Spring Is In The Air, and Job Prospects Are Up!

The Groundhog predicted an early spring, but industry experts are predicting an increase in the number of job openings in the Healthcare industry.

The signs of an economic recovery are looking good, and it seems that industry experts are feeling it too. After a year of record high unemployment rates, many industries are starting to post new job openings. This is welcome news for anyone who is looking for a new job.

While the increase in job openings on the whole are up, the fastest growing field right now is Healthcare. According to the Beyond.com quarterly report, the Healthcare industry has 34 percent of the online job postings.

In fact, even the Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that the healthcare industry will grow 3.2 million new jobs between 2008 – 2018. That's more than any other industry, and much of the growth is attributed to the aging baby boomer population and technological advances in record keeping and an increased focus on preventative care.

Another reason for the record growth is that, more than any other industry, there have been technological advances, new procedures and treatments. As medical breakthroughs continue to improve both our live spans and our quality of life, more professionals will be needed to provide a wide variety of care, including things like therapists, social workers and nurses.

Additionally, there have been many technological advances that have changed the way that medical staff handles healthcare related information like medical records. There are many initiatives to get hand-held computers and tablets in every medical office, in an effort to record medical histories and detailed information about treatments. Even though many hospitals and medical centers across the country have set a goal to become paper-free, it hasn't happened yet at most facilities.

The BLS predicts that the fastest growing positions will be home healthcare aids. They project that there will be a 50 percent increase through 2018. They also report that medical assistant jobs will increase by 34 percent, and a huge 39 percent increase in physician assistants openings.

As the job market starts to recover, the healthcare industry should see the first wave of growth. So, if you have been looking for a job or thinking about making a career change and looking for work in the healthcare industry, now may be the perfect time. So, brush off those resumes and good luck!

If you are looking for the best healthcare job listings, visit Healthcarejobsite.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for HealthcareJobsiteBlog. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.

Some Of the Top Jobs in Healthcare- There is Something for Everyone

There are many people who, while they are very interested in the healthcare field, just can't stand the site of blood and for whom the idea of several more years of training seem impossible. But, with healthcare being one of the few industries that is actually growing during this tough economic time, there are positions for all sorts of people.

It doesn't matter what part of the field you are interested in, there are still jobs that could be a good fit. Here are a few of the top jobs in the healthcare field.

1. Physician's Assistant- It generally takes about two years of training at an accredited school to qualify to be a Physician's Assistant. You do have to take a national licensing exam before you can go to work. Typically, a Physician's Assistant handles a small part of the patient's exam for the doctor. An assistant is the person who you first meet when you are waiting for the doctor. They take your history and ask you some basic questions so that everything will be in place when the doctor sees you.
   
   
2. Medical Records Technicians- This position requires at least an associate's degree with an emphasis in science and medicine. These people keep your medical records together and they are responsible for handling any x-rays, blood test results or other information the physician's office receives from other doctors and specialists and keeping the records all together.
   
   
3. Medical Transcription- To work in this field, you would need to have some sort of training in medical transcription. Typically, this training can happen at a community college, a career training center or even distance learning program. People who work in this field type out reports from the doctors in order to be placed in a patient's medical record. Doctors prefer to dictate their notes into a recorder and let the transcriptionist type and format the record of the visit and doctor's opinion.

There are so many ways that you can work in the healthcare field without having to get a medical degree or deal with blood, that there is sure to be something that would make excellent use of your particular skills and talents. Take a look.

Are you looking for a job in Healthcare? Be sure to visit HealthcareJobsite.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.

The How, And Why, You Need To Embrace Social Network Strategies

Those working in the medical and health field have a formidable competitor these days when it comes to dispensing advice, insight and information about remedies and treatment: the Web.

As a recent article in the Charlotte Observer explains, patients are running to the Internet when they have a medical question, problem or issue and very often take online information as gospel, even when contradictory data is offered up by medical professionals during appointment times.

This means medical professionals are not only trying to educate patients about personal health issues, concerns and what to do, but have to make patients understand that Internet-info may not be all that reliable, trustworthy or factual.

So what can you do when dealing with this issue? Well first, says the article, you can refer patients to reputable and reliable sites such WebMD.com and tell them to make sure any site they use has the Health on the Net seal of approval.

The reason you don’t want to discourage patients from using online resources is simple: many people are already taking Internet data as pearls of wisdom to live by given a survey that shows Google searches come in second after meeting with a doctor on a medical concern.

