There are some jobs that people think about automatically: doctor, lawyer, teacher, nurse. They are the careers that people are most familiar with, and the most likely to be pursued when they graduate from high school. However, because they are so familiar, there is likely to be a lot of competition in those fields. Not everyone is cut out to be a teacher or a lawyer. Working in the medical field might sound great, but again, not everyone is able to be a doctor or a nurse. There are plenty of other professions in these fields that might not be as glamorous, but still provide a solid paycheck and stability.
Medical Billing Clerk or Medical Billing Coder
In every hospital, doctor’s office and clinic, there is the need for a billing clerk as well as a coder. In some cases, one person may do both jobs, but usually they are separate positions. The work is steady, but can be a little repetitive; the pay is solid, however, and there is job security because billing will always need to be completed so doctors can get paid for their services. Training can be accomplished with , making it even simpler and more convenient. Once trained, you can do the work in an office, but some do this job from home using special software on their own computers.
Paralegal
In the legal profession, time is money. Lawyers cannot spend their time doing research on their cases, looking for things like case law and precedents. They turn some of those responsibilities to paralegals who do the groundwork for the cases and may type up motions and other documents as well. The lawyer may get the glory in court, but the paralegal does the foundation work that they build the cases on. In some offices, the paralegal may handle the role of secretary/receptionist as well. You may earn your degree, either on campus or online. Some states do require that paralegals be licensed. In any case, you will not be allowed to give legal advice at all.
Patient Satisfaction Worker (Hospital)
This position is called by a variety of names depending on the hospital they are working in. Basically, they will go to each new patient’s room and speak with the patient as well as the patient’s family to ask if they are being treated well and if they need anything to make their stay better. The level of education and experience needed for this position will vary depending on the hospital’s needs. Not all hospitals employ these services, however, while others use outside contractors to do surveys on a rotating basis.
Patient Relations (Doctor’s Office/Clinics)
A patient relations clerk may serve as the connection between the front and back office in a doctor’s practice. This may be the person who answers messages that are left for the nurses and doctors and may take in requests for prescription refills and other needs. Some doctors prefer this to be a LPN, while others will hire non-medically licensed people if they have a medical background.