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!

When most people think of healthcare staffing, the first locations that come to mind are physician offices and community hospitals.  Certainly, these types of healthcare organizations are regularly in need of qualified doctors, nurses, therapists, lab techs and other professionals.  But that’s just the start of the career opportunities now available in the healthcare field.

Today, qualified professionals are needed at every point on the continuum of care, including pediatric clinics, adolescent counseling centers, senior living facilities and specialized treatment providers.  For example, nursing homes and assisted living facilities like to hire healthcare professionals who enjoy working with their residents on an ongoing basis.  Unlike a hospital or physician office where the patient population changes every day, an assisted living facility may house the same residents for months or years at a time.  That’s an important consideration for nurses, therapists and other professionals who would like to build long-term relationships with facility residents.

Another option is going to work in the home care sector, which continues to be one of the fastest growing areas of the healthcare industry.  Since home care is typically much less expensive than acute hospital care or 24/7 residential care, staffing demand is expected to increase substantially over the next decade.  Greater independence and flexibility in scheduling are among the advantages of a position in home care.  So if you’re looking at the next step in your healthcare career, be sure to consider the many types of professional opportunities before making a decision.