Vital entry-level medical professionals such as phlebotomists, medical assistants, certified nursing assistants and nurses are in such high demand in Southern Nevada that accelerated certification and degree programs are plentiful across the Valley. Since some programs can be completed in a matter of weeks, the prospect of starting or changing a career quickly is enticing.
If you’re looking to answer the call in the medical industry through an entry-level job, here’s what to consider and what to expect.
Get your foot in the door. With myriad entry-level specialties, choosing a path may be challenging, but that can wait. “If you’re looking to get into health care, don’t narrow focus on one [position],” says Benjamin Rawcliffe, assistant chief nursing officer at Southern Hills Hospital. “Get your foot in the door anywhere you can, [because] a lot of the entry-level jobs do fill very fast.”
Jobs like patient transport typically don’t require experience or certifications aside from CPR and Basic Life Support, which makes entering the field low risk, allowing you to gain experience and plan for a program or specialty in the future. Further, Rawcliffe explains that gaining exposure through an entry-level job is advantageous to those seeking career advancement, because most facilities want to grow their employees internally.
“Just to put it in perspective, we had a few [Certified Nursing Assistant] positions open,” he says. “Over 130 candidates applied. We had three spots. Two were filled by our internals. One was from transport, and the other was a volunteer in the hospital.”
Understand the challenges. The realities of working in health care can be shocking. Whether you complete an accelerated certification program or find an entry-level hospital job, it’s hard to prepare for those realities.
“It is challenging because you don’t know what you don’t know,” says Joann Strobbe, executive associate dean for administration at the Kirk Kerkorian School Of Medicine at UNLV. “You see the sickest people, you see people that might not be at their best disposition, and you have to do medical procedures [on them].”
Further, the financial benefits rarely outweigh the mental and physical toll of these jobs. “The initial starting salaries aren’t that great,” says Strobbe. “So it’s not like you can ask somebody to take a two-year program and then have a $20 an hour job.” Some roles, especially those that require little experience, pay even less.
And if you’re older and seeking a career change in an entry-level medical job, the pay may be a huge deterrent.
“If [people] are thinking that at that stage in their life, they can get into an entry-level job and meet their financial goals, that’s probably unrealistic,” says Rawcliffe.
For older career changers, he strongly suggests becoming a registered nurse. Although it takes two years or more to complete a nursing program, the potential benefits are worth the wait.
“It’s a pretty good bet that you’re going to be able to meet your financial needs while you grow in that career,” Rawcliffe explains. And growth can happen quickly in the nursing field. “I only worked bedside for a year and a half before I went into the leadership side of things and found my passion there,” says Rawcliffe.
Know the value of your impact. Dr. Wolfgang Gilliar, dean of the college of osteopathic medicine at Touro University, describes health care as a well-working watch. “Every wheel is important,” he says, meaning that all aspects of health care need integration.
Entry-level medical jobs are the main driver of the profession because they support physicians and nurses, allowing them to focus on complex diagnostic work and patient care. When such roles are in short supply, it can lead to considerable inefficiencies that slow down the flow of care.
Entering the medical profession through an entry-level job allows you to affect real change, helping to fill a demand for workers and strengthen the backbone of Southern Nevada’s health care system. And despite its challenges, growing within a medical career can reap intrinsic value.
“The medical field is, in my opinion, still one of the most noble, honorable fields to go in,” says Gilliar. “It requires a dedication beyond a nine-to-five job. But the rewards of knowing that we have done something for the betterment of society is an incredible driver, and when a patient comes to you and brings a letter that says, ‘thank you for what you’ve done,’ I think there is no reward better than that.”