If you’re interested in a high-paying career, there are plenty of options in healthcare in addition to becoming a physician.  For example, you could be a neonatal nurse practitioner who specializes in taking care of premature and sick babies in a hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).  A national salary report noted that neonatal nurse practitioners earned an average $99,810 annually in 2011.

Or you could become a cardio-pulmonary perfusionist who operates the life-support equipment needed during complex heart or lung surgery.  According to the American Society of Extra-Corporeal Technology, the average salary range for new perfusionists is $60,000 to $75,000, rising to six figures with several years of experience.

Pharmacists can also earn high salaries, especially when they receive specialized training in a field like compounding medications.  The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported the average pharmacist’s median pay in mid 2010 was $111,570 per year.  Another positive factor: demand for pharmacists is projected to increase by 25 percent from 2010 to 2020, according to the BLS.

While these types of clinical positions typically require you to earn a college degree, complete specialized training and obtain a state license, there are many high-paying non-clinical career options as well.  For instance, you could apply your education and experience in management, marketing, finance or information technology (IT) to a career in healthcare.  Almost every type of healthcare organization, from primary care clinics to physician groups to hospitals and healthcare systems needs skilled administrators, managers and support professionals with expertise in a wide range of disciplines.

Since the U.S. healthcare sector is projected to keep adding jobs for at least the next decade, an investment in your education and training – whether clinical or non-clinical – can deliver an excellent financial return over the long term. And once you complete your training and are ready to put your new skills to work, All Medical Personnel can help you gain the experience needed to keep your career on an upward path.

Learning a foreign language can be a great step to advance your healthcare career.  Whether you are a physician, PA, nurse, therapist or other professional, it’s important to be able to communicate clearly with patients and families from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. In many parts of the country, that means being able to carry on a conversation in Spanish.  According to U.S. Census statistics, Hispanics are the fastest growing minority group in the country. Today, Spanish-speaking communities can be found throughout the Midwest, New England and Pacific Northwest, and constitute a size-able percentage of the population in California, Arizona, Texas, New York and Florida.

However, healthcare professionals in California often treat patients who speak Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Korean or other languages from the Pacific basin.  In other parts of the U.S., knowing Portuguese, Hawaiian, French, German, Italian or even Russian can be a clear advantage.

If you decide to study a foreign language, there are plenty of options to consider, from online courses to audio CD’s and face-to-face classes with an instructor.  You could also use your next vacation for a language immersion experience in a foreign country.  The biggest considerations are your own learning style, as well as the time and money you want to invest in picking up this skill.  For example, if you would like to make a career change in the next 12 months, you might opt for an intense learning program designed to make you fluent well before you start applying for a new job.

If you live in an area with a large ethnic population, you know how difficult and confusing it can be to communicate with a non-English speaking patient and family.  Important information relating to the diagnosis, treatment or follow-up care can get lost in the translation, as well as the cultural nuances.  That’s why healthcare organizations place a high value on conversational language skills.  By taking the time to learn a foreign language, you can open the door to a new career opportunity.

Whether you’re seeking a job as a physician’s assistant, nurse, physical therapist, laboratory technician or other healthcare professional, it’s important to avoid making mistakes on your resume.  After all, recruiters use your resume as a quick screening tool, and you don’t want to be dropped into the “no” basket.

First of all, be sure to include your current contact information (phone, email, address) at the top of your resume.  That sounds simple, but it’s surprising how many job-seekers “recycle” older resumes after they’ve moved or changed cell phone numbers.

Be sure your resume highlights your career accomplishments, health-related skills and educational background.  Make it easy for the recruiter to check your credentials by including specific information on any state licenses or professional certifications.  Many candidates wonder whether or not to include personal or professional references on a resume.  Generally, the best approach is to say “references available on request,” unless you’ve earned the support of a Nobel Prize winner, dean of a medical school or CEO of a regional hospital system.

On the other hand, it’s usually a mistake to include a photo on your resume, and leave off any descriptive information (height, weight, eye color, etc.).  Those things don’t matter to a recruiter.  Other things to leave off your resume include your age, marital status and sexual orientation.  If you belong to a religious denomination, social organizations or political party, it’s best to omit that as well.  To reduce the risk of identity theft, never put your social security number on a resume.  There’s no way to tell who’ll have access to your resume after you send it off.

Always remember that the goal of your resume is to help you make it to the next round of the screening process.  Highlighting your professional accomplishments and experience while omitting any unnecessary personal information is the best way to capture the recruiter’s attention and be invited to interview for the position.  Good luck!

Whether you are a job candidate or a recruiter for a healthcare organization, your skill set should include being able to ask questions, talk about yourself and present your ideas in an interview setting.  Having strong verbal skills will help you achieve your immediate objectives and provide a solid foundation for your long-term career.

Most healthcare professionals and executives in their 50s and 60s grew up with the telephone – a key technology for dating and other social interactions – and spent many hours in lengthy face-to-face meetings.  Those personal interactions helped to hone their verbal skills, and many Baby Boomers still feel most comfortable when they are talking to others.

