If you’ve been considering one of the many careers in the medical field, you know you have countless options for a lifelong profession that is both satisfying, pays well, and can be approach from a point of view of alternative medicine.
In a world that seems to have as many setbacks as it does gains, it can be hard to find a career that remains steady no matter the state of the economy. Healthcare manages to stand the test of time, always offering steady jobs for those who seek employment at any level and with any approach.
Egoscue Physical Therapists
A physical therapist is known traditionally to help you get back on your feet after a knee injury or any other join operation. But you don’t want a fix it profession, you want a preventative care career.
That’s where the numerous alternative physical therapists come in to play that most of us never heard of (mainly because our insurance doesn’t cover it).
My favorite one by far, which also happens to be the one I practice on a regular basis, is the Egoscue method therapy.
They have a 94% success rate to help their patients avoid surgery and drugs when dealing with chronic pain. It might sound advanced, but it’s one of the simplest and most effective careers to get into that not only pays well but feels right at the same time.
The average Egoscue starting annual salary is $32,000.
Holistic Licensed Vocation Nurse
A holistic licenses vocation nurse is still responsible for basic nursing care but with the general well-being of the patient in mind and not just what is traditionally administered. You’ll work directly under the supervision of a holistic alternative medicine doctor or a functional medicine doctor. As a holistic nurse, your job will include:
- Monitoring your patients’ health during ozone therapy or intravenous vitamin protocols.
- Providing basic care, like inserting catheters or changing their bandages
- Helping provide basic comfort, like bathing with Epsom salt or changing clothes
- Educating family members on how to care for their loved one.
Educational programs to become an LVN usually takes about a year, and you’re awarded a certificate or diploma. You’ll take the National Council Licensure Examination and when you pass it, you can work as an LVN.
Once you have your license at hand you can apply to work for any alternative medicine clinic. Be it eastern medicine, homeopathic, or natural medicine.
As of 2012, the median pay for an LVN was about $41,000 per year, or about $19.50 per hour.
Holistic Veterinary Technician
If you love the medical field but aren’t too sure about working on humans, then perhaps you should consider working in the veterinary field. Holistic veterinary technicians are the holistic nurses of the animal world, providing essential alternative medical care to animals of all species.
Not only do you take care of hospitalized patients, you assist hyperbaric oxygen therapy, monitor non-anesthetic dentistry practice, help place pet on underwater treadmills, and administer a variety of regenerative medicine. To become a veterinary technician, you’ll attend a program where you’ll earn an Associate’s degree, then take a national board exam to become certified to work in a veterinary practice.
This should be done regardless of whether you are working with an alternative veterinary care physical as it will give you a more complete education for your chosen career.
On average, technicians earn about $30,290 a year.
Dental Hygienist
Do you love working one-on-one with people? As a dental hygienist, you are the first stop a patient makes when they visit the dentist. You’ll take x-rays and clean the patient’s teeth. A cleaning involves scaling the teeth to remove any plaque and tartar build-up, but it also gives you the opportunity to perform a thorough oral exam and find any potential issues for the dentist.
You’ll provide your patients with the necessary education to properly brush and floss their teeth between visits thus avoid the dentist all together.
The job market for dental hygienists is rather excellent. As of 2013, the average salary for a hygienist was $71,180.
Dietitian for Integrative & Functional Medicine
As a new age dietician, you’ll help educate people how to eat for optimal health or how to eat for their specific body the natural way. You’ll also:
- Develop functional food and meal plans for patients
- Evaluate each patient’s meal plan over time and adjust it as needed
- Help develop a proper nutrient fortification and supplementation program.
- Educate groups about proper diet and nutrition from natural foods and not processed.
The median salary of a registered dietician is $55,240 a year.
These are just a very small selection of the available careers in the medical field both traditional and natural. If you want a job that is guaranteed to challenge and excite you, then the healthcare field is the right place for you.
Sources:
http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/dental-hygienist
http://veterinarytechnicianguide.com/online-vet-tech-programs/
http://cnanursing.net/lpn-programs-guide/
http://www.egoscue.com/features/who-we-are/
