How to Prepare Your Healthcare Resume—for 2012

by Alex A. Kecskes

Healthcare resumes used to be simple: you listed the hospitals or medical centers where you were employed and indicated what your responsibilities were. But this is 2012 and healthcare jobs are now fiercely competitive.

Hospitals and medical organizations are now acutely aware of the bottom line. To land that high paying medical job, your resume must reveal a trend that includes how you helped your employer cut costs and improve efficiencies.

But let’s start with the basics. If you’re a healthcare professional looking to land a management post, you should use a reverse-chronological resume. Like other business enterprises, hospitals and healthcare centers need qualified people in accounting, purchasing, plant operations and MIS. The same type of resume should be used for “on the floor” jobs like nurses, nurses assistants, doctors assistants and med tech professionals—like ultrasound and other imaging techs.

As you go into detail about your past work history, don’t be afraid to use “med-speak” to show your familiarity with the job. Go into detail about the types and levels of caseloads you managed. Include the number of patients/clients you handled and what they entailed.

As mentioned earlier, HR managers will be gleaning your resume for evidence of cost cutting and efficiencies you demonstrated. So go into detail about things like Continuous Quality Initiatives (CQI). Highlight your ability in process analysis, problem identification and qualitative oversight.

Detail also the level of computer/tech skills you bring to the table. Namedrop any healthcare specific software you’ve worked with. Show how this expertise led to cost cutting or workflow efficiencies in the organization. Above all, spellcheck your resume, and have a colleague review it for impact and clarity.

For an added perspective, check out this video:

If you have any thoughts on preparing a healthcare resume, feel free to share them in the comments section.

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. Please see more of his blogs and view additional job postings on Beyond.com.

Medical Transcriptionists To Be In Demand Through 2018

by Alex A. Kecskes

If you like working in the medical field and you have a penchant for accuracy, you might consider working as a Medical Transcriptionist. These medical professionals listen to and transcribe recordings made by physicians, nurses and other health care professionals. Medical transcription job growth is expected to be 11 percent from 2008 to 2018—much higher than other professions.

As a Medical Transcriptionist, you'll need an extensive knowledge of anatomy, medical language and various treatment assessments. You'll also need a small library of medical reference books to help you understand and clarify highly technical medical terms. In medical transcription, accuracy is crucial. This is because transcribed reports are entered into patients' files and become part of their medical history. Needless to say, you must be extremely detail oriented and a good speller.

To start your career as a Medical Transcriptionist, you can take any number of medical transcription courses available from a wide range of schools across the country. Some of these can be completed in as little as six months. Typical medical transcription courses include English grammar and composition, computer applications, medical terminology, pathology, anatomy and physiology. Depending on the medical transcription course you choose, you could graduate with a diploma or even an associate's degree.

Some online and live classroom programs include an externship, which provides on-the-job training at a transcription company, physician's office, clinic or hospital. This extra training can make you more attractive to a potential employer when you apply for a full time, paid position.

For an added perspective, check out this video:

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