While I have worked in various unrelated fields, much of my time was spent in healthcare.  So, it’s natural for me to ask job seekers if they have ever thought about pursuing a career related to healthcare. When I do ask, people will often give me a funny look and say healthcare is just not for them.  Why? Usually, they say it is because they are squeamish about blood, needles, being around sick people, or other such things often associated with the field. Does this sound like you?

If so, let me assure you there are MANY jobs in healthcare which do not involve blood, needles, and so forth.  Heck, with many positions, you may rarely even see a patient! Given this, why exclude yourself from a career field which is growing and can offer great income potential?  In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects jobs in healthcare will grow 18% from 2016 to 2026.  This is much faster than the average for all occupations and represents about 2.4 million new jobs.  The BLS goes on to say this growth is due to an aging population, leading to a greater demand for healthcare services.

Where’s the Big Bucks?

After reading the BLS data, you might be thinking, “Most of these higher-paying jobs are in direct patient care fields.  I don’t want to work directly with patients!”  You’re right. Most of the best paying jobs are, of course, in direct patient care.  Why?  Because these are high-demand, hard-to-fill positions in the core business of healthcare: treating and caring for patients.  Plus, don’t forget, the work these folks do is often “billable” in some way.

Like it or not, healthcare today very much involves money. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that jobs which directly generate revenue are likely going to pay more than those which do not.  You have your reasons, but if you still decide to exclude yourself from the direct care group, that’s OK.  After all, as healthcare is growing, the need for the support positions will grow as well.  You can still get in on the healthcare employment boom, even without being in direct patient care.

Sure, some of these positions, especially at the entry level, may not pay as well as the clinical jobs.  However, these positions can open the door to a career path in which your income will improve as you advance to higher levels or into management.  You can have a real career, not just a job.

Amount of Patient Contact

Let’s take a look at some jobs from the viewpoint of how much direct patient care is involved.  For example, a nurse obviously has to have close contact with patients.  However, a person who works in the billing department may never even see a patient.  In fact, the billing person may work in an office building miles away from the hospital or medical office.

Every medical office, clinic, hospital, etc. is different, and no one can guarantee you will never see a patient.  For example, a billing person may have to sometimes attend business meetings in the hospital.  In that case, it’s possible to run into a patient in the hallway or on an elevator.  Would that really be so bad?  I suppose if you truly faint at even the sight of a Band-Aid^®, then maybe healthcare isn’t right for you.

However, if you have a more realistic and reasonable goal of just minimizing patient contact and mainly avoiding the “blood and guts” stuff, there are still definitely jobs for you! Lots of them.

Types of Non-Clinical Jobs

There are many non-clinical positions in healthcare which can provide excellent employment opportunities.  Do you like working with computers?  Healthcare involves numerous IT systems; everything from small office systems to multi-hospital networks and systems.  Many trades positions (electricians, plumbers, painters, HVAC, carpenters, etc.) are needed to keep a hospital operating properly and safely.

Office-type positions abound as well.  Organizations need talented administrative assistants, accountants, human resources staff, and others. Communications professionals perform public relations and print/online media work.  Risk management is an important legal field and many organizations have their own in-house lawyers. Health information technicians (medical records) are needed to manage the huge number of both physical paper and electronic files. Hospital administrators are often at the top of the pay scale and oversee the operations of entire medical centers.  The list goes on and on.

Take a Look

Before writing off the healthcare field as not for you, at least take a look.  You might be surprised to find there are many opportunities in your area of interest.

Most of all, consider the rewards.  No, not just the pay, but the satisfaction that the work you do really helps people and the community.  For many in the normal workplace, doing their jobs well just means they’ve made more profit for the business owner or stockholders.  In healthcare, even in many non-clinical positions, a job well done means you’ve made a difference.  Someone is better off because of the work you do.

That’s a sense of satisfaction and a great feeling that’s hard to beat!

Agree? Disagree? Share your experience or thoughts? Feel free to leave a comment!

This happens all the time during job interviews.  So far, the candidate has been doing quite well, given good answers, and seems bright.  Then, near the end of the interview, we reach the point where we ask, “Do you have any questions for us?”

Wait for it…

“No; no questions,” the candidate replies.

Really?  There is absolutely nothing the applicant wants to know?  This person is ready to quit his or her current job and come to work here, yet doesn’t have a single question about the job… or anything else?

The candidate may not be asking any questions because he or she:

• Does not have a deep enough knowledge about of this line of work to even have any questions.
• Has decided this job is no longer of interest and just wants to get the heck out of here.
• Thinks they already know everything there is to know about this job and the organization.
• Doesn’t really care about this specific job. Maybe the person just wants a job – any job – or is desperate to escape their current one.
• Is overly timid or shy, and maybe lacks social skills.

Ouch!  Do you really want to leave the interviewers with any of those impressions?

I have seen this situation play out time and time again.  Still, each time it happens, I feel bad for the candidate.  Plus, there’s that usual look of disappointment on the faces of the other interviewers.  Asking no questions – or asking the wrong questions – is a bad way to wrap up an otherwise good interview.

What NOT to Ask

I recall interviewing a person who had only a single question.  He asked, “I really like my vacation time.  What is the absolute soonest I could take a two-week, paid vacation?”  No kidding. That was his only question.  I don’t know whether or not he ever got his vacation, but if he did, it was while working somewhere else.

Since you’re smart enough to be reading Career Lantern, I’ll assume you would never ask anything so ridiculous.  Yet, applicants do seem to ask some pretty goofy questions at times, maybe without even realizing it.  Think about the questions you plan to ask.  How do they sound to the person on the other side of the table?  What do they say about your knowledge and interest in the job?

