You get excited when you think about launching a career in healthcare. But when you think about working in a hospital setting—with the strange smells and sometimes gruesome sights—you get an unpleasant feeling in your gut.
You’ve always longed for a career that allows you to help others and you’ve heard about the slew of in-demand healthcare jobs out there. At the same time, you’re pretty certain your sensitive stomach can’t handle the sights and smells present in most medical settings.
But don’t give up on your dream just yet. You’ll be happy to hear that it’s possible to have the best of both worlds: an environment that won’t upset your stomach and a rewarding career that allows you to make a difference in the lives of others.
We identified eight different medical careers that meet the criteria for which you’re looking. Take a look below for a quick breakdown of each career, complete with the job outlook and education needed according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).*
1. Medical administrator
Medical administrators are the executives of their respective healthcare facility. Administrators do not provide direct service to the patients, but effective planning, coordinating and managing. Their aim is to ensure patients are receiving the best care possible. Plus, as an added bonus, they don’t have to be around the blood, fluids and other queasy culprits you can’t stand.
Education Needed: Bachelor’s degree
2012–2022 Job Outlook: 23%
2. Medical transcriptionist
Medical transcriptionists are the scribes of the modern medical world. They listen to voice recordings from physicians and other healthcare professionals and convert them into written reports of medical histories, discharge summaries and other documents. If you’ve always had talent for typing and want to learn all the medical jargon and abbreviations, the world of transcription is probably a great fit.
Education Needed: Post-secondary certificate
2012–2022 Job Outlook: 8%
3. Community health consultant
These individuals work directly with individuals and groups to advocate health, alleviate stress and prevent physical and mental fatigue. Community health consultants have a broad range of opportunities as they may be employed by clinics, organizations or corporations. This position will allow you to work directly with patients while keeping a safe distance from any unappealing sights or smells.
Education Needed: Bachelor’s degree
2012–2022 Job Outlook: 21%
4. Pharmacy technician
Pharmacy technicians get to work on the other side of medical care; assisting pharmacists in dispensing prescription medication to customers or other healthcare professionals. As a pharmacy tech you have face-to-face time helping your customers, without the hands-on stuff that may cause queasiness.
Education Needed: High school diploma and professional certification
2012–2022 Job Outlook: 20%
5. Occupational therapist
Occupational therapists (OT) work directly with patients to help them overcome physical injuries and illness through use of therapeutic exercises and treatment programs. You won’t deal directly with the gruesome injuries but you’ll still get help improve your patient’s quality of life. You’re main goal would be to guide them on their road to recovery, helping them get back to their everyday activities.
Education Needed: Master’s degree
2012–2022 Job Outlook: 29%
6. Health information manager
Health information managers are in charge of overseeing and managing a team of health information professionals, such as medical coders or technicians. As a health information manager, you can bypass all of the hands-on stuff of other medical professions, while still working to ensure a patient is given the best possible care. You’ll also have the opportunity to exercise your leadership strengths in this management position.
Education Needed: Bachelor’s degree
2012–2022 Job Outlook: 23%
7. Medical Coder
Medical coders work in health information management, acting as a liaison between the health clinician and billing offices. They specialize in reviewing patient information for preexisting conditions and retrieving patient records for medical personnel.
Education Needed: Post-secondary certification or associates degree
2012–2022 Job Outlook: 22%
8. Phlebotomist
If blood doesn’t bother you, then phlebotomy might be the right choice. A phlebotomist’s primary job is drawing blood for testing or donating purposes. They can work in hospitals, clinics or donor centers. Besides the quick poke, their responsibility is to ensure the patient is calm and at ease throughout the blood draw.
Education Requirements:Postsecondary non-degree award
2012–2022 Job Outlook: 27%
From queasy to easy
Now you know there are plenty of opportunities to work in the excited healthcare industry without troubling your tummy. To learn more about different medical careers in that category, check out these medical jobs that don’t involve blood.
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*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, [information accessed February 2015] www.bls.gov/ooh/. Employment conditions in your area may vary.
