Discovering 5 fulfilling healthcare jobs for introverts may seem like a challenge. Television shows are full of nurses and doctors who spend hours talking to patients, coworkers and family members to solve medical mysteries and save the day. Behind-the-scene jobs like laboratory work or administration are rarely shown despite their importance in the health care industry. If you’re an introvert who wants to channel your commitment to serving others into a job in the health sciences, don’t worry. You have many career options.
Clinical Laboratory Technician
Who actually runs the tests that doctors order? In most hospitals and health care facilities, it’s laboratory technicians with special training in medical testing. This fast-paced job is often hidden from public view but is vital to diagnosing and healing patients. You must be detail oriented, scientifically minded and not bothered by long days with no one to talk to besides a few colleagues. To enter this field, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree from an accredited program and several months of hands-on training. Some states also allow you to start working with an associate’s degree.
Billing Specialist
Hospitals, physician’s offices and nursing homes can’t operate without getting paid by health insurance companies. However, navigating the complexities of modern health care billing is no easy task. Almost every health care facility hires full-time staff to fulfill the byzantine requirements of insurance companies. This is a great job for an introvert because you’ll spend most of your day analyzing rejected claims, ensuring paperwork is filled out correctly and studying new rules from your largest health insurance clients.
Biostatistician
If you love numbers, this job is for you. Biostatisticians analyze complicated data for hospitals, insurance companies and research facilities. You’ll spend most of your workday at your computer crunching numbers. In some research roles, you may need to meet with patients or health care providers to collect data. You may also provide your statistical expertise in meetings with other researchers. To work in this field, you typically need a master’s of science in biostatics or a master’s of public health (MPH) with a concentration in biostatistics or epidemiology.
Health Care Administrator
This career choice is great for introverts who enjoy working closely with a small group of colleagues. As a health care administrator, you’ll manage hospital departments, long-term care facilities or health insurance teams. Your job demands will be split between desk work like analyzing budgets and crafting strategic plans and person-to-person work like meeting with your staff or your executive leaders. With the health care industry expected to grow almost 20% in the next decade, there will be increasing demand for health care administrators.
Health Care Information Technology Specialist
As health care increasingly embraces new technologies to manage patient data, someone must design and maintain the necessary electronic medical records software. If you love computer science but want to work somewhere more fulfilling than Silicon Valley, consider a career in health care technology. This vital industry is growing so rapidly that no specific degree or training is necessary for your first job. You simply need a strong understanding of how computers operate and an aptitude for learning quickly. While you will have to interact with colleagues and end users, most introverts feel comfortable in the world of information technology.
Health care is the largest industry in the country and offers a wide variety of career options. There are more than just 5 fulfilling jobs for introverts in the health care industry, and a broad degree like a master’s in health care management can prepare you to excel in many of them.
Related resource:
Top 20 Graduate Programs in Health Care Management in the West