Avoid questions which might imply your only real interest is the pay or some other perk of the job (travel, employee discount, etc.).  Be careful, too, to not ask a question which is too basic or for which they might feel you should already know the answer.  You sure don’t want them thinking, “Wow. This applicant doesn’t even know that?” Sure, you want to learn things about the job you need to know to see if it is right for you. However, avoid having all the questions one-sided and focused only on what you will get out of it.

Should I Talk Money and Benefits?

No, especially if this is the first interview.  Unless the interviewers start a conversation about pay and want to discuss it right then and there, don’t ask.  Typically, unless they are going to hire you on the spot, this is not the time to dicker about money.  If you are lucky enough to be offered a position, there will be time later to discuss dollars.  Besides, you will be in a much better position to bargain AFTER they have decided for sure they want you for the job.

What if the interviewer does start talking about pay and benefits?  Check out the Interview Coach by Carole Martin.  She has some helpful responses to pay-related questions in case the interviewer begins discussing the matter.  Even though the subject may never come up, you need to be prepared anyway.

Sometimes, the interviewer may advise you of the stated entry-level pay rate for the position.  Telling you this number might merely be a requirement they must follow.  It is not necessarily an invitation to start wage negotiations.  What if you are already making more money?  Do you have education, credentials, and experience beyond the bare minimum required? If so, the starting wage you were just quoted probably sounds low – maybe way too low!  Don’t worry about it at the moment.  In such cases, the interviewer knows full well you will likely expect – and deserve – more than the bare minimum entry-level wage package.  Again, telling you the “usual” starting rate of pay may simply be a formality.  In rare situations, it could also just be a negotiation tactic intended to give you a lower wage expectation.

Will They Steer You to HR?

Remember, too, not every interviewer may have the authority to negotiate or have the final say on the actual pay you will be offered.  The hiring manager may need to justify to Human Resources (HR) any proposed starting pay which is above the minimum level.  Often, the manager may even need to do this in writing and send it to HR and/or to those higher up in management.  HR will make the manager explain why you should be paid anything more than just the minimum base rate of pay for the position.  The goal of HR is to get the best people, but at the lowest possible yet reasonable rate.

Often, interviewers will defer questions about benefits to their HR staff as such matters may be very complex.  Benefit packages can and often do vary based on the position, level, union, or any number of other factors.  The interviewer may not even know all the details and certainly doesn’t want to make a mistake.

The company HR person will likely be happy to discuss the various benefits available, sometimes even before a position is offered.  They see this as a chance to sell you on the idea of how great it would be for you to come to work here!

What About Those Canned Questions?

Be careful about asking many of the “canned” questions found all over the internet. If you screen through a few dozen of these questions, there might be a few keepers, but use common sense.  Although others may disagree with me, I think you should avoid a question such as, “Could you describe the culture here?”  Get real.  The interviewer is not going to tell you, “It’s really bad here,” or, “You must backstab to get promoted at our company.”  Most likely, they’re just going to tell you it’s great.  Besides, how would you know if they are telling the truth?  The interviewers have probably heard the same old, tired, generic questions from the last three applicants. Don’t you ask them, too!

What Should I Ask?

Ask questions which show you have a deep interest and knowledge of the work, and that you are up-to-date in the field.  Show your passion for good customer service and a concern for meeting the needs of the organization.  This will do more for you than asking boring, generic questions.  In her article Best Questions to Ask in a Job Interview, Alison Doyle has a simple but excellent recommendation which will help ensure you do not forget to ask anything: make a list of questions to ask at the interview.

Also, limit the number of questions you ask to just a few, perhaps three or so.  These should be questions which the interviewer can easily answer with a brief response, but with more than just a yes/no. This is not the time to get into a long, in-depth discussion, unless the interviewer clearly wishes to do so.

A Few Examples

The questions you ask will, to some extent, depend on the career field, position, and level.  Here are a few examples which may help you to think of your own:

• Process Related: “How are work requests handled? Do clients submit requests by telephone, email, or through an online system?”
• Process Related: “Are the materials warehoused here or ordered from suppliers as needed?”
• IT Systems Related: “What bedside clinical charting software do you use at this hospital to enter orders, track patient data, and obtain test results?”
• Customer Service Related: “What turnaround time do you typically provide to customers?”
• Equipment/Tools/Machinery Related: “Regarding the equipment used here, do you use an ACME 2000, GX-4000, or another device?” (Naming specific brands or models helps reinforce that you have knowledge of the field.  Make sure you actually know the equipment, as they may then ask you about your experience with it!)
• Training Related: “Could you describe the training process here for new representatives?”
• For a Management Position: “If I am hired as the manager, what do you see as the top three priorities you would like addressed first?”
• “Is this a new position?  May I ask how this vacancy came about?”
• “Does this position require travel? If so, how much?”
• “To whom will I be reporting?”
• “How many other people in my position work in this area?”
• “How soon do you expect to make a hiring decision for this position?”

The Interview Goes Both Ways

There is another benefit to asking solid, position-related questions.  The answers you hear will help you decide whether or not this organization is a good fit for you.  Based on what you hear, you may even decide you do not want the job or to work for this firm.  Interviewing is, after all, a two-way street!

Ok.  Let’s try it again… “Do you have any questions for us?

What will you say?

Agree? Disagree? Share your experience or thoughts? Feel free to leave a comment!

Featured image courtesy of Tim Gouw – PEXELS.COM