But it’s a different world for the Millennials, now in their 20s and early 30s, who largely communicate by texting, Facebook chats and emails to their older family members.  A younger healthcare employee may send dozens of texts from her mobile phone for every voice call.  That can result in a dramatic decline in conversational skills.  Even in an office meeting, many people find it easier to text each other than to raise their hands and discuss an issue out loud.

However, those often-neglected verbal skills move to the forefront in job screening and interview situations.  Therefore, both job candidates and recruiters should take a moment to assess how well they can handle the following types of situations:

• Setting a friendly and open conversational tone at the start of an interview
• Presenting the key points you want to emphasize
• Asking questions and listening carefully for the answers
• Clarifying statements when necessary
• Closing the interview on a positive note and discussing the next steps

If you’re not sure of your verbal skills in an interview setting, the best solution is to practice with someone else in advance.  Find a family member, friend, neighbor or associate who is willing to listen, and start honing those verbal skills that will last you a lifetime.

Since Monday, April 1, was April Fool’s Day, it’s a fitting time to warn about the dangers of pranks on a job application or in the workplace.   While most job candidates play by the rules, there are always a few jokesters who think it’s fun to fool a recruiter.  They might add an impressive healthcare credential, fabricate a college degree or apply for an administrative position far beyond their current career level.  When discovered, they might say, “Hey, don’t take it so seriously.  It was just an April Fool’s Day joke.”

Unfortunately, those “light-hearted fibs” can come back to haunt a candidate during the job search or even later in life. A healthcare organization that’s been burned by a candidate with a false resume will never, ever hire that person.  An executive recruiter who sets up an interview for a hospital CEO position only to find out the candidate is fresh out of college will not be pleased – to say the least.  At best, these types of “humorous” pranks are a waste of everyone’s time.  At worst they can tarnish the candidate’s reputation for honesty and integrity and cripple long-term career chances.

So, if you were thinking about celebrating April Fool’s Day with an awesome prank, hopefully you played a joke on your family and friends – someone who was able to appreciate your unique sense of humor.  But to avoid negative repercussions, don’t play pranks during your job search or with your bosses once you’ve landed a position.  The lesson for today is simple: Keep your pranks out of the workplace, and you won’t have to spend the rest of your life worrying about the consequences.

If you’re looking for a healthcare job, take a quick look at your online profile.  What comes up when you search for your name?  Are there blogs, videos and testimonials that would attract potential employers?  If a recruiter connects with you on LinkedIn, can she get a clear picture of your skills and experience?

Today, more and more healthcare organizations are using search engines like Google and social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to check out job candidates at every level.  Savvy physicians, nurses, laboratory technicians, physical therapists and other professionals understand the importance of making it easy for potential employers to find them online.

One of the first steps to take is to create an account on LinkedIn, if you haven’t already.  Take the time to write a clear professional profile, and highlight your key skills, just as you would in a traditional resume.  Then, gather some endorsements and testimonials and post those as well. Finally, “accept” new connections from other healthcare professionals and keep building your online network.  Next, you should consider opening a Twitter account, not to post your own daily activities like entertainers and athletes do, but to “follow” healthcare executives, organizations and recruiters in your field.  These days, many job openings are first posted on Twitter, and if you’re following a health system in your community, for instance, you can quickly jump on those leads.

If you already have extensive experience in healthcare, you can take steps to advance your career, such as starting a blog on issues related to hospitals, nurses or phlebotomists.  You could also post a video on YouTube that shows you giving a speech or leading a training session.  If you are an active volunteer leader in a professional organization or charitable cause, don’t forget about posting those photos or speeches on YouTube or highlighting that information in your online profile as well.  All these steps can get you noticed by recruiters and improve your changes of getting a job that’s ideally suited to your skills and interests.

For nurse practitioners, locum tenens placements can open the door to new job and career opportunities.  With approximately 300,000 advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in the U.S, there are plenty of opportunities for “fill-in” positions, project staffing and other types of temporary employment in hospitals, physician groups and other healthcare organizations.  The most important benefits of locum tenens placements include:

• Flexibility. You can choose a schedule that meets your needs. That might mean working a new shift, taking a temporary assignment for several weeks or moving to a new location for several months or longer.
• Variety. You have a chance to practice your skills in a new clinical setting and serve a different patient population. Many locum tenens providers also enjoy a change of pace in their lifestyle, such as spending a month or two in a seaside, mountain or other vacation-oriented community.
• Income. You can earn a solid income throughout the assignment period. All Medical Personnel pays providers weekly on a fee for service basis, and provides professional liability insurance at no cost to the employee.
• Work-family balance.  A locum tenens assignment can help you find a healthy balance between work and family responsibilities. For instance, it can be difficult for two medical professionals to find appealing jobs in the same location. A locum tenens placement can provide a temporary solution while you search for the right step to advance your careers.

