Choosing a Career in the Medical Field Essay

â€Å"A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad.† ~Theodore Roosevelt (Graduation Quotes, Commencement Sayings, Advice For Graduates, 2012). Education is something one could say gives you a better understanding of the world. Without Education in this day and time you may find a job but a career is much harder to obtain. Although the job market and economy are still suffering quite a bit and there are worries of whether or not you will find employment after college, it is thought to be the best option for obtaining a great career. Choosing what to go to school for after graduation can seem challenging. The medical field is rapidly growing career field that is increasing in demand every year, with higher patient demands and growing technology. As long as we are here, the demand for medical field careers will continue to be here as patients need to be taken care of by medical personnel. The medical field has many careers to choose from and is not solely limited to nurses and doctors. Some examples of the career choices in the medical field are a Registered Nurse (RN), a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), a Medical Assistant, and a Certified Nursing Assistant. The growth in these careers all have grown in the last several years and is expected to continuously grow over the next four years, with some fields having more drastic growth than others. Registered Nursing jobs are expected to grow by 23% between the years of 2006-2016, with just an associate’s degree in this field. Registered Nurses assess incoming patient’s symptoms and the severity of them. They can also offer advice on care to stay healthy as well as administer some forms of treatment or care. They are often overseen or supervised by Physicians. LVN’s and LPN’s are expected to grow approximately 14% from 2006-2016. The schooling on average for a career as a LVN or LPN is anywhere from 10-16 months. The duties or tasks in this field involve taking care of sick or injured persons in many different facilities. They are often supervised by Registered Nurses (O*NET ONLINE, 2011).Medical Assistant jobs are expected to have a 35% increase over the next ten years. Programs to become a Medical Assistant can range from eight months to receiving an associate’s degree in medical assisting. Medical Assistants can work in the clinical part of a medical field or the administrative part. They are often supervised by Physicians but can also be supervised by medical office managers as well as registered nurses. Clinical duties in medical assisting may include but not be limited to taking vitals, getting a patient’s past medical history, assisting a physician in treatment, and drawing blood. Administrative duties in medical can include medical billing and coding, checking patients in and scheduling patient appointments to general secretarial duties (O*NET ONLINE, 2011). Certified Nursing Assistant Programs are expected to gain 265,000 jobs over the next 10 years. A certified nursing assistants daily duties can include bathing a patient, to dressing and feeding a patient, changing a patients bedding to even moving a patient to or from their bed. Certified Nursing Assistants are supervised by Registered Nurses and Physicians. Most Certified Medical Assistant programs range from 8-12 weeks and require no licensing or board certification (Lang, 2009). The medical career field is a very desirable field with continuous growth, short periods of training or school and also may have benefits with competitive wages. Advancement in technology continues almost daily in the medical field keeping patients healthy and alive longer. This increases the demand for health care and in turn increases the demand for qualified employees. As long as there are advancements in technology the medical field will continue to grow in technology and continue to have a demand for employment. With a steady career in the medical field you may have a better chance at benefits and may also be offered some kind of retirement or 401k plan. Average salaries in the medical field may also be something that is more desirable than the minimum wage employment that you may find without a college degree or trained education. The average median salaries for health care field careers can average from 28,860 yearly for a medical assistant to an LPN or LVN making an average of 40, 380 per year. Certified nursing assistants make an average of 24,010 a year and a Nurse makes an average of 64,690 a year (US Bureau of Labor Statistics,2012). Choosing a career in the medical field can be beneficial to your career future and your retirement future. There is not only job stability that is offered; there are also competitive wages and benefit packages with full time position within reach. The advancement in technologies that are continuing can help guarantee continuous job growth in the medical field industry. Health careers can also be a rewarding career field, when helping patients with a problem or illness they cannot overcome on their own you may have a feeling of self-accomplishment or fulfillment in your career. â€Å"Find a job you like and you add five days to every week.† ~ H. Jackson Brown, J.R (H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Quotes-BrainyQuote, 2012). References Graduation Quotes, Commencement Sayings, Advice For Graduates.(2012).The Quote Garden. Retrieved from http://www.quotegarden.com/graduation.html. H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Quotes-BrainyQuote.(2012). BrainyQuote. Retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/h_jackson_brown_jr.html Lang, Janell.(2009). Academic Search Premier. The outlook in the health sciences. New Directions For Community Colleges, (146), 53-62. O*NET OnLine.(2011).O*NET. Retrieved from http://www.onetonline.org. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2012). United States Department of Labor. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/.