HEALTHCAREERSA Guide to Finding Entry-Level Jobs in Health CareACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to acknowledge and thank the following individuals and organizations for their support in the development of this publication:Florida Department of Education, Division of Career and Adult EducationFlorida Blue FoundationDevelopment Team: Heather Hepler Surrency (Writer and Editor), Karina Jiménez (Designer), Greg Smith, Claire Valier, Nicole CabanExpert Reviewers: Joan Dixon, Julie Falt, Harold Gertner, Kathy SeversonSpecial thanks to the Adult Literacy League for hosting a focus group of their students.Sources Include: 2017 Job Wage Data and Occupational Demand Projections provided by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Bureau of Labor Market Statistics. For updated data, visit http://www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/ Health Career Pathways information provided by the Literacy Information and Communication System (LINCS) and the National Consortium for Health Science Education.Health science secondary courses/program information and student scholarship and grant program information provided by the Florida Department of Education.The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the Florida Department of Education or other funders. This resource is designed for general educational purposes only and may vary depending on location and circumstances. Specific information about jobs, pay, and training requirements should be verified by the user. This book provides links to websites to help you find information about health careers. FLC does not recommend or endorse the organizations that produce these websites. They are provided for general informational purposes only. Florida Literacy Coalition Florida’s Adult and Family Literacy Resource Center www.floridaliteracy.org© 2017 This publication was made possible through an English Literacy and Civics State Leadership Grant from the Florida Department of Education, Division of Career and Adult Education.Table of ContentsIntroduction ...........................................................................1Section 1: Prepare for a Health Career ................................2Section 2: Explore Jobs in Health.......................................10 Patient Care Jobs .................................................11 Imaging and Diagnostics Jobs ..............................17 Administrative and Support Services Jobs ...........20 Health Information and Records Jobs ...................22Frequently Asked Questions...............................................24Glossary .............................................................................25Student Resources .............................................................29HealtH CareersA Guide to Finding Entry-Level Jobs in Health Care1Are you looking for a career with a lot of jobs near where you live? Do you want to make your community a happier and healthier place? The health care field might be the right choice for you! If you are ready for a new career, think about all the jobs that help keep people healthy. You can be a nurse, a pharmacy technician, or a paramedic. You can take X-ray pictures. You can help a dentist fix teeth. You can make patient appointments in a medical office. There is a career in health care for everyone. People with many different skills and education levels can find a job in health care. Health CareersExplore Exciting OpportunitiesTraining = higher pay and more career opportunities!• Did you know that Florida needs more health care workers who speak more than one language?This guide is about health jobs that require less than two years of training. Some of them only require training lasting a few weeks or months.It will also give advice about how to choose the best one for you. So what are you waiting for...take the first steps to a health career today!• Health care is the fastest growing job area in Florida (and the U.S.)!THE FACTS2Prepare for a Health CareerBeginning- Level JobHome Health AideSemi-Skilled JobCertified Nursing AssistantSkilled JobLicensed Professional NurseHigh-Skilled JobRegistered Nurse This career ladder is an example. It shows how experience and training in nursing may lead to a new job with more pay. People can start their career in different places on the ladder.What is a Career?A JOB is work that a person does regularly to earn money. A CAREER is a profession that someone does for a long time. It usually requires special training.A CAREER FIELD is a group of jobs that use many of the same skills. Most people do more than one job during their career.What are the Steps?A career is like moving up a ladder. Every step on the ladder helps you get closer to your CAREER GOALS. A GOAL is a plan. A goal can be a job you want to do now. It can also be a future job. Training helps you to learn new JOB SKILLS. The more skills you have, the higher you can move up the ladder.Climbing the Ladder ●High-Skilled Jobs are at the top of the ladder. These jobs may take 1-4 years or more of training. ●Skilled Jobs are on the higher part of the ladder. Most jobs in this group take 4-12 months of training. ●Semi-Skilled Jobs are the next step on the ladder. You can get here with a short training. ●Beginning-Level Jobs are the first step in a career. These may need little or no training. Source: National Institute for Literacy3How Do I Choose a Career?Finding a new career can be hard. It is good to have someone help you. You can talk to a teacher or a school counselor. You can also talk to someone who has the career. You might want to try JOB SHADOWING. This is when you spend time with a professional to watch and learn how things are done on the job. Your school and the Internet are two good places to get information. These are a few questions to ask yourself…• What am I interested in doing?• What am I good at doing?• What kind of training or school is needed?• Is there a career ladder?• How much money do I want to get paid?• Are there jobs in my area?• Do I like working with people?• Am I comfortable around sick people?• Do I prefer to work in an office?1. Honest2. Works hard3. Friendly4. Wants to learn new things5. Good manners6. Arrives on time7. Does things without being asked8. Can work in a team9. Cares about people’s healthWHAT MAKES A GOOD HEALTH CARE WORKER?4Health care jobs require many different kinds of skills. JOB SKILLS are things that you able to do well pretty well. You probably already have a lot of important job skills.There are many ways to develop new skills. You might learn new skills at school. You can also practice new skills by volunteering or doing hobbies. Got Skills?Which do you have? Which do you need?Communication Skills: listening and talking to others; writing clearly; reading; friendlinessPeople Skills: getting along with others, working on a team, respecting other people’s ideasComputer Skills: typing skills, finding things on the internet, reading information, making documents, using e-mailPersonal Skills: meeting deadlines, following a schedule, setting goals and priorities, pride in appearance, reliable, polite, confident, respectfulThinking Skills: trying new ways of doing and thinking about problems, looking at issues from a new point of viewAcademic Skills: able to learn new skills and remember new informationIn which areas do you feel you have strong skills? Which areas can you improve?5How much does it pay? This is an important question to ask when picking a career. Most jobs have a PAY RANGE. This range includes a low number and a high number. The low number is called STARTING PAY. This is what a person who is new at a job will often be paid. After working for a while you might get more pay. This is called a RAISE. This guide tells you the MEDIAN PAY in Florida for each job. The median pay is the amount usually earned by people with job experience. How is the median pay decided? You start by putting the numbers in order from lowest to highest. The median is the number in the middle of the group. Half the pay is higher than the median pay and half is lower.Understanding What a Job PaysHIGH DEMAND jobs are fast growing jobs. More trained people are needed to do them. You may be able to get extra help to pay for training. Visit Career Source Florida to find out about jobs in your area.These five people have jobs as dental assistants. Holly earns $18 per hour. This is the median pay because it is the number in the middle of the group.Hourly PayEmployee NameNext >