in in-patient settings or emergency care.
There are so many options for careers in the healthcare field. You can get started with your next degree online wherever you are in your career.
Earning your medical degree online can let you tailor your schooling to your daily schedule and responsibilities. Ready to get started?
Online medical degree is one of the popular approaches aspiring professionals access the required training is through enrolling for online medical degrees. Also, jobs in the medical field are increasing every year; in hospitals, pharmacies, laboratories, and much more.
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