Don’t own a degree, to flaunt in the health care sector? No problem. A list of medical field careers without a degree is what is presented here, in this write-up, so that you can choose a career of your interest, and still mint big bucks. Let’s get going!
It diagnoses. It treats. It administers. It blends technology with human touch to save life. Its disciples (read physicians) are students forever, for they learn something new everyday. Medicine – a tyranny, a thrill, a career, a passion. There isn’t a career as rewarding and demanding as medicine. No points for guessing, you too want to embrace the endless opportunities this behemoth field offers, for enjoyment, thrill, and satisfaction by means of intellectual development and serving patients.
No surprises, you too have landed on this page in search for a pathway that becomes a stepping-stone for you to frame a career in this enormously lucrative field. Brief and aboveboard, medicine, in terms of career development and salary package, offers the best jobs in the market today. But then, if you think that the jobs that offer an enviable pay scale definitely require a fancy degree, I must correct you here.
Jobs in the medical field without a degree are so many in number, that you can’t even imagine. And salary? Did anyone tell you that medicine offers around 200 percent more job opportunities than any other sector today, setting an insurmountable threshold for other sectors in terms of salary figures? Well, if you’ve decided that 5 years down the line, you want to see yourself as a successful health care professional, despite your not-so-elaborate educational portfolio, this article shells out those careers in the medical field that demand no major degrees and recognition. All they require is, basic understanding of the field and lots of determination. If you’re game for both, the following career options wait for you with arms wide open.
Best Medical Field Careers without a Degree
They won’t consume years of training. They would also not require fancy grades that determine the level of an aspirant. To shape a successful medical career, all you need is an advanced training in a particular field of your interest, and get going. With that considered, following are six best careers in the medical field that can be yours, even without a degree. Have a look.
Nursing
Just an associate’s degree in nursing, and you can become a part of the largest component in the medical fraternity. Nurses, belonging to all specialties in medicine, are responsible for administering treatment and medications to patients, operating and maintaining hospital equipment, following up patients, and create records of patients’ medical histories. Annual Salary: $66,000.
Physician Assistance
If examining patients by means of x-rays and laboratory tests interests you, a job as a physician assistant is the best in this field. You treat injuries, counsel patients by prescribing medications, take medical histories, and assist an experienced physician – all with just an associate’s degree in hand. However, you need to undergo the licensing procedure in your state, in order to become a certified physician assistant, for it is only then that you will be allowed to diagnose and treat patients’ ailments. Annual Salary: $85,000.
Phlebotomy
Drawing blood from patients’ bodies, preparing blood samples, and sending them for analysis… that’s what a phlebotomist does. Interesting? If you prefer being a part of the health care sector this way, get a high-school diploma, and just undergo a vocational training program from a recognized medical school. Within 6 months, you can see yourself working in a hospital or a blood bank. Get certified, and start applying. Annual Salary: $30,000.
Diagnostic Sonography
So, it attracts you to gaze through the internals of a human’s body, doesn’t it? If that be the case, why not choose diagnostic sonography as your career by becoming a sonogram technician, where you can diagnose patients’ illnesses with ultra-sound waves, and treat them accordingly? All you need is high school graduation recognition, and relevant training. Note that, many sonogram technicians don’t require a license to practice, but on a large scale, a technician needs to get certified by the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS). Annual Salary: $64,000.
Radiology
Akin to sonogram technician, a radiology technician prepares patients for diagnostic imaging and examination, this time using x-rays, CT scans, and MRIs. A job of a radiology technician can be yours with just an associate’s degree that can be fetched by any formal training program in radiography. Moreover, certification by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology is an entry-level qualification you need to have, so that you can kick-start your career as a radiology technician in any medical institution. Annual Salary: $58,000.
Dental Assistance
Amongst the best medical jobs without a degree is a job of a dental assistant that requires nothing but a certificate from any dental association. All you need to do is understand the various duties of a dental assistant, and you could start providing assistance to the dentist in a medical institution, or even at his/her private clinic. A dental assistant is required to obtain patients’ dental records, and instruct them on oral health care. He/she also schedules and confirms meetings of the dentist he/she is assisting. Annual Salary: $50,000.
Note: All the above mentioned salaries are approximate and may be subject to change.
Exploring career options… lucrative career options in medicine will lead you to all the above mentioned jobs. However, there are many more jobs which are equally lucrative, and do not require a full-fledged degree. If none of the above instanced medical career options are able to interest you, perhaps the following list of medical careers will.
- Physical Therapy Assistance
- Occupational Therapy Assistance
- Pharmacy
- Paramedics
- Clinical Laboratory Technology
- Medical Transcription
- Home Health Aides
- Freelance Medical Writing
- Cytotechnology
- Veterinary Assistance
Those having keen interest in the myriad opportunities offered by the health care sectors, but not in spending countless hours and dollars in pursuit of a high-level medical degree, have enough reasons to think of a successful career as a health care professional. The above discussed careers could last you a lifetime, with big bucks in your bank account, and vast knowledge about the medical fraternity, an ocean of know-how that it is. To nurture lives of your patients, to care and to serve them, does not require a medical school degree, and these jobs and their salary figures definitely prove it better than anything else.