As a nurse practitioner (NP), your skills are in demand throughout the country. That’s also true for specialists like a family nurse practitioner (FNP), pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP), adult nurse practitioner (ANP) or women’s health nurse practitioner (WHNP).  Staffing firms like All Medical Personnel can help you apply for the necessary credentials and licenses for locum tenens placements in different states. The placement process is usually much easier for temporary positions in your current community and state.

Fortunately, national nursing associations are working on a consensus model designed to unify licensure, accreditation and certification requirements on the state level. That will make it easier for nurse practitioners to move from state to state, creating more opportunities for locum tenens employment and improving access to nursing care across the country.

It’s not uncommon for ambitious college students with multiple interests to go for a double major.  That could provide a new graduate with solid credentials in marketing or finance, for example, along with a liberal arts major like English, history or sociology.  Having a degree with a double major can certainly help attract the attention of employers since it shows your interest in learning as well as your willingness to work hard to earn your degree.

The same type of thinking can help you get off to a good start in healthcare or take your professional career to a new level.  Even if you don’t have an official double-major, you can still differentiate yourself from other new graduates by pointing out a wide set of classes and experiences.  If you’re applying for a nursing position, for example, why not emphasize your strong skills in Spanish or French, for example.  If you’re seeking an entry-level laboratory technician position, you could improve your chances by talking about your management experience in a summer retail job.  In any case, being able to bring something “extra” beyond the formal requirements can be a big help in landing that first position in healthcare – and to keep your career moving forward in the future.

Having a strong set of skills in a non-healthcare field can also help you make a career transition into this growing field.  Let’s say, you’ve spent your last ten years working in an accounting, sales, marketing or IT firm and are ready to try something new.  Today, there are plenty of opportunities in healthcare for professionals who know budgeting, accounting, billing, coding and collecting.  Health systems, hospitals and physician groups – as well as healthcare IT companies – are looking for skilled sales, marketing and public relations professionals.  In fact, the need for skilled professionals will only accelerate as federal healthcare reform gradually reshapes the delivery of services.  So, if you can bring a double major or a wide set of skills to a healthcare position at any level, you can dramatically improve your chances of being hired.  Good luck!

If want to take the next step in your healthcare career, it’s important to manage your social media presence.  After all, recruiters and potential employers today will usually go online and see what you have posted on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.  If you’ve posted a personal blog about being a nurse or physical therapist in your local community, you’re likely to be considered a strong candidate for an open position.  But if all the recruiter sees on Facebook are photos of you partying with your friends in a nightclub, your chances of being hired will drop dramatically.

The first step in managing your online presence is to take an inventory of what’s already out there.  You could start by pretending you’re the recruiter and do two searches, one with your name and one with your image, and see what appears.  Next review your online pages to see what information you’ve posted.  Pay particular attention to Facebook and Twitter, since these accounts tend to have much more personal information than LinkedIn. Fortunately, you can use the privacy controls on Facebook to protect your personal information from a casual visitor like a healthcare recruiter.

Once you’ve completed your assessment and done any necessary “damage control” to your image, it’s time to look for ways to make yourself more attractive to a recruiter.  One good approach is to update your credentials and experience on LinkedIn. For instance, if you’re looking for a management position, you can highlight recent accomplishments as a project manager or as a volunteer leader in a community organization. It’s also a good idea to ask your professional colleagues to “recommend” you or “endorse” your skills. Of course, you can do the same for them! These are some of the ways you can use social media to present yourself as an up-and-coming professional who would be a solid asset to any healthcare organization.

If you’re a recent nursing school graduate, it can be tough to land that first job.  Even though the field has a very low unemployment rate, most positions at physician offices, hospitals and other healthcare organizations are filled by experienced nursing professionals.  The “supply” situation has also changed in recent years, with far more men and women entering the field.  According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, there were 169,000 students enrolled in entry-level baccalaureate nursing programs during the 2010-2011 school year – more than twice as many as the 78,000 students in the late 1990s.

One recent survey by the American Society of Registered Nurses found that about 43 percent of newly licensed RNs were still looking for jobs 18 months after earning their degrees. Other studies indicate that the U.S. economic recession and slow recovery over the past five years have led many older nurses to return to the profession.  In fact, an estimated 25 percent of RNs today are over age 50, and likely to retire in the next decade.

Certainly, the long-term outlook for nursing positions remains strong.  Last year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said the RN workforce would be the top occupation in terms of job growth through 2020 with a 26 percent increase in the number of employed nurses from 2.74 million in 2010 to 3.45 million in 2020.  In addition to that increase of 712,000 RNs, another 495,500 nurses would be needed to replace retiring professionals for a total of 1.2 million new positions by 2020.

But that projected growth in the profession doesn’t help those inexperienced new RNs who are looking for an immediate position.  Therefore, one of the best employment strategies for new nurses is taking a temporary position at a local healthcare organization.  This allows newcomers to get their foot in the door, start building their “real-world” skills and add the word “experienced” to their resumes.  As a nationwide healthcare staffing firm, All Medical Personnel can assist nurses in finding temporary positions and take the next step in their careers.