When most people think of nutritionists, they see a thin, active professional who helps movie stars and other celebrities eat delicious food without packing on the pounds. They know the “secrets” to making food taste good and stay nutritious without adding unnecessary calories or interfering with the popular diet of the day. However, while some nutritionists do take on this sort of role, medical nutritionists and those with advanced degrees from reputable healthcare schools actually do much, much more.

The Evolving Role of Medical Nutritionists

There are some types of illnesses and injuries that prevent people from getting the right nourishment from the foods the rest of us eat every day. Most of the time, this is due to types of foods being eaten and the inability of the individual’s body to process it. In other cases, there may be illnesses whose symptoms and side effects can be reduced by certain types of food, and it is the job of the nutritionist to maximize these benefits.

As a form of disease management, nutrition is still a largely developing field. Although food has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and other types of alternative therapies for thousands of years, it is only recently that it has begun to gain the medical spotlight and become part of long-term healthcare plans. And because nutritionist degrees are typically only offered at the Bachelor’s level or higher, there is a strong educational base to this type of work, which only serves to increase its reputation and standing in the medical community.

Job Opportunities in Nutrition

Nutritionists often work in hospitals, at home-care clinics or hospice organizations, or even at community health centers and schools. Depending on the exact job type, duties can range from providing resources about smart nutrition choices to preparing meals and monitoring food intake. In many cases, the role of the nutritionist is much like that of an occupational therapist, in that it is his or her job to teach others to use good nutrition on their own at home and to incorporate it into a better, healthier lifestyle.

Another increasingly important role of nutritionists is to address mental health issues as well as physical ones. As incidences of eating disorders continue to grow in the young adult and teen populations, it has become more important than ever before that healthcare providers pay attention to the foods we eat and how they are perceived by the populace as a whole.

No matter what type of nutritionist you’re interested in becoming, it is a wide field only expected to grow over the next ten years. With the right training at an accredited health care school, you can get your nutritionist degree in as little as two to four years and begin helping others become healthy, happy, and educated for the future.

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Advantages of a Career in Healthcare

Healthcare Schools

Dental office careers are a great way to explore the healthcare field while still enjoying fairly regular office hours with nights and weekends off. These primarily office-based jobs allow you to promote good oral health in as little as nine months of training, with great job stability and an outlook expected to increase over the next ten years.

However, although these two jobs are often used interchangeably, they are very different professions. If you’re interested in going to healthcare school and are considering a dental specialty, it’s a good idea to determine which path is right for you before you sign up for classes.

What Does a Dental Assistant Do?

A dental assistant is basically a dentist’s right hand, providing support during major dental repairs and doing much of the prep work for seeing patients. General tasks include:

• Taking and developing x-rays
• Sterilizing equipment
• Taking dental impressions or making models of the teeth
• Providing good oral health education information
• Administrative duties related to processing insurance or making appointments

Licensing and/or a degree aren’t required to become a dental assistant, although many dental offices prefer that you have some type of training in a formal setting. Dental assistant programs last anywhere from nine months up to a year in length, and typically culminate in a certificate or diploma.

What Does a Dental Hygienist Do?

Dental hygienists are the individuals responsible for cleaning a patient’s teeth. Although many of their duties overlap with those of a dental assistant, there is more direct patient care and higher education requirements for this profession. Duties include:

• Taking patient medical histories
• Removing plaque and other debris from the surface of the teeth
• Making models and impressions of the teeth
• Patient charting
• Cleaning the teeth and applying the necessary decay preventatives
• Distributing local anesthetics (for numbing purposes)
• Removing sutures and dressings
• Providing follow-up care after a dental procedure

Because so much of a dental hygienist’s work is similar to that of a nurse or other high-level medical professional, there is a much more stringent watch over licensing and job opportunities. Hygienists must have either a two-year Associate or four-year Bachelor’s degree in order to work in most states, and there may be additional hurdles in the form of graduation from an accredited dental hygiene program, a passing score on the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination, and additional testing at the regional or state level. These steps are not without their benefits, however, as most dental hygienists make a considerably higher salary than dental assistants.

