Choosing a Career in the Health and Social Care Sector

Choosing a career path can be incredibly difficult, as there is so much choice out there, and you want to go for a role which properly utilizes all of your skills. While there are a number of different paths you could choose, if you are someone who cares for the wellbeing of others, is intellectually and emotionally able to offer support to others, and enjoys making a difference in other people’s lives, then a career in the health and social care sector might be perfect for you. If you would like to learn more about the different job roles available in the health and social care sector, then here are a few examples of positions you could consider.

Dental Care practitioners

Not everyone likes going to the dentist, but that doesn’t mean that is not an important and respected role in society. There are a number of roles within the dental care team, from being a dental hygienist to a dental nurse of a dental technician. Each role requires different skills sets, so there is something for everyone; but the most important basic qualities you’ll need to work in this sector are an eye for detail, good manual dexterity and the ability to work well and communicate with others.

Doctors

Doctors work in a wide range of areas within the healthcare sector, from general practitioners who need knowledge in a broad spectrum of areas, to specialists in specific fields, such as radiology, pediatric medicine, and pathology. Becoming a doctor requires several years of higher education and training, but the amount varies depending on the role you decide to go for. However, being a doctor is a widely respected position no matter your field of choice, and pays reasonably well depending on whether you choose to work in the private or public sector.

Nurses

While many people hold the misconception that nurses act as some kind of assistant to doctors, the truth is that they were the same Blue Sky Scrubs as any doctor, and actually have a much more hands-on approach to long-term patient care. Therefore, if you are the sort of person who would prefer to interact more with patients, nursing might be a career better suited to you than becoming a doctor. Just as with doctors, nurses have to study for a long time in higher education, and also have to do a lot of hands-on training before becoming certified. Nurses can also choose to go into a specific field, such as adult or neonatal nursing, or working as a mental health nurse.

Pharmacology

As with most medical professions, pharmacology is comprised of many different roles, from pharmacists to pharmacy technicians and assistants. While becoming a pharmacology assistant doesn’t require much more than school level qualifications along with further training, to be a pharmacist requires you to have a degree in pharmacy. This is because pharmacists not only prescribe medications based on a given set of symptoms, similar to what a general practitioner might do, but they are also responsible for advising on dosage, helping patients manage conditions and more, including manufacturing medicines when ready-madeprescriptions are not available.

Psychological therapists

If you have more of an interest in how the mind works than on the body, then psychological therapies might be an area that you are more suited to. Psychology has a number of branches, from therapists who work through cognitive issues through verbal therapies, to psychiatrists who are also able to prescribe medications to aid mental illnesses. You don’t necessarily have to have gone to college to offer therapy to people, however, some kind of training will be required. Plus, if you hope to have a better understanding of the human mind, then some kind of university-level education is incredibly important, especially as psychology is such a complicated area of study.

Social workers

Social workers are an important port of call for people who struggle with their health and wellbeing, as well as their way of life on a broader spectrum. Social workers liaise with people from all different backgrounds and different social situations, from new parents and to children in the social care system, to people with long-term medical conditions and mental illnesses. Social workers are required to act in the role of counselor, advocate, friend, guide and medical liaison for the people they care for. They also have a range of duties, such as carrying out assessments on people who they care for, offering information and support when needed, safeguarding vulnerable people and keeping detailed records and reports of developing situations. This is a very important role in the health and social care sector, as a social worker is effectively the first port of call for people with no one else to turn to.

Personal assistant

When you think of a personal assistant, you might be thinking of a secretary in an office or someone who runs around after the CEO of a big cooperation, but in the social care sector this role takes on an entirely different meaning. There are lots of people around the world who rely on their personal assistants to help them live out the best quality of life possible. In the role of a personal assistant, you work directly with a specific individual, or individuals, who you assist in different roles during their day. This might mean simply going out with them to run errands so that they feel supported if needed, or it may be something more hands-on, such as attending to their personal care needs.

Personal assistants tend to work with people with physical, development, or mental disabilities, and the needs of their clients can vary. This is a great job for a social person, who is comfortable working one to one with people in a more personal capacity. You need to be able to take on a range of tasks, from cooking and cleaning to managing money and being able to help someone be more mobile; this role also requires skills such as good communication and empathy.