Not every medical career needs math!

Female counselor ready to take notes. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

Jobs in healthcare are predicted to keep growing over the next 20 years. People who are looking to start a new career know that field of medicine is wide open but many pass up a career in medicine because they think it is beyond their reach. Why? Well, it’s because we think of a pre-med major in college and immediately conjure up images of a geeky looking kid that can memorize and do math. Most people don’t see themselves as “smart” in that way. The point I want to make is that we associate medicine with mathematics but the truth is entirely different. In reality, there are many medical careers that don’t require math and if you’re looking to start a new career, give the healthcare industry some consideration. Think over this:

Therapists and Counselors:

In the matters of the mind, math is not essential. Therapists and counselors—people who help others. They give voice to the timid and clothe the angry with peace. If you like helping people think through difficult life situations and guide them into making good future decisions then this is where you want to park yourself. Therapy doesn’t need math, it needs patience. There are all kinds of counseling and therapy that you can do. Marriage and Family therapy helps couples and children live amicably as a family unit while a Rehab counselor helps addicts work through the root cause of their addiction. Look for quality education that gives practical, hands-on training like Capella University (http://www.capella.edu/).

Medical Transcription:

Medical Transcription, if you haven’t heard of it, involves transcribing a doctor’s notes and updating patient files. It’s a job that requires patience and accuracy but you guessed it- no math!

To become a medical transcriptionist, you have to go through a training program. Many colleges offer medical transcriptionist training programs but one of the most convenient ways to enter this field is by getting trained online. Career Step offers a great training program and might even be able to put you in contact with future employers. After a short training period, you can begin working for a hospital, clinic or a company that some hospitals and clinics use to meet their medical transcription needs.

Dental Assistants

Much of what Dental Assistants do is preparing the patient, cleaning dental equipment, helping to clean teeth, processing x-rays and keeping rigorous patient records. As a dental assistant, you do spend a lot of time with people but you will not have to spend time with numbers. Dental assistants also help to encourage patients and some doctors will add more responsibilities. With the right education, you can enter a promising field and have a stable career. Look up programs at your local community college or find the right program for you here at http://www.allalliedhealthschools.com/.

Making a career choice is not easy, especially if you’re returning to education after a hiatus. You can make a difficult choice even harder by ruling out these great career opportunities just because you thought they involved math—now that’s a crime! It’s ok to not like math but you can still find a career in medicine. As the old saying goes “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater”.

Frida has been working as a career guidance counselor for about 12 years. She’s stayed on top of growing industry trends through market research and interaction with young students and working professional alike.