Nursing grads urged to explore other healthcare careers

The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) urged nursing graduates to explore other careers in the healthcare industry which is in demand here and abroad.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said that an array of non-clinical, yet, medical-related job opportunities as alternate careers are being offered by healthcare firms to licensed nurses, nursing graduates, and other jobseekers with healthcare backgrounds.

Citing report from the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE), Baldoz said the healthcare information outsourcing sector of the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry is considered as one of the fast-growing sectors which offer over 100,000 medical-related jobs to nursing graduates.

“With the growth trend in the healthcare information management outsourcing industry, healthcare careers now expand into various disciplines which open huge career opportunities for nursing graduates and allied medical professionals,” Baldoz said.

“With the fast-growing and innovative trends and advancements in the healthcare industry, I encourage you to go out-of-the-box, beyond the traditional clinical jobs, and explore other emerging medical and health-related careers that are needed by our labor market today,” she said.

The labor chief said healthcare outsourcing careers such as medical transcriptionists; medical secretaries, medical coders and billers, medical assistants, medical representatives; and medical butlers that nursing graduates and jobseekers can consider as employment alternatives.

Nursing graduates may also apply as clinical research associates who monitor and administer health and safety protocols and related study training to assigned work sites.

“The job requires the same skills with that of a nurse, including medical knowledge and skill in applying clinical regulatory requirements, i.e., Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines,” he said.

Baldoz said if they are into clinical review and decision making, they may consider a career as a clinical appeals specialist who abstracts clinically relevant facts documented in the patient’s medical record, reviews clinical cases and responds to written medical appeals of patients and clients.

Citing the BLE Career Guides, Baldoz noted that these healthcare outsourcing jobs have starting pays ranging from P14,000 to P18,000 while clinical appeals specialists employed in the BPO industry receive basic pay of P20,000 to P40,000. These remunerations may even exceed depending on the hours of work, typing speed and type of employment.

“The salary in these alternate medical careers is almost double of the average monthly salary of P10,000 received by nurses working in hospitals and private institutions.” Baldoz said.

“Beyond the higher pay, considering these medical-related careers as employment alternatives is a ‘win-win’ solution for our jobseekers in the healthcare industry. These jobs, alongside with constant re-tooling and re-training, add to their educational expertise which will increase and broaden their competencies as they venture to their dream medical profession in the future,” she said.

The emerging careers in the healthcare outsourcing industry, together with other health and wellness careers which include laboratory technicians; physical therapists; pharmacists; medical technologists; and massage therapists, have been identified by DoLE’s Project Jobs Fit as occupations expected to absorb more workers and create more employment opportunities in the industry up to 2020. –Mina Diaz, Daily Tribune