Sex and Your Job Search 2013: A Guide to Scoring Your Dream Job (33 page)

I’M KIND OF A BIG DEAL:
KEEP TRACK OF YOUR STORIES
AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

I will say this again because it is
so
important: please keep track of your stories, successes, and accomplishments daily! Write them down as they happen. Save them to a flash drive if you don’t want to store them on your work computer. This may be one of the best habits you develop over your career. Want confidence, self-esteem, and more money? Do this.

I tell you this from personal experience. Keeping track of my stories just helped me get a $4,800 raise at evaluation time. Holla!

Do
you
want to be the center of attention when that hot model HR rep and hiring manager are filling their jobs? Then check out the following industries and fast-growing professions that will be in demand for the next decade. These are some of the three to four million jobs that are filled
each
month in the United States.

The four hot job industries of the future that offer big growth potential are:

• Healthcare

• Business

• Science and technology

• Social services

I will provide an overview of each industry and list the top jobs therein. For most, I include the Job Description, Demand, Pay, and Training needed to enter the field. You will notice that there is a lot of overlap between industries. Let’s start with our #1 hottie industry, Healthcare.

1. HEALTHCARE

Healthcare is so hot right now. And it will most likely still be appealing for the next twenty to thirty years.

The reason for healthcare’s dominance and importance as an industry is due to the more than 70,000,000 aging baby boomers who have or are about to retire in the next several years. This adds significant demand for healthcare services, above and beyond current levels. As a result, this also triggers the need for new and effective developments in medical treatment through scientific research, thus creating more jobs and helping patients live longer. Lastly, the Affordable Healthcare Act will expand healthcare coverage to include all Americans, causing further growth in healthcare.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the healthcare sector will account for one out of five new jobs created this year. The jobs are located in hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities, and other care-related facilities. Below is a list of health care jobs that are in demand.

Registered Nurse

Job Description:
A nurse treats a patient’s medical condition. They also educate and support the patient, as well as the patient’s family. A large part of the job involves giving meds, documenting conditions, and analyzing the results.

Demand:
The need for nurses will continue for the next twenty-plus years as a large portion of the nursing population retires and the demand for nurses increases. The BLS predicts that there will be over 700,000 nursing jobs added between 2010 and 2020.

Pay:
The average pay for a nurse is $65,000 a year with top earners clearing six figures and low earners receiving salaries in the mid-$40,000 range. Nurses are routinely provided monetary incentives for working nights and weekends, as well as holidays and extra shifts. The states where nurses get paid the most include California, New York, and Hawaii. In many instances nurses who sign up as travel nurses with an agency are among the highest paid, along with having their housing costs paid for and receiving bonuses. Amazing.

For nurses that get their MBA or PhD and get into administration, the pay scale goes up considerably. Chief Nursing Officers and VPs of nursing can make anywhere from $150,000 to over $400,000. I’m connected with some of these superstars on LinkedIn. There is a government website that lists the highest earners at non-profit hospitals, and I have personally verified that these salaries are accurate. I’m telling you what is possible. You go make it happen. Again, phenomenal communication and continued education are requirements to get into nursing administration.

Training:
The training required to become a registered nurse includes either a two-year associate’s degree, a four-year bachelor’s degree, or a diploma program. The associate’s degree requires less time and money, however, the bachelor’s degree is quickly becoming the industry standard.

More and more schools now offer accelerated RN programs for students who already have their bachelor’s. These tend to be intensive courses that take anywhere from twelve to eighteen months to complete. Graduates must pass a national license exam (NCLEX-RN).

For More Info:
American Association of Colleges of Nursing: www.aacn.nche.edu
Nursing News, Jobs, and Community: Publishers of
NurseWeek
: www.nurse.com

Physical Therapist

Job Description:
Physical therapists help patients recover from physical impairments and treat them by promoting mobility and movement. PTs evaluate each individual patient, diagnose conditions—sometimes with assistance from doctors—and recommend treatment plans to restore strength and improve physical function. Patients include accident victims, athletes old and young, and people with back pain.

Demand:
Physical therapy is one of the fastest-growing careers due to the aging baby boomer population. The BLS expects demand for PTs to grow nearly 40% between 2010 and 2020, adding about 80,000 jobs.

Pay:
Average pay is $75,000 a year with top earners clearing $110,000 and bottom earners making close to $55,000. This number will most likely trend upward as some states have laws in the works to allow PTs to offer more services without physician approval. California and Texas are the states that pay their physical therapists the most.

PT managers and administrators can make upward of $150,000. Couple an MBA with your Doctor of Physical Therapy and you can start looking for positions as a director of rehabilitation at related facilities. If you own one or more rehab facilities in the right area, your pay can shoot past $200,000.

