Finding a Job in Healthcare: Everything You Need to Know

Finding a Job in Healthcare: Everything You Need to Know
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The healthcare profession can appear to be challenging to break into for budding nurses and doctors, mainly due to the strict requirements that are needed before you can be considered for a role. However, by following the right steps and conducting research into your occupation and the jobs that are on offer, it is easier than it may look to secure a role within the medical industry. Here are some of the top actions that you need to consider taking the first step on your career ladder.

1.   Take a Nursing Degree

With healthcare recently becoming the U.S’s largest employer, it is paramount that you can research the requirements that are necessary to enable you to be considered for the job. Most jobs in the healthcare industry will require you to have a nursing degree and the correct licensure, and some may even require you to have a post-graduate degree in a related subject. Not only does obtaining a degree allow you to meet the requirements of the role, but it can also help you to secure a job.

At most colleges and universities, you will have the opportunity to connect with a professional career service which can help you to find experience opportunities in the medical industry. This is not the only benefit that nursing degrees can provide for you, with many colleges giving you the chance to work on placement alongside your studies. Then, if you are planning to start looking for your next nursing job, you should consider taking a BSN to DNP degree, which will allow you to prepare for a full range of medical and leadership positions.

2.   Create the Perfect Resume

However, to secure yourself an interview, having the right qualifications is not enough, and you need to ensure that you can present yourself well on paper. Having the perfect resume in nursing is vital as this is the first impression that potential employers will have of you and the skills that you will give to their institution. To boost your nursing resume, you should take on volunteer and work experience roles. At the same time, you are a student, ensure that your personal statement is unique and stands out from the competition, provide evidence for the skills that are integral to nursing careers, and connect with the individual values of the institution that you are applying to work for.

3.   Look for Entry Roles

If you do not have enough experience or the right qualifications to apply for the role of your dreams straight away, this does not mean that you are barred from the medical profession. Instead, you should look for entry roles. These can then be used as a springboard to help you to get the skills you need and eventually advance your career through a promotion. Some of the best entry roles that you can apply for in the healthcare profession include:

  • Care workers
  • Healthcare assistants
  • Home health aides
  • Certified nursing assistants

4.   Volunteer or Find an Internship

The benefits of volunteering or looking for an internship do not solely include the ability to boost your resume. Instead, finding experience in the healthcare sector under a graduate scheme or part-time job can lead to a job position in other ways. By working within the healthcare sector, even for a short and temporary period, you will be able to build your connections with those working in the industry and prove your value and skills to the individuals who can decide your future career path. In many cases, student nurses and medical professionals who have taken on work experience have been able to secure job offers after graduation by impressing the managers of the institutions that they performed work experience for.

5.   Connect with Potential Employers

There are many other ways to connect with your potential employers, though. Building your network is necessary to make yourself known in the industry and ensure that you are the first person that they consider for any job opening. To connect with potential employers, you should find their contact information on their institution’s website. Then, you should consider sending them an email communication expressing your interest in working for them and asking if they can store your resume if there is a potential job opening in the future.

You can also build up your connections to aid your future career by:

  • Attending medical conferences and shows
  • Joining professional associations
  • Going to networking events on a local and nationwide scale

These will allow you to speak to your potential employers face-to-face. You may also be able to attend a nursing career fair in your area, which can allow you to contact institutions who are looking for graduates of your skill level to join their company.

6.   Use Industry-Specific Job Sites

If you are struggling to find a position on general job websites, you should aim to apply for roles on job websites that have been tailored specifically for the medical industry. This will prevent you from having to scroll through long lists of potential jobs that you are not interested in. Since only nursing graduates will be using these pages, medical job websites are also likely to have adverts from more renowned institutions and adverts for jobs at a higher level than those that are advertised on the most popular careers websites.

7.   Succeed at Your Interview

Nursing interviews can be daunting. However, if you present yourself well, you will be able to succeed at your first nursing interview easily. To ensure that your interview will lead to a job offer, you should research the latest developments in the medical industry and the company that you are being interviewed by in advance, consider some interesting questions to ask them, ensure that you have the right clothes to present a positive appearance, and ensure that you follow up the interview afterward. You should also look into some of the most common questions that are asked in nursing interviews, as this will help you to prepare adequately for every outcome.


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Jeffrey likes to write about health and fitness topics, being a champion fitness instructor in the past.

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