A career in healthcare is one of the most noble available, and aside from that, there are plenty of other great reasons to pursue a career as a healthcare provider. The healthcare field is growing rapidly every year, which creates job security, and medical practitioners are needed in every region, so you can work practically anywhere you want. You’ll likely have high job satisfaction as well since your work will make a tremendous difference in people’s lives.
While it’s easy to get intimidated by the idea of medical school and all the years it can take after high school to earn all the appropriate degrees, the field is actually quite varied, and there’s a need for healthcare professionals at every level. In fact, some healthcare jobs only require a certification. No matter what kind of career you’re looking for, there are plenty of ways you can start preparing right away. Here are just a few of the most useful courses for those breaking into the medical field.
CPR Certification
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) isn’t just a must-have for medical professionals—it’s a great skill to have in general. Basic first aid skills and CPR can come in handy at any point in life, and even if you aren’t currently in healthcare, any business should have someone with CPR training for safety purposes. If you’re worried about the certification process taking a long time or not being available to the general public, don’t be. In as little as 2.0 CE credit hours, you can receive your CPR certification online.
In addition to CPR, you can also take a combo class online that will teach first aid basics as well. The CPR training and first aid certification courses will teach you the basics of handling an emergency situation, and there are more advanced courses available for aspiring medical professionals as well. These include an online bloodborne pathogens course, OSHA standards training, child and infant CPR, and even AED training.
Ultrasound Training
Ultrasound imaging is extremely important in the medical field. It essentially uses sound waves to produce pictures of the inside of a patient’s body. It’s often used during pregnancy to examine the development and health of the infant, as well as the mother. It can also be used to form images of internal organs to help identify sources of pain or to diagnose infections in organs. It can even be used to identify medical emergencies, such as heart attacks.
With a modern wireless ultrasound probe, medical professionals can provide point of care ultrasound (POCUS) anywhere instead of being limited to bedside ultrasound. Image quality is excellent and available in three different modes, and healthcare providers who subscribe to POCUS programs in the U.S. can share images across multiple devices. With training courses on proper device usage offered as well, these programs are fantastic for medical students to build their competency before starting their careers.
COVID-19 Courses
Healthcare facilities in the United States and around the world have been bombarded by cases of COVID-19 for well over a year. Providers everywhere need to be able to stabilize the condition and provide appropriate care for the forms of the viruses that have become all too common. This is why COVID-19 training is a must for any existing medical professional and aspiring healthcare workers as well.
These online courses are designed to help professionals prevent COVID-19 transmissions within the facility, learn all of the most common symptoms of the virus, introduce stabilization methods (including ventilator management), and recognize acute respiratory distress and provide immediate treatment. The courses are broken into several video segments and allow learners to go through them at their own pace.These are just a few of the courses that will be important during your journey towards the medical field. There are plenty of others that can be useful too, including anatomy courses, vital signs courses, and many more. Look for courses that interest you and that seem the most relevant for your career path.