Training:
The minimum requirement in all states is a two- or two-and-a-half-year master’s degree program and a state license. Numerous schools only offer a three-year DPT programs. In 2017, all undergrads heading to PT school will be required to go through a DPT program. Continuing education is required by most states to maintain a license.

For More Info: 
American Physical Therapy Association: www.apta.org

Medical Assistant

Job Description:
Medical assistants handle both clinical and administrative tasks in a doctors’ office or other medical facility. Day-to-day tasks include taking blood pressure, drawing blood, and documenting vitals. It also includes answering phones, handling patient accounts, scheduling appointments, and organizing medical records.

MAs are in the mix and are assisting physicians and other medical staff, sometimes at a very fast pace. If you like the medical field and enjoy each workday to be different, this may be the job for you.

The one recommendation I would make if you are considering this field is to verify which hospitals or clinics your school has externships set up with. On the medical campus where I work, our doctors’ offices work with some schools and not others. Networking while doing your externship is key to scoring your dream job when you graduate. Ask the admissions department and then call or stop by (dressed professionally like I’ve mentioned) to verify this at your dream employer. I’ve seen some MA schools promise the world and fail to deliver.

Demand:
Between 2010 and 2020, it is estimated that over 160,000 MA jobs will be created.

Pay:
The median annual salary for a MA is about $29,000, with the high side coming in around $40,000 and the low wages around $20,000.

The MA position is a great introduction to the medical field. If you find that you’ve mastered this position, your access to mentors such as doctors, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and x-ray techs is tremendous. Network with them to find out which other area of healthcare you might want to go into. Check your benefits to find out if your organization has tuition reimbursement. Take it from there.

Training:
It is rare that hospitals and clinics will hire someone straight out of high school. However, some still do. In most job postings, the position will require a one- or two-year program to be completed, sometimes with a Certified Nursing Assistant certification.

MA positions can sometimes have other names at different facilities. They include certified nursing assistant (CNA), patient care assistant (PCA), home health aide (HHA), unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP), and psych tech (PT).

For More Info: 
American Association of Medical Assistants: www.aama-ntl.org

Pharmacist

Job Description:
Dispense medications and advise patients, doctors, hospitals, and clinical and research organizations.

Demand:
Solid growth and high demand, with around 70,000 jobs being added between 2010 and 2020.

Pay:
The annual salary averages $115,000. Those who make the most earn on average $140,000 and the least approximately $85,000.

Administrators earn $150,000, and if you show your talent for management, you may be able to grow further in your career. Some pharmacists who have gotten into administration, whether hospital, pharmaceutical, or retail make upwards of $200,000 a year.

Training:
You’ll need a four-year college degree and then four years of Pharmacy school to achieve your Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D). After that there are several examinations and a one- or two-year residency or fellowship program. There are individual state licenses that need to be obtained, as well as other continuing tests and work requirements.

For More Info:
American Pharmacists Association: www.pharmacist.com
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy: www.aacp.org

Occupational Therapist

Job Description:
Occupational Therapists help patients carry out day-to-day tasks so that they may live independent and fulfilling lives. Their patients may suffer from physical, developmental, and mental illnesses and injuries. OTs teach their patients to accomplish activities that get them through the day.

Demand:
The Labor Department expects that close to 40,000 new positions will be added between 2010 to 2020.

Pay:
The average median salary is $72,000. The highest-paid OTs make over $100,000, while the lowest paid make just under $50,000.

Training:
A master’s degree is the minimum requirement for the field. To become nationally certified, OTs need to have graduated from a school accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education. The trend is that more schools now offer weekend and evening classes to obtain a master’s degree in OT.

For More Info: 
American Occupational Therapy Association: www.aota.org

OTHER HEALTHCARE CAREERS

The above-mentioned careers are the best jobs of the future in healthcare. There are, however, other excellent medical careers that may be right for you. I’ve included a list below.

• Clinical Laboratory Tech

• Paramedic

• Social Worker

• Massage Therapist

AN ENCOURAGING WORD ABOUT THE MANY
POSITIONS AVAILABLE IN HEALTHCARE

At many of the career fairs I’ve attended, I’ve found that the general perception is that you need to be a doctor or nurse to work in healthcare. That is
false
!

Healthcare is the number-one industry because it incorporates all of the top industries in this country: healthcare, business, science and technology, social services, and creative services.

Let me explain. Healthcare demands business professionals. It needs accountants and financial people to survive. It needs marketing people, graphic designers, and public relations people. Many healthcare CEOs will tell you that human resources, or rather the selection of the employees, is the most important function at any medical facility. So, that means we need HR recruiters and interviewers (like myself), employee relations people, benefits employees, and billing experts.