Five Healthcare Jobs You Can Train for Fast

Many would-be healthcare professionals have heard about the increasing demand for trained and certified healthcare workers, but assume they wouldn't have the time or money to train for one of these careers. If this sounds like you, don't give up yet. For those who can't wait four or more years to start a new career, there are jobs within the healthcare industry that you can train for in less than two years.

Surgical technologist
The career of a surgical technologist, or "scrub," is definitely a hands-on healthcare job. These professionals, who are supervised by surgeons or other personnel, help prepare and clean up operating rooms, get patients ready for surgery, and assist in surgeries by handing instruments and supplies to the surgeons.

While this career involves serious responsibility, you don't need six years in university to enter it. Many surgical technologists receive their education from special courses at community colleges, vocational schools, or even on the job at hospitals. Training programs can take as little as nine months for a certificate or two years for an associate degree.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of job openings for surgical technologists is expected to grow much faster than average in the near future. You may not become a millionaire in this career, but you can certainly do well financially. Salary.com, a database of US salary statistics, lists annual the average annual salary for surgical technologists at $38,000.

Dental hygienist
If the visceral aspects of surgery aren't quite your thing, but you're still interested in working directly with patients, consider a career as a dental hygienist. While their work is less involved than that of dentists, they do have a lot of responsibility. Cleaning teeth and checking for signs of tooth or gum disease are the primary duties but hygienists also teach patients how to keep their teeth in good shape through proper cleaning and a healthy diet.

One of the best parts of the job is the flexible scheduling. There are hygienists who work full-time in one office, but many work part-time, or on evenings or weekends. The down side to this is that full-time work can be hard to come by. Dentists tend to hire hygienists for only a few days a week, so hygienists may need to work with more than one dental clinic to earn a good income.

While bachelor's or master's degrees in dental hygiene are available, most dental hygiene programs grant a two-year associate degree or a certificate. To work in a dentist's private practice, you'll need at least an associate degree or certificate. Hygienists who work in public institutions such as schools generally need at least a bachelor's degree. Keep in mind, too, that dental hygienists must be licensed by the state where they work. To get the license, you'll not only need to complete a dental hygiene course, but take both written and clinical exams, too. It's still relatively quick training, though, and the money's not bad. At Salary.com, the average national salary is considered to be around $60,000. According U.S. Department of Labor's 2004 statistic, the latest available, dental hygienists were earning $28.05 an hour.

Massage therapy
With massage becoming increasingly popular as a way to gain relief from a stressful world, the demand for massage therapists is expected to increase considerably over the next decade.

Unlike with some healthcare careers where you're stuck in a clinic or hospital, massage therapists work in a variety of locations. Some do work in hospitals, but others take their massage skills to fitness centers, private homes and offices, and even airports and shopping malls. Resorts and cruise ships hire massage therapists, too.

If you long to be self-employed in a healthcare career, this could be the way to go. Some 2/3rds of massage therapists are in business for themselves. Those who are typically divide their time among several different locations. For instance, they might spend the morning at a fitness center and visit homes in the evening.

One of the less attractive aspects of this job is how physically demanding it is. It's hard work and massage therapists sometimes suffer from repetitive motion strain and fatigue from long hours standing up. This is one of the reasons a 15- to 30-hour workweek is considered full time in this career.

Training standards and requirements for massage therapists vary greatly by state and even by county. Many areas
require only 150 to 250 hours of training, but with 500 to 750 you'll be able to work almost anywhere in the US.
There are some exceptions where more training is required, though. Some areas require therapists to pass the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork and receive an NCTMB certificate. To do this, you'll first need to complete at least 500 hours of training at a licensed training facility.

Salary.com places the average earnings of massage therapists at around $50,000 a year. The U.S. Department of Labor suggests an average hourly rate of $15.36, including tips. Self-employed massage therapists who are good at marketing and building relationships with clients could earn significantly more.

Medical assistant
If you're interest in a career in the healthcare field, but prefer managing logistics to patient care, look into becoming a medical assistant. As a vital element in holding a medical office together, medical assistants take care of administrative work like filing, scheduling, filling out insurance forms, updating patients medical records, and even accounting.

This job is different from that of a physician's assistant, who examines, diagnoses, and treats patients. In some states, though, medical assistants do have limited clinical duties. They may take medical histories and vital signs, get patients ready for examinations, and explain treatments. More involved duties vary from office to office, but some assistants may also draw blood, take out stitches, or change dressings.

Most medical assistants get their training through a 1-year certificate programs or 2-year associate degree programs at community colleges or vocational schools. Others are trained on the job. Even at a community college you'll get a little real world training before you're set loose, though, because accredited programs include internships.

According to Salary.com, medical assistants average $28,000 a year nationwide, with a wide range depending on location.

Home health aide
Most of us, even if we do need a little extra help from time to time, would far rather live in our own home than in a hospital. Yet family isn't always able to provide that extra help. This is where home health aides come in. They provide the support that allows those with special healthcare concerns, such as elderly or disabled people, to stay as healthy and independent as possible in their own homes.

Home health aides generally work alone and visit several patients' homes a day. Skill at building rapport with patients is important because you may be visiting the same one for months or years.

The home health aide job is projected to be one of the fastest growing healthcare job opportunities in the near future. Unfortunately, one of the reasons is because it's a hard job to fill. Entry requirements are fairly low, but so is the pay, while the level of physical and emotional strain is high. Because the chance for advancement is limited, every year many home health aides leave the job.

On the positive side for job seekers, becoming an entry-level home health aide doesn't even require so much as a high school diploma. Many care facilities are willing to hire inexperienced workers for on-the-job training, which consists of about 75 hours of training followed by a competency test. Some types of training also lead to certification as a nursing assistant. Most hospitals do require some training or experience before they'll hire a health aide, though.

Salary.com lists the earnings of home health aides and nursing assistants around $25,000 a year or $11 an hour for part time.

As much responsibly as most healthcare careers entail, not all require a university degree. If you're interested in a job in healthcare, look into the types of training your local community college can offer and you may be surprised how quickly you can train for one of these careers.