Internet Resources For Career Exploration

Nearly one-fifth of all new wage and salary jobs created between 2004 and 2014 will be in healthcare. That adds up to 3.6 million jobs - more than in any other industry!

By Nancy Giguere, Star Tribune Sales and Marketing

Last update: April 3, 2006 - 10:28 AM

Nearly one-fifth of all new wage and salary jobs created between 2004 and 2014 will be in healthcare. That adds up to 3.6 million jobs - more than in any other industry!

Want to learn more? Then boot up your computer. A little web surfing can yield a lot of information. Start your career exploration by visiting the following websites.

National Outlook

Career Guide to Industries: Health Care,www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs035.htm, is a general guide produced by the U.S. Department of Labor. It offers an overview of industry growth and occupational needs. Direct links are provided to career descriptions in the Occupational Outlook Handbook (see next entry).

Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 edition, http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm, also produced by the U.S. Department of Labor, is a nationally recognized source of career information. Each entry includes detailed descriptions of job duties, working conditions, required training, advancement opportunities, job outlook and earnings. Also useful are links to national professional associations, which often post information helpful for students or career changers.

Minnesota-Related

MnCareers, www.mncareers.org, is published annually by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). It offers useful information about a wide variety of occupations, including healthcare careers. Entries on specific careers include a description of the work, wages, required education and job outlook in Minnesota. This site also offers a host of useful links.

Mayo Clinic Career Awareness, www.mayoclinic.org/careerawareness, presents an overview of healthcare careers in administration, clinical laboratory science, nursing, office or clerical work, allied health, research, service work and technology. This well-organized site offers easy-to-read job descriptions and clear explanations of educational requirements.

Health Careers Center, www.ahc.umn.edu/hcc/home.html, at the University of Minnesota, offers information on degrees in medicine, nursing, medical technology, physical therapy, nutrition and more. This site is a must for prospective U of M students.

Focus On Allied Health

Health Professions Network, www.healthpronet.org/ahp_month/index.html, profiles a different allied health profession every month. Among the professions highlighted in 2005 were genetic counseling, certified surgical assistant, registered dietitian, dance and movement therapist, medical transcriptionist, certified athletic trainer, respiratory therapist and dental hygienist. This is an excellent place to learn about lesser-known health careers.

AMA Health Professions, www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/14598.html, features profiles of 60 allied health professions. Download these profiles to learn about job descriptions, employment outlook and educational information. Another page on the AMA website, www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/3584.html, offers a compre-hensive list of allied health professional associations.

Physicians And Dentists

Becoming an MD, www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2320.html provides information for prospective physicians on topics such as preparing and applying for medical school, paying for medical school and choosing a specialty.

Careers in Dentistry, www.dent.unc.edu/careers/index.htm, is an electronic career resource guide created by the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry. Included is information on topics such as traditional private practice; practice alternatives such as retail dentistry, dental health maintenance organizations; and dental specialties.

Print Resources And Résumé Guides

Careers in Healthcare, www.nypl.org/branch/features/index2.cfm?PFID=188, is a list of resources compiled by the staff of the New York Public Library in July 2005. The list includes recently published books on career development, résumé guides for health professionals and links to Internet resources.

Nancy Giguere is a freelance writer from St. Paul and has written about healthcare since 1995.