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Taking a Healthy Smile on the Road

Healthcare Schools

A report from Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas shows that health care jobs are at the top of a national list of occupations that are in the highest demands and offer the highest salaries. The report was the result of a study tracking 800 different occupations in America’s most populous metropolitan areas.

Health care “support” occupations including home health aides, dental assistants and pharmacy technicians, scored an astounding projected growth rate of more than 250 percent in the study. Health care careers also were noted as having the greatest need for new workers.

This data should not come as a surprise to employers in the health care industry as well as savvy followers of the field, who know that 78 million baby boomers are fast approaching retirement age. This means the mass retirement of health care workers across all occupations, from phlebotomists and medical imaging technicians to medical secretaries, dental assistants, home health aides and health care administrators.

The other edge of this double edged sword is that with retirement age comes increased medical needs.  In other words, the workers are apt to become patients. A whole new crop of health care workers are desperately needed to take the boomers’ places and care for them. Aging is a natural part of life, but unfortunately illness often comes along for the ride.

This may sound a bit morbid, but for those considering a career in health care, this is all good news. Health care careers offer better job security, benefits, stability and the potential for future career growth, than most other industries could dream of, especially right now.

This means that enrollment in health care training is at an all time high. Many school applicants may even find themselves on waiting lists to start their health care training. If this is you, here is something to keep in mind. Because of the varied demands in the field, many colleges are constantly adding new health care courses. They may be adding the courses so quickly that your best bet is to call around and find out which health care courses are currently accepting new students. Be proactive!

Home health aides have the privilege of seeing, interacting with and providing personal care for the same set of patients on a regular basis. For home bound elderly residents with compromised cognitive, mental and memory functions, this type of familiarity can be a blessing in disguise.

In addition to familiarity, new research has proven that certain leisure activities combined with cognitive exercises can help to improve brain health and possibly prevent memory loss. Home health aides are in an excellent position to initiate these activities with their home health clients.

Recommended activities include: reading books or having newspapers and books read to them, playing games, doing crossword puzzles, participating in outdoor activities, doing crafts like pottery and quilting and putting together puzzles. The research was presented by the American Academy of Neurology at their recent annual meeting in Seattle. Their study showed that those participants, who took part in cognitive activities such as the ones listed about, showed a 30-50 percent decrease in their risk of developing memory loss.

Many home health care teams, led in part by registered nurses, are now incorporating cognitive memory exercises into home health patient care plans. Since home health aides generally see home health patients the most frequently, they play a vital role in making sure that these exercises are carried out. Home health aides are also encouraged to discuss current events with their clients for mental stimulation.

This is an excellent time to train for a career as a home health aide. This is mainly due to the growing population of elderly individuals, the rise in chronic disease and conditions, and tightening personal finances (that make staying home a more attractive financial option than entering a long term care facility). Now, in light of this research, home health aides also have the opportunity to make more of a difference than ever in maintaining their clients’ memory and quality of life.

Whether you are entering health care as your first career or transitioning into this recession proof field from another job or a recent layoff, you may be facing varying levels of financial challenges raising the money for your new education. This is partially dependent on the health care job and training you choose.

Training to earn a diploma in most areas of health care is in the $10,000-$15,000 range, with most associate’s degree programs starting at around $23,000 and going up from there (with physician assistant training at the higher end of the spectrum of jobs listed on this website). There are, however, smart strategies for managing the costs of returning to school.

1. Save Your Pennies: This can be a tough pill to swallow these days, when many people are scrimping just to make ends meet and take care of their family. But going back to school is considered a “high dollar” investment similar to a new vehicle, with fewer leasing, loan and payment options. Reduce your spending including 401K and investment expenditures and concentrate on funneling whatever “leftover” money possible into your education fund.

The only thing this does not apply to is paying off your debt and bills. This is something you should never put on hold because it may affect your ability to get accepted for school loans and, if left ignored, will only worsen over time.

