Glancing at the decade-old concept regarding careers in healthcare services, people believed that only individuals with a degree in medicine or nursing could join this field. Little did we know that people are working in this field with a non-medical degree. For instance, a medical administrator who has nothing to do with treating and diagnosing patients does not require a medical degree. The healthcare industry has expanded enormously over the past few years. Besides there being a global shortage of healthcare professionals, this industry has not stopped growing. From nurses to doctors to x-ray technicians, everyone can pursue a career in this field. Even if we talk about the engineers, these individuals can find a relevant role in this industry besides having a different degree.

Both clinical and non-clinical jobs are associated with the healthcare settings. The responsibilities and qualities for both jobs differ on a large scale. People involved in clinical jobs are directly responsible for patient care. In contrast, those with non-clinical jobs support the healthcare professionals. A non-clinical job does not involve direct interaction with a patient. It entails the services that facilitate the treatment procedures. We usually assume that doctors and nurses play a vital role in the healthcare industry, which they do. Imagine yourself under an x-ray machine, and the machine stops. Will you expect a doctor to fix the technical glitch, or will you look up to a technician for this job? We will rather look for a technician instead of expecting our doctor to fix the machine.

The field of public health and public health workers are also playing a crucial role in the healthcare industry. However, there is a slight difference in public health vs medicine that separates these two fields. Even if you have a non-clinical degree, you can still enter the healthcare industry by choosing the following career pathways.

Quality Improvement Coordinator

A quality healthcare coordinator shoulders the responsibility of managing and coordinating with the healthcare teams. They also handle the administrative tasks associated with a running healthcare facility. They develop and implement the processes that ensure the quality of services and improve patient care quality. A QI coordinator in a healthcare setting monitors data reduces healthcare costs without compromising on the quality of patient care services. To join the healthcare industry as a QI coordinator, an individual must have a bachelor’s degree with registered nurse licensure. Some roles related to this career pathway may demand a master’s degree. As a QI coordinator, you can earn up to 66,745 dollars per year.

Healthcare Risk Management Manager

In a healthcare setting, the chances of healing and risks exist simultaneously. Healthcare risk managers overlook and minimize the errors, accidents, or any other event that can be hazardous to patients and the hospital. To work as a healthcare risk manager, an individual must know all the details about the hospital policies and procedures to control the risk and minimize the chances of errors. These managers are responsible for organizing and implementing staff training programs to ensure patient care and safety measures. The healthcare risk managers also ensure that every operation running in the hospital follows the safety protocols.

Their median annual salary ranges from 73,272 dollars to 103,808 dollars. To pursue a career in this field, you need at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Healthcare Coordinator

They are also called medical or health service managers. They shoulder the responsibility of overseeing the organizational aspects of patient care in a healthcare setting. They perform various tasks like planning and coordinating the medical and health. They fulfill the medical support role and work with patients and look after patient’s needs. They are not the direct care providers, but they help in evaluating patients. As a healthcare coordinator, your primary goal will be to ensure patient care and healthcare services. To pursue a career as a medical service manager, you need at least a bachelor’s degree or a preferred certificate program. The healthcare coordinator salary ranges from 25,000 dollars to 53,000 dollars depending on the career level. By the end of 2028, this career pathway with grows by 13% more career opportunities.

Medical Transcriptionist

A medical transcription career pathway entails keeping records and staying behind the scenes. This career pathway is a perfect choice for a detail-oriented person who can keep track of files and documents. You will have to listen to an audio recording of the doctor’s notes and jot them down on paper. A medical transcriptionist must write accurate notes to help physicians and healthcare identify the treatment methods recommended in the past. Medical transcriptionists are high in demand, besides healthcare professionals turning to text-to-speech automation. The median salary for a medical transcriptionist is 42,000 dollars per year.

Legal Consultant

Like every other workforce industry, the healthcare industry also has to fulfill the legal regularities. Legal consultants play a crucial role in the healthcare industry. A healthcare professional is a direct caregiver to a patient meaning that they have to interact with them. Healthcare professionals often need legal protection in case if something goes wrong. As a legal consultant, you are responsible for helping the healthcare professionals with legal claims or cases levied against them. Legal consultants also frequently evaluate medical records, the best course of action aligned with care standards, and evaluating health records. A legal consultant’s median salary working in healthcare salary ranges from 20,500 dollars to 191,000 dollars per year.

Informatics Nurse

The career pathway of informatics nurses is all about a strong skillset in information technology. These nurses take care of managing the IT procedures involved in the healthcare industry. They also train or educate other healthcare professionals to use and incorporate technology in their daily rotations. Being part of the training or education programs, these nurses spend extra time and effort to facilitate the healthcare professionals. They also ensure that the trainees know every nook and cranny about operating and working with technology. The median salary for this career pathway is between 47,404 dollars to 87, 176 dollars per year.

Conclusion

The healthcare industry offers plenty of non-clinical healthcare jobs that can have a positive impact on patients. Non-clinical jobs mostly entail operating behind the scenes. Without these individuals, the quality of services won’t be the same. From working as executives, receptionists, medical coders to medical transcriptionists, these individuals play a substantial role in developing the healthcare industry. With constant changes happening in the healthcare industry, there is a high demand for both clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals.