5 Health Science Careers Worth Pursuing

People often associate careers such as doctor and nurse with the medical and health fields, but there are a number of positions outside of these traditional roles that are essential to the operation of medical and health services. Of these career possibilities, there are five that stand out on the list. Here are the 5 health science careers worth pursuing:

Diagnostic Medical Sonographer

Future professionals in this field will complete courses and training to utilzie ultrasonography on patients to take images of body fluid, organs, and possible abnormalities in the body. After completing one of many accredited diagnostic medical sonography programs around the country, the estimated median salary of this career is more than $65,000, and the rate of growth is expected to increase as more and more tests rely on the safer technology of sonography.

Clincial Laboratory Technician

This career is projected to see an almost 30 percent growth in fewer than ten years, ensuring that qualified professionals can count on some level of job security. In this positions, technicians will work with physicians in order to identify a diagnosis and adminster tests to build a plan of treatment.

Radiologic Technologist

Future professionals in this field can expect a projected growth rate of 20.8 percent in less than ten years. Like sonography, radiologic technologists take images of organs, body abnormalities, and other requested test areas in order to assist in the diagnosis of patients using X-ray technology rather than ultrasonography.

Medical Assistant

The number of positions in this profession is expected to increase by 29 percent, and medical assistants will continue to be in demand in order to assist everything from running a medical office to taking blood and performing other clinical tasks around hospitals, clinics, and physician offices.

Surgical Technologist

Surgical technologists prepare operation rooms in addition to cleaning and ensuring that the operating room, utensils and tools, and other equipment is clean and sterile. There is an estimated salary of more than $40,000 per year and the rate of growth is higher than average.

In many cases, these other careers offer more job growth and high salaries with fewer years of school and less time spent at work. Whether looking to work directly with other medical personnel and patients or to fill a support role, these types of health science fields often begin with completion of a health science degree, which can be customized for future career goals.