What healthcare professionals may also want to do, and which could be a professional feather in the career cap, is talk to management and business leaders at their companies about doing some public service initiatives to help patients discern the fact from the false when it comes to Web research on medical topics.

Another potential way to help patients is to provide a social networking presence, whether it is a Facebook page or a Twitter feed, that lets physicians and medical staff offer up suggestions and insights about newly published materials and sites that can help patients make better decisions on care but always with the big caveat of attaining a medical professional’s advice of course.

Social networking efforts can be done without legal and liability issues coming into play, say experts, and provides a valuable add-on service that may make the difference when it comes to retaining patients and boosting patient rosters.

One good example in the article is a look at how the Carolinas HealthCare System has carved out a Facebook strategy that’s working and the challenges inherent in the social networking effort.


Looking for a new job in the healthcare industry? Check out the 226,947 jobs currently available.

By: Judy Mottl

5 Steps to a Rewarding Health Career

by Alex A. Kecskes

If you want your career in health care to be rewarding, you need to be proactive and take certain steps to keep yourself employable and promotable. Here are 5 things you should do to achieve those goals:

1. Update Your Resume Often. You should review your resume every six months and update it once a year, even if yours is a secure position with a clear advancement track. In these days of downsizing and mergers, you never know who your boss will be or where you'll be assigned. Your resume should reflect your ability to do the job your boss is doing. The opportunity to move up may someday just fall in your lap and your resume should be ready. Remember, luck is when preparation meets opportunity.

2. Network Constantly. Exploring and touching base with contacts in and out of your immediate sphere are proven ways to keep your career from stagnating. Join and use social and professional Internet networks. Connect and participate in medical blogs. Contribute articles to medical sites. Keep your ear to the ground for any opportunities that may come up.

3. Join Professional Healthcare Associations. It's a great way to stay up to speed on the latest trends and developments in your field or subfield. If you're a nurse, join the American Nurses Association and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Professional associations can provide information, support and vast networking opportunities.

4. Befriend a Skilled Healthcare Recruiter. Experienced medical recruiters can be a valuable asset. Get to know one or two by their first name. And let them know what you're doing and where you want to take your career. Recruiters know when jobs open up before they hit the grapevine or career page advertisements. Remember, you don't have to change jobs, but the steady stream of information and job openings can give you a leg up when you're ready to advance.

6. Find a Mentor. Connect with a successful healthcare professional, someone who has more experience than you or is one or two rungs up the ladder from you. A mentor can show you the valuable two Ps (procedures and politics) if you're just starting out. Or they can give you a clear view of the terrain if you're considering moving up.

For a guide to healthcare advancement, check out Managing Your Career in the Health Care Industry by Shelly Field.

For more information on health careers, visit http://www.healthcarejobsiteblog.com/

Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients.

Getting Hired for Your First Full-Time Healthcare Job

When you’re new to hunting for a gig in the medical or nursing field, there are some career strategies you should use to make yourself an ideal candidate. These are especially helpful for those looking for nursing and physician assistant positions.

When you’re a newly certified health professional, flexibility is the key to employability. Show a willingness to work any shift—the more availability you have, the more desirable you are to a hiring manager. However, if family concerns or other issues limit your availability, you can offset that disadvantage in other ways.

For starters, be willing to take a less-than-ideal opening position and work yourself into a better job after proving yourself. Are you looking for a job as a clinical research nurse or something similar? Find a gig that will let you get close to those positions to learn the facility’s needs, and start positioning yourself once your probationary or introductory hiring period is over.

When it comes to teaching positions like nurse educators, there’s no replacement for on-the-job experience to make you a more ideal candidate. Take all the opportunities you can to become a well-rounded healthcare professional.

If you’re after home healthcare jobs in the early stages of your career, don’t overlook the importance of being exposed to a wide range of treatment situations. Getting some initial experience in a hospital or nursing home; it may give you perspective you can’t get doing home healthcare.

Consider your career goals and ask yourself what gives you the best advantage. Nursing positions, for example, can be specialized in a number of ways. Do you want to be a critical care nurse, or specialize in ambulatory care?

Knowing what direction you want to head in is a big help when trying to narrow down your job search. It’s important to be flexible, but you should always try to move towards your career goals even if just in a general way.

Ask yourself, what are the possible outcomes if you take a particular job? Think through that question when filling out your job applications. The answers can help you make a more informed decision about your first job.