2. Think Local: Or even better, look for online training options. This is somewhat more affordable than conventional classroom training and much more convenient for you. Keep in mind that most health careers will still require a hands-on clinical as part of the course, once the book learning is done.

3. Follow the Money Trail: Chase down aggressively every dollar of stimulus related funding, grant dollars, financial aid, work study, loans and every other bit of help that is out there for folks in your position. The health care industry is in desperate need of workers and the schools know it.

Overall, remember the basic “Money 101” principles like putting yourself on a budget, living as frugal of a lifestyle as possible, and analyzing your spending habits for any opportunities for improvement. And remember that of all the disciplines you can be going back to school for, health care is the soundest investment with the highest rate of future returns.

Source: CNN Money

The reality of a rising unemployment rate in America means that many American workers are constantly in danger of losing their medical and dental benefits while many others are already living with the reality of lost or changing benefits.

For healthcare workers, where unemployment is among the lowest in all fields of work, there are implications when health care benefits are lost en masse.

This applies especially to cities like Detroit where large amounts of automotive workers are transitioning from familiar health coverage and familiar providers, often the same physicians and dentists for most of their working lives, to new and unfamiliar Cobra plans. The United Auto Workers, for instance, is planning to eliminate certain retiree health care benefits.

As the pink slips continue looming, many American workers are attempting to “squeeze in” the most health care, dental and vision services as possible while they still have their familiar health care plans. With appointment books rapidly filling up in hospitals, vision care offices, doctor’s offices and dentist offices everywhere, the crunch is on for health care workers who provide care in those settings.  Dental assistants, physician assistants and other health care workers are doing their best to keep up with the demand.

These newly laid off workers will usually have access to new health care plans through Cobra plans, pensions, government programs and such. But many will unfortunately find themselves counted among the millions of uninsured Americans. The government is working toward one of several variations of a solution for this.

Any type of “universal” plan, providing coverage to a much greater amount of people who are currently insured, will result in an even higher demand for health care workers. Combine that with the aging baby boomer population and the currently retiring workforce of health care workers, and the demand for health care workers is destined to be greater than ever in the near future.

One-fifth of Americans live in “non-metropolitan” areas. In addition to referring to the smaller towns and suburbs that are often thought of as giving America its character and charm, non-metropolitan also means rural.

America’s rural areas are considered critical health care hot spots these days due to a lack of physicians, other primary care providers including physician assistants, and health care workers in general who can staff the numerous community clinics that serve rural populations.

The state of Maine has one of the largest percentages of rural areas in the country. I know this also from personal experience, having family there.

Sometimes it feels like going back in a temporarily pleasant time machine, where if a little wooden bridge goes out, a town becomes instantly divided, and where there are still waitresses in local diners who have memorized even the smallest branches of the family tree of every town resident.

I understand and embrace rural living, but unfortunately there do not seem to be enough health care workers who share this sentiment. In Maine, there is a high demand for pharmacy technicians.

Quick Job Summary:
-Training or informal on-the-job training is acceptable, however more and more employers (especially the higher dollar ones) prefer those with formal training and national certification
-32% employment growth predicted between 2006 and 2016
-Pharmacy Techs. are expected to have more responsibilities than ever, in coming years as hospitals tighten their belts and start redistributing the work of pharmacists and pharmacy aides, to pharmacy techs with more opportunities ahead.
-There are many different employment opportunities for pharmacy technicians, but the highest salaries are in hospital jobs

In response to the local demand for rural pharmacy technicians, Maine recently opened two new pharmacy schools at The University of New England in Portland and Husson University in Bangor. A representative from Husson, has stated that Maine has the third highest demand for pharmacy techs in the country.

The need for health care workers in all areas – from pharmacy technicians, lab technicians, medical imaging technicians and phlebotomists to medical transcriptionists, hospital administrators and dental assistants – does not stop in Maine. Health care workers are in high demand in all areas, especially rural, all around the country.

