Which Health Career is Right for You?

Young doctor providing care and support to an elderly patient during a consultation in a healthcare clinic.

There are now more than 250 different careers available to those interested in entering the field of healthcare, and the employment forecast looks strong for years to come. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that healthcare employment growth is expected to continue increasing at a much faster-than-average pace, with approximately 1.9 million new job openings each year through 2033.

Those facts make it clear that pursuing a healthcare career has the potential to provide you with long-term job security, a competitive salary, and a flexible lifestyle. They also raise an important question: Exactly which health career is right for you? The answer to that question, in turn, depends on how you answer other questions about yourself and your goals.

Healthcare Career Considerations

To clarify your thinking about working in healthcare, start by asking yourself the following:

What are your strengths?

While it might be exciting to consider a career that requires an entirely different set of skills than those you already developed in school or the workforce, it may be more productive to pursue a role that allows you to leverage your existing strengths and experience—even if they don’t seem to have a direct connection to healthcare. For example, there are jobs in healthcare for those with a background in animal behavior, art therapy, statistics, technology, and sports. Keep in mind, too, that your “soft skills” may also be transferrable. Regardless of the specific healthcare profession you might have in mind, skills including the ability to communicate effectively with others, work well in a team setting, think critically, and solve problems are always in high demand.

What are your professional priorities?

Although money is important, choosing a new career should involve more than simply looking for the highest-paying position you can find. What else matters to you? What would give you professional satisfaction? Whether you want to assist individuals in need, improve the well-being of communities, run a large organization, or work with cutting-edge technology every day, there’s a healthcare job that lines up with your priorities. Once you know what type of career you’re looking for, determining your next steps becomes a lot easier.

Have you considered the educational requirements?

You don’t necessarily need to go to medical school to qualify for a job in healthcare, but almost every position requires you to obtain some level of formal education or training. Are you ready, willing, and able to do that at this point in your life? It may not be as difficult as you think, as some healthcare career pathways—including those for medical assistants, medical coders, pharmacy technicians, and community health workers—involve less than a year or two of school. On the other hand, the education required for jobs such as nurse practitioner, audiologist, psychologist, and dentist may take as many as four to eight years to complete. With that in mind, it’s crucial to be sure that you’ll have enough time and money for the scenarios you’re contemplating.

What are your personal lifestyle preferences?

Are you at your best working a traditional 9-5 job with free time on the weekends and holidays, or do you like the idea of a rotating schedule that involves alternating between 12-hour day and night shifts and perhaps being on call 24/7 to respond to emergencies? And what type of environment do you prefer to be in when you’re on the clock—a busy setting dealing with different people in crisis every day, a quiet office with familiar coworkers, or the solitude of a lab? These are the type of questions that you will help you make well-informed decisions about the future. The ExploreHealthCareers.org Career Search Tool, which provides details on what to expect in dozens of healthcare roles, will help you align your career choices with your personal lifestyle preferences.

Should I Go Into the Medical Field?

Although healthcare is a rapidly growing field that offers a wide variety of working conditions and often pays higher-than-average wages, you may still be asking yourself, “Is healthcare a good career path?” If that’s the case, you should supplement your research by speaking with experienced healthcare professionals who have insights that can only be obtained by working in the field for years.

In addition to pointing out additional benefits of healthcare careers you may not have considered, they can also clear up any misconceptions you might have about different roles, thereby helping you fine-tune your focus. If you have any family members, friends, neighbors, or social acquaintances who work in healthcare, consider asking them to share 20 minutes of their time to shed new light on your thinking.

Types of Healthcare Careers

Healthcare encompasses a wide range of roles, but most fall into three broad categories. Whether you’re interested in working directly with patients, managing healthcare systems, or focusing on diagnostic and technological advancements:

  • Direct patient care
    
This category includes any role where you’re working directly with patients to assess, treat, and care for their health. This includes doctors, nurses, therapists, psychologists, and paramedics, as well as others in supportive roles like home healthcare aides.
  • Management 

    Healthcare management professionals are responsible for overseeing the operations and administration of healthcare services. This includes roles like hospital administrators, medical office managers, and health information managers, ensuring everything from staffing to budgeting runs efficiently.
  • Diagnostic and Healthcare Technology 

    This category covers professionals who use medical technology to diagnose, monitor, and treat patients. These roles include lab technicians, radiologic technologists, sonographers, and biomedical engineers—experts who develop and implement technologies to improve healthcare outcomes.

It’s worth noting that many healthcare careers can span multiple categories, allowing professionals to work in different areas of healthcare throughout their careers. For example, doctors, nurses, and psychologists not only provide direct patient care but may also engage in diagnostic work—such as psychologists conducting psychological assessments. Additionally, these professionals may take on management responsibilities, particularly in integrated healthcare settings where they oversee or collaborate with multidisciplinary teams. Career advancement opportunities often make it possible to expand across these categories, as someone with experience in one area may acquire the education or skills needed to transition into roles that involve diagnostic services or healthcare management.

Which Healthcare Job is Right for You? 

If you still need help zeroing in on the type of job you’d like and its educational requirements, don’t hesitate to use one of the many free health career exploration resources available online, such as:

As you dig deeper, remember to keep an open mind about your options, such as by reconsidering your initial assumptions about different careers and taking a fresh look at educational opportunities for advancement that you may have previously ruled out. After all, the process of exploration is all about opening new doors to opportunity, not limiting your options.