A health career based on self-evaluation

[samisab786]

I'm trying to explore health careers right now and I'm wondering which one is right for me. I'm not writing this post to determine my ideal job, but instead, I'm trying to see what suggestions/options I may consider. Here are some things that I'm good at and want to see myself using in a career.

The Important Things
Academic*I love science, primarily biology and chemistry. I'm not sure which one I like best since I've only completed both these courses at the high school level, but they've been my strongest subjects throughout high school.
*I also grew found of some economics (mostly business economics) because an economics class I took in senior year.
*Math is...cool too. But I like science better

Personal
*I'm pretty good at giving advice. I love helping people out, inspiring people with my personal mistakes/stories.
*If I ever get the chance, I would love to do comedy.
*I've formed a Dream Big project that motivates dreamers (with a primary emphasis on disadvantaged/underrepresented people or people who have endured hardships) to reach to their highest potential.
*I'm good at writing and freestyling.
*I've had difficulties in my past that have really motivated me to work hard and succeed (that runs parallel with me being good at advice).
*I like busy places (like cities)
*I like being the leader (leadership opportunities, managing things, etc.)

With the experiences...
*I'm a diabetic, so I wanted to do something that relates to endocrinology/insulin pumps/insulin, etc. so that I can connect with my career
*I persevere because of my difficulties
*I'm the kind of kid in school that works really, really, really hard to do well (as opposed to being able to absorb things fast and understand them better than my peers)
*I barely had a social life in high school and I wanna change that

Less Important Things
*Salary: I mean, I wanna earn fine, but that's not as important to me as helping people. As long as I have enough, that's good for me.


I guess that's all I can think of for now

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[Terpskins99]

The Important Things
Academic*I love science, primarily biology and chemistry. I'm not sure which one I like best since I've only completed both these courses at the high school level, but they've been my strongest subjects throughout high school.
With the experiences...
...
*I'm a diabetic, so I wanted to do something that relates to endocrinology/insulin pumps/insulin, etc. so that I can connect with my career
*I persevere because of my difficulties
*I'm the kind of kid in school that works really, really, really hard to do well (as opposed to being able to absorb things fast and understand them better than my peers)
*I barely had a social life in high school and I wanna change that

You might have to work on that one on your own. Professional school probably won't help much.

I think the best approach is to explore all the different fields. Take some time to read up on all the various health care professions. Keep note of what aspects of each job appeal to you, and likewise what turns you off.

 

[samisab786]

You might have to work on that one on your own. Professional school probably won't help much.

I think the best approach is to explore all the different fields. Take some time to read up on all the various health care professions. Keep note of what aspects of each job appeal to you, and likewise what turns you off.

Yeah, lol. I don't know why I wrote that. Probably to fill space.

I've been doing quite a lot of research...it's a little confusing though. The two biggest careers I've been looking at right now are pharmacy and medicine (as you've probably read from my last post). I want to have a career that really emphasizes interaction with people/a lot of advice giving, especially with diabetics. The thing is, I don't know which one has a lot more advice giving. Personally, I would pick medicine since I see my endocrinologist all the time. I can't even recall a time I've spoken to a pharmacist about my diabetes. But then again, pharmacists see people all the time. So I'm not sure if that aspect of the careers' is equally weighed.

I've also thought about being a physician assistant. What are the benefits of being one? And can you specialize in something like endocrinology?

 

[Terpskins99]

I've been doing quite a lot of research...it's a little confusing though. The two biggest careers I've been looking at right now are pharmacy and medicine (as you've probably read from my last post). I want to have a career that really emphasizes interaction with people/a lot of advice giving, especially with diabetics. The thing is, I don't know which one has a lot more advice giving. Personally, I would pick medicine since I see my endocrinologist all the time. I can't even recall a time I've spoken to a pharmacist about my diabetes. But then again, pharmacists see people all the time. So I'm not sure if that aspect of the careers' is equally weighed.

I've also thought about being a physician assistant. What are the benefits of being one? And can you specialize in something like endocrinology?

I am totally not an expert in pharmacy, but I can tell you that I have come across two general types of pharmacists. One manning the convenience stores filling out prescriptions. The second being the clinical pharmacists that work in hospitals (their primary role as I've seen, is to ensure that patients are not being administered inappropriate/dangerous combinations of meds). Either way, the pharmacists role is usually to explain to a patient how/why a drug is being used and possible side effects to expect. But it will be the physician role (and occasionally the PA or nurse practitioner) actively managing the patient's treatment by adjusting/switching the meds.

Endocrinologists have two jobs (which is the same for most non-primary care specialists). First, as a consultation service in a hospital. Second, in an office environment as an outpatient physician (like how you spend most of your time with your endocrinologist).

We have a forum for PA's, so you might want to check there to learn more about their profession. Physician Assistants are essentially what their name describes. As I've seen them, they work alongside physicians/surgeons and act as a second set of eyes/ears/hands. They work in every area of medicine (clinics, hospital floors, even assisting in surgery). The primary benefit of PA is the training period (i.e. total financial investment) is considerably shorter than that of most physicians. To become an endocrinologist, for example, you need 4 years of med school, 3 years of internal medicine residency and 2+ years of endocrine fellowship. PA school is typically about 2 1/2 years total. As far as I can tell, you are not required to do any additional training to start practicing (though there are post-graduate programs available and I believe you need at least 1 year of formal surgery training to be certified to assist in an OR). But I don't believe a PA would require any additional training to work for an endocrinology service.

 

[117296]

What about going into pharmacoeconomics? The only downside is there is very little patient interaction in the job, but it hits the rest of your list. It's bio, chem, and economics heavy; is primarily found only in the bigger cities' medical centers, a lot of writing/policy making.

Also, it's a job that there is many ways to do it right, so it gives you some latitude in your decision making.

Also, the job doesn't follow you home, giving you time to do other things.

 

[samisab786]

Thanks for the help/positive feedback!