It takes a special type of person to go into healthcare in the military. You have to be willing to help people and you have to have an urge to serve your country. If you’re considering joining the military as a way to pay for college, get career training or to get a career, healthcare may be the answer.
The healthcare field has been growing faster than many other job fields for many years. Hospitals keep opening all over the country, and the world. Many healthcare professions are in need of people ready to take care of other.
By joining the military, you can get the training you need to start in healthcare and move up to the position you prefer. If you join the military and you go into healthcare, you will also be prepared for when you leave the military. The training you receive will often be enough to help you land a job in healthcare after your military service.
In fact, there are several great healthcare jobs you can land without an advanced degree. Here’s a look at some of those top jobs in healthcare for those without an advanced degree.
Registered Nurse
You can join the military and become a registered nurse with just an associate’s degree. If you have military experience and you try to get a job as a civilian, you will likely go up to the top of the list. As an RN, you will earn an average salary of about $65K per year. This job title is growing faster than average at 19% growth right now, too.
Personal Care Aide
With military experience working in healthcare, you can easily land a job as a personal care aide when you get out of the military. While this isn’t a high paying healthcare job, it can be a stepping stone as you gain more training and schooling. The biggest advantage is the growth rate, which is currently at about 49%. You’ll earn about $20K per year, which isn’t much, but you don’t need any training to start.
Medical Assistants
If you work as an assistant in healthcare in the military, your skills will transfer very well to a medical assistant position in the healthcare industry. This isn’t a super high paying career at just $29K per year, but you won’t need a degree, either. The job growth is about 29% and this is another good healthcare job if you want to gain more training as you work.
Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics
EMTs and paramedics have a dangerous job and those with military experience fit in very easily. They are the first ones on the scene for emergencies most often and they are often under pressure. The training only takes about a year, but it may be shorter or much easier if you come from a military background.
This field has a 23% job growth, which is above average and the salary is about $31K per year.
Dental Assistant
This is an entry-level job that you can easily land if you have military experience in the dental field. It’s growing at 25% and the averages salary is about $34,500. You can work as you gain more training and the training to become a dental assistant takes about one year.
Health Practitioner Support Technician
This field covers many types of technicians including pharmacy technicians, surgical technicians, and veterinary technicians. The salary ranges from about $30K to $42K and all of these jobs are growing at a rate much faster than average.
If you received training in the military in any of these fields, this is an easy job to transfer into after your service. You’ll have the opportunity to work as you gain more training to advance your career. For most of these jobs, you won’t need any training, however, you may need a certificate or associate’s degree for some technician positions.
There are several other healthcare jobs you can get right out of the military. These are just some of the options you can get without much training.
While military experience and training will help you land one of these jobs, you can also gain more training and education while you’re in the military. If you complete the right degree program and training, you could come out of the military with the ability to go into the healthcare field at a higher position.
Nursing is a very fast growing field and moving up the ladder can be done one step at a time, as you’re working. The military provides training for nurses and you can get the degree you need while serving your country. If you want to set yourself up for success in and out of the military, consider a military career in the healthcare field.