California is one of the top states for beginning a health care career, especially if you graduate with a two-year degree or higher. With a growing and diverse population as well as increased incentives for working in heavily rural or urban locations, there is a greater potential for both earnings and job security in this state than in many others around the country.

Overall, health care is expected to generate more than 3 million jobs through the year 2020, in addition to those opening up due to retirements, job changes, and a relatively high turnover rate for entry-level health care jobs. California is expected to take a large percentage of these openings, particularly at the nursing home and hospital levels.

Health Care Careers in California

Although options for careers in California health care are diverse, the largest growing fields include:

•    Licensed Practical Nurses (67,800 CA-based jobs by 2016)
•    Registered Nurses (298,000 CA-based jobs by 2016)
•    Nursing Assistants (122,200 CA-based jobs by 2016)
•    Home Health Aides (66,700 CA-based jobs by 2016)

Considerations for successfully finding work in the California health care market include being able to speak two languages (Spanish as well as other languages), having a two-year Associate degree or higher, and being willing to work in public hospitals and nursing facilities.

Wages for California-based health careers are also expected to rise, and continue to be offered at rates higher than the national average. Due in large part to differences in local cost-of-living estimates, many wages here are also supplemented by hiring bonuses or promised raises once the employee completes three, six, nine, or even twelve months of service.

Some health care organizations might even offer tuition reimbursement programs if you’d like to increase your health care education while on the job.

Because California is a heavily-regulated state as far as medical professions go, most careers do require both national and local certification. If you are considering moving to California with an existing certification from another state, you may want to contact potential employers to see if they offer assistance in making the transition.

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Finding a Health Care School

If you look at any statistics on the current health care career outlook, you’ll find references to the aging Baby Boomer generation (those born between the years of 1946 and 1964). The rationale behind it is sound: we are approaching a time when the many individuals born during these years are in need of advanced medical care.

In fact, over half of all doctor visits made last year were for Baby Boomers in need of age-related tests and medications. And in order to supply this care, there is an increased need for trained health care professionals to do it.

That’s why one of the best moves you can make if you’re considering health care training is to consider careers that specialize in working with older populations. There are many different types of health care jobs available within this demographic, especially if you have the education to back up your drive.

If you’re interested in learning more about health care careers that require a Bachelor’s Degree or less, these ones are especially suited for working with the elderly:

Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians: Heart disease is especially prevalent among aging populations, and cardiovascular technologists assist physicians in diagnosing and treating ailments related to the heart.

Diagnostic Medical Sonographers: These professionals must be trained to use high-tech equipment (like x-rays, magnetic resonance imaging, sonography, and ultrasonography) to help diagnose ailments.

Home Health Aides: More and more elderly individuals are opting for in-home long-term and hospice care. These “nursing assistant” positions are one of the most widely available throughout the country.

Licensed Practical Nurses/Registered Nurses: Nursing is one of the strongest fields for starting a health care career. You can specialize in geriatrics, cardiology, or orthopedics to get a greater stronghold for serving the aging population.

Laboratory Technicians and Phlebotomists: Drawing blood and preparing samples for diagnostic tests are part of treating patients of all ages, and training tends to be very fast for those who want to get started working right away.

Medical Assistants: These professionals serve primarily in a physican’s office, helping doctors to see and treat patients. As over half of all doctor visits annually are done by individuals aged 65 and up, this is a very strong field.

Nursing Assistants: Providing much of the routine daily care for patients, nursing assistants are always in demand. Those willing to work in long-term care facilities, in nursing homes, or for home health care organizations can find job opportunities almost anywhere.

Pharmacy Technicians: Being a pharmacy tech allows you to work in grocery store and retail outlet pharmacies, as well as hospitals and nursing homes. Prescriptions are an especially important part of aging health care, so jobs in this field will continue to rise.

Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list, and there are plenty of opportunities at the Master’s Degree level for those interested in fields like physical therapy, occupational therapy, and physician assisting.

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Finding a Health Care School