Why choose a career in healthcare?

As a result of COVID-19, the healthcare sector has been brought into the spotlight more than ever before, with the entire country standing up and applauding (quite literally) the work that they are doing to care for the nation.

At WR Health, we are extremely proud to serve the industry and believe this added attention is a perfect time to highlight some of the things that make a career in healthcare so rewarding.

Simply put, if you’re passionate about helping people, finding a job in the healthcare industry can be one of the best career paths there is. Here’s some of the reasons why you should choose a career in healthcare.

Reasons to choose a career in healthcare: making a good impact

If you’re looking for a job that makes a positive impact and provides fulfilment, it may be time to choose a career in healthcare. Regardless of your role, you are playing a part in helping people, changing the lives of others and impacting families.

This often leads to professionals finishing each day with a sense of fulfilment, and healthcare workers regularly describe their jobs as ‘meaningful’ and ‘contributing to the society.’ You’ll also be surrounded by like-minded people who are compassionate, caring and want to provide the best possible care for patients.

Very few other careers give people the opportunity to do as much good as healthcare. You can be a truly compassionate person, all while making a good living. It does not matter what job you choose within the industry, you will be helping patients to get the care that they need.

Finally, if you’re going to spend over forty hours a week at your place of work, you want to know that it’s time well spent. Living payday to payday without job satisfaction can take a toll on your performance as well as your overall well-being. But, with a career in healthcare, every day is truly rewarding for staff in one way or another.

Job security

Healthcare is one of the most in-demand industries across UK and the rest of the world, with a huge skills shortage for workers across the sector. And, according to a WHO report, the world will be short of 12.9 million healthcare workers by 2035. This means that your skills will be highly sought after almost anywhere you choose to work, providing a real array of opportunities and, perhaps more importantly in these tough times, some well needed job security.

Fast paced environment

Choosing a career in healthcare means entering into a fast-paced, ever-changing, and sometimes challenging environment – illustrated pretty clearly by the COVID-19 crisis. It is safe to say that no two days are the same, and you never really know what will happen when you wake up and head to work in the morning. This is definitely not your standard 9-5 office job. The sector requires regular decision making, on-the-spot thinking, decisiveness, intuition and problem-solving skills, making it one of the most exciting to choose.

Recognition

As a result of COVID-19, more people than ever are truly recognising the value of healthcare workers – with millions across the UK taking part in weekly rounds of applause, painting rainbows on their houses, and companies and organisations offering deals and freebies to workers. While we think this added recognition is slightly overdue, it’s exactly what those in the industry deserve.

In fact, we wrote a recent blog that outlines just how much recognition the public has been showing to those working in the sector and how much it means to those in the profession. Ultimately, working in healthcare is a prestigious occupation that you can be proud of, leading to a huge sense of job fulfilment.

Opportunities for development

As one of the fastest growing industries in the entire world, the healthcare sector arguably has the largest variety of development opportunities for its staff. New medical facilities, including hospitals, assisted living facilities, and doctors’ offices have made finding employment in different parts of the country, and even the world, easier than ever. This gives those working in the sector the opportunity to take their career in whatever direction they want, and continue to help people as they go.

Furthermore, due to the current talent shortages in healthcare, many organisations are keen on upskilling workers and offering them as many development opportunities as possible in order to help retain them and ensure they hone their abilities regularly. So, if you decide you want to take your healthcare career in a different direction, chances are, you will be able to with little challenge.

Jobs for all skillsets

The broad scale of healthcare jobs available to people means that qualifications and medical knowledge are not necessarily required for some positions. While many may believe that all healthcare professionals have to have spent over four years at university and received all A* at A levels – this is not the case.

Healthcare is such a vast sector, and roles vary from administration, payroll, community care, doctors, surgeons, across nursing home and social care settings as well, to name just a few opportunities. And the benefits we’ve outlined in these blogs are available to all of these roles, not just limited to doctors and nurses.

We are proud

Ultimately, while healthcare is currently in the spotlight due to COVID-19, a career in the sector is a fulfilling and exciting journey at any time. At WR Health, we are proud to represent the industry, and we’re not surprised that demand for talent is rising across nursing, health and social care.

With healthcare workers so essential to keeping the country safe and well during the pandemic, we’ve done our utmost to support them throughout these turbulent times, and recognise the job they’ve been doing.

Our Health division manages recruitment for a vast range of private healthcare settings, with a specialist focus on the recruitment of nursing and unit management staff. We recruit for over 6,000 organisations, placing experts in elderly care, mental health, dementia care, brain injury nursing and rehabilitation support, pre & post-operative care and residential care.

We have successfully adapted to remote working and our healthcare team is providing the same high level of service as ever. All of our consultants can be reached via their landlines, email, and social media profiles, so if you’re looking to choose a career in healthcare, why not reach out to them?

To find out more, contact us today.