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Community Colleges: Excellent Choices For Well Paying Medical Careers

If you’re a student who is not interested in attending a four-year college, a two-year college can provide you with a ticket to a promising and well-paying career. This is particularly true if you are interested in the field of health care as a start to planning your well-paying medical career.

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Why choose a medical career ?

Unlike some occupations, statistics and predictions indicate the medical and health care field is growing rapidly. Between 2014 and 2022, statistics indicate that the field is expected to create a whopping 4 million health care jobs. This is higher than employment creation in any other industry. In fact, health care positions figure high in the top 100 rankings for 2015 employment.

This indicates a very healthy sector with ample opportunities for those who care to enter the field. The opportunities in this type of employment are extremely diverse, and most require only a two-year or associate degree.

There are other reasons why, in the long run, health care careers may prove to be more financially enabling. Some relate directly to the nature of the education. Overall, such two-year programs are advantageous to students because:

  • They are shorter in length than a four-year Bachelor’s program
  • They are less expensive than other options – tuition and living expense over two years versus those at a four-year school
  • They allow students to get into the workforce more quickly than those at a four-year college

There are four-year degrees for many of these medical career, but research indicates that the amount of financial recompense between the two is not significantly different. Moreover, if you decide to advance further in your medical career, you do have the option of going back to school and to apply your current credits towards a four-year degree.

Medical or health care positions

If you are considering the medical field, make sure you know the extent of the offerings. While people tend to think of doctors and nurses, the reality is there are many more jobs that are linked to health care. It is important to identify the differences in order to know the qualifications for entry as well as your own suitability. Among the many types of medical or health care positions you can consider are the following:

  • Dental assistants
  • Diagnostic medical sonographer
  • Emergency medical technicians
  • Licensed practical nurses
  • Licensed vocational nurses
  • Medical assistants
  • Medical records and health information technicians
  • Medical equipment repairer
  • Nuclear medicine technologist
  • Nursing assistants
  • Paramedics
  • Phlebotomists
  • Radiation therapist, and
  • Psychiatric technicians
  • Surgical technologists (Pannoni, 2015; Sheehy, 2014; Torpey, 2014; Marcus, 2014)

The tasks and work required by those in the health care field are described as demanding and rewarding. You may do something as straightforward as schedule appointments for patient. You could also be required to draw blood samples, fill prescriptions or perform diagnostic testing on a client. There is also other laboratory work as well as equipment cleaning and food preparation.

Pursuing a medical career

If a medical career appeals to you,make sure the community college has current accreditation credentials, and take a close look at the programs offered. Talk to your counselor or advisor. Only after you have compiled all the information should you make the final decision that will launch you into a good paying medical career.

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The Author

Mary Brown

Mary Brown

Mary Brown has enjoyed writing about education and finance related topics, such as scholarships, student loans, college, vocational degree choices, and adult education since the early 2000's. She also writes about school budgets, accreditation and fundraising.