If you are considering what career path to pursue, you may want to consider training for an allied health profession. This is a great and rewarding career choice for anyone who wants to help people. Coyne College has several programs that could help you get started working in this field.
What Is an Allied Health Career?
Allied health jobs are those that use science- and evidence-based techniques to diagnose, evaluate, and treat acute and chronic conditions. They may also promote wellness and preventative medical practices. Some jobs in this field also provide support and administrative assistance to medical practices. Specifically, these professions are non-physician and non-nurse roles in healthcare.
People working in these roles may perform diverse responsibilities. For example, different roles may work in laboratory testing, perform administrative work, interact with patients, provide emergency medicine, or complete many other duties. Typically, people working in an allied health profession will specialize in a particular skillset.
What Are Some Examples of Allied Health Professions?
Jobs in the allied health field range from diagnostic personnel to health information technologists. The following are a few examples of titles that fall under this umbrella:
• Medical assistant
• Pharmacy technician
• Medical laboratory scientist
• Phlebotomist
• Medical billing and coding specialist
What Are the Benefits of Allied Health Professionals?
Working in an allied health profession can be a rewarding experience both financially and personally. There are many choices in careers. However, working in an allied health job has a unique set of benefits that attract many people. Perhaps the following advantages make this the right career path for you:
- High Job Satisfaction: Many allied health jobs involve working with people and helping to ensure the good health of patients. This can be a very satisfying way to earn a living for the right person. It is an opportunity to have a direct and significant impact on someone else’s life. Few jobs are comparably fulfilling.
- Job Security: Healthcare is a necessity. Therefore, the industry tends to be well-established and consistently growing. As long as there are people, they will need to receive quality healthcare services. There are almost always jobs available for people with training in the allied health professions.
- Very Flexible: Compared to many other professions, allied health jobs are quite flexible. The training is relatively quick for the healthcare field. Plus, there are many jobs available in different sub-fields. If, for example, you pursued a medical assistant program, you could work in several possible jobs. Furthermore, there are healthcare jobs near every population center.
In addition to the above benefits, many people find that allied healthcare training dovetails well with a military career. There are many healthcare-related jobs in the military, meaning that you can find good employment with a chance to serve your community and country. Some people receive their training while working in the military and others learn outside then transition to a military career. Again, this is a very flexible field to work in.
Why Allied Health vs. Another Healthcare Job?
Many of the above benefits apply to other jobs in the healthcare field. However, allied health positions tend to be relatively accessible and involve much shorter training processes than becoming a physician or nurse.
Each individual must decide whether pursuing a career in allied health is the right choice versus getting training for other jobs. However, for most people, it makes more financial sense to get training through a shorter program then get right into the workplace.
Furthermore, allied health programs are usually less expensive compare to traditional college courses. If you are eager to get into the healthcare field without investing the time and money necessary to pursue a medical or nursing degree, this may be the right option for you.
What Is Involved in Training?
The exact training requirements depend on the program you pursue. However, you can always expect to learn hand-on with practical training, studying theory, and learning from case studies. Most programs can be completed in less than a year. However, you can extend your studies further if you wish you to attend part-time while working.
At Coyne College, many of our allied health programs involve some externship training with a partner organization. We have found that our combination of practical and theory-based allied health career training empowers our students to master the skills they need to succeed quickly and thoroughly.
Many of our courses blend the clerical and clinical aspects of allied health professions, especially our medical assistant and pharmacy technician programs. This helps our students to gain the knowledge and abilities they need to maintain a highly flexible career. All our programs will help you enjoy the benefits of allied health professionals.
How Does COVID19 Impact Working as an Allied Health Professional?
The impact of COVID19 has been felt throughout the world in almost every manner imaginable. In the allied health field, there is greater demand than ever for skilled workers. You can anticipate finding more job openings available if you get the training you need.
While the situation will be very different after the 10 or more months necessary to complete training, there is no question that there will be long-lasting effects of the pandemic.
Understandably, some people are concerned about their safety working in healthcare during the crisis. However, organizations are doing an increasingly good job of protecting their workers. Plus, once the pandemic is contained, there will still be plenty of allied healthcare jobs.
Work Towards a Brighter Future at Coyne College
Does an allied health career sound right for you? Take your first steps towards a brighter future by enrolling in one of Coyne College’s allied health career programs. Learn more about our medical assistant, pharmacy technician, and medical billing and coding specialist programs. We have classes starting regularly to help you get on the path to success sooner. Apply online for admission.
