Careers Part 3

Registered Nurse - There's great unmet demand for nurses, and you'll have lots of options. If you want
to work directly with patients, you can specialize in everything from neonatology to hospice care. You can
work in a hospital, a doctor's office, or a patient's home. Outside of patient care, options range from nurse
informatics (helping nurses get access to computerized information) to legal nurse consulting (helping
lawyers assess a claim's validity.) On the downside, many registered nurses must work nights and
weekends, and burnout is a factor, especially in medical/surgical wards, and in critical-care specialties such
as surgery, oncology, and emergency medicine. There are potential hazards, too: exposure to people with
communicable diseases and back injuries from moving patients. Something to think about: Studies report
large numbers of errors by healthcare providers that endanger or kill patients. This is a career for people
who are both caring and extremely attentive to detaileven when stressed.
Occupational Therapist - We take for granted our ability to button a shirt, use a computer, or drive a
car. But many peopleinjured adults, children born with disabilities, elders beset by agingcannot
assume those skills. The occupational therapist helps such people live as fully and independently as
possible. Thirty percent of OTs work in schools, helping, for example, autistic kids learn how to interact
with other children. The majority of OTs work in hospitals or visit patients in their homes. Most older
adults wish to remain in their homes as long as possible, so OTs often help elders avoid long-term-care
facilities. An OT might, for example, recommend a robot that can climb stairs to retrieve needed items,
help develop workarounds that enable stroke patients to feed themselves, or suggest memory aids and
computer programs to help an Alzheimer's patient. This is a challenging career that's best for creative,
practical people who find satisfaction in small successes.
Optometrist;Optician;Ophthalmologist - Many people confuse them, but a career as an optometrist
offers unmistakable advantages. Optometrists on average earn more than twice as much as opticians (the
people who grind lenses and fit you for glasses). And optometrists get to do most of what
ophthalmologists do, without the medical degree: diagnose and treat eye diseases, perform minor surgery
(in some states), and of course fit people for glasses and contact lenses. Yet the required training is years
shorter than it is for an ophthalmologist: a four-year, post-bachelor's program. With so many aging
boomers in need of vision care, the job prospects are strong. Laser surgery that corrects vision problems
has slightly diminished demand for optometrists, but in the future that's likely to be outweighed by
demographic trends and other factors. There's also a lot of satisfaction in this career, since most vision
problems can be corrected with lenses or relatively minor surgery. Because the job is so appealing, it can
be tough to land a spot in optometry school. Most optometrists are self-employed, so it helps if you have
an entrepreneurial spirit and a knack for smart marketing approaches, like conducting free vision
screenings in shopping malls.
Pharmacists - With patient access to physicians getting costlier and more scarce, pharmacists are
stepping into the role of caregiver. They spend less time filling prescriptions (now largely delegated to
assistants) and more time on the front lines: teaching diabetic patients how to inject insulin, helping
hypertension patients manage their blood pressure, dispensing advice on which over-the-counter
medication to use. One of a pharmacist's most important jobs is ensuring that patients can safely take
multiple drugs togetherinteractions can be deadly. The jobs aren't all at the local drugstore. One fourth
of pharmacists work in hospitals. Others work for pharmaceutical companies on new drug development
for example, in pharmacogenomics, custom designing drugs to work with an individual's genome. Just as
cutting edge, if scarier: Pharmacists will also be key players in conducting mass immunizations and
treatments in response to epidemics and bioterrorism.

Physical Therapist - Next to the clergy, physical therapy ranked highest in job satisfaction, according to
a survey conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. More than three
quarters of physical therapists reported being "very satisfied" with their occupation. In a similar survey by
the Wall Street Journal's Career Journal, physical therapy rated one of the eight best careers. And it's easy
to understand why: You're a one-on-one coach, a role that many people enjoy. It's a bit like a fitness
coach but with more skills and you're helping people with more acute problems. You usually see real
progress. For example, it's touching to see a patient, who came in on a stretcher or in a wheelchair, walk
out at the end of treatment. Unlike physicians, who often are restricted to 12-minute appointments, you
typically see a patient for an hour. Like all careers, physical therapy has downsides: This career is
physically demanding. All day, you're moving patients around, demonstrating exercises, and so on. That's
a plus for some people and a minus for others who might prefer a desk job. It's not uncommon to leave
work with sore muscles. Burnout risk. Many of your patients will be newly disabled, in pain, progressing
slowly, and/or frustrated by the painful exercises you prescribe. That can take a toll on you. Training
requirements have been ratcheted up. Not long ago, a bachelor's degree would do. Now, a master's is the
minimum, with a three-year doctor of physical therapy increasingly the norm.
Genetic Counselor - By the time you finish training to be a genetic counselor, you'll be able to find out,
affordably and with considerable certainty, how your personal genome is likely to affect you. Are you at
increased risk of heart attack, cancer, diabetes, Parkinson's, or myriad others, or are you a lucky one? And
more important, you'll have new gene therapies to consider utilizing. Genetic counselors are being hired to
help customers address thorny questions: Do I want to know my genetic pre-dispositions? (Less precise
approaches to assessing those are already available.) If I do, and it turns out that, for example, my
genome doubles my risk of breast cancer, should I have a preventative mastectomy? Even before it was
possible to sequence your genome, genetic counselors helped people and their families with critical
decisions. Example: You're pregnant. A test reveals that your baby has the gene for a genetic disease that
may or may not be serious. Should you abort? Or you've had a miscarriage and lost a second baby soon
after it was born. Should you try to get pregnant again? Other typical clients include people or families
with a history of congenital heart defects, mental retardation, and hearing or vision loss.
Clergy (Preacher) - Religion anchors millions of Americans' lives, and their clergyperson is their ship's
captain. That's especially true at life's critical moments: birth, coming of age, marriage, crisis, and death.
Most clerics spend far more work hours off the pulpit than on. And not all clerics have a congregation.
Some, for example, are chaplains in prisons, hospitals, or the armed forces. Being a cleric isn't a jobit's
a life. Your nights and weekends are often spent officiating at events or ministering to parishioners in
crisis. To succeed, yes, you must be an inspiring speaker, but you should also be an inspiring human
being, able to motivate people to be their best selves, even in crisis. And in America's slowing economy,
more people will be in crisis. Surprisingly, what isn't required is an unquestioning faith in God: Many
clerics experience periods of doubt.

Careers Part - 3 Questions

1. Most of these professionals are self-employed, so it helps if you have an entrepreneurial spirit and a
knack for smart marketing approaches.
2. These professionals are bit like a fitness coach but with more skills and you're helping people with more
acute problems.
3. These professionals must work nights and weekends, and burnout is a factor.
4. These professionals can also work in the armed forces, prisons and hospitals.
5. This career is best for creative, practical people who find satisfaction in small successes.
6. By the time you are finished training to be in the career field, you will be able to find out if you are at
increased risk of heart attack, cancer, or diabetes.

7. These professionals can also work in legal consulting.

8. These professionals also teach diabetic patients how to inject insulin and help hypertension patients
manage their blood pressure.
9. With so many aging boomers in need their help, the job prospects are strong in this career field.
10. Thirty percent of these professionals work in schools, helping, for example, autistic kids learn how to
interact with other children.
11. What are two areas that you need to be successful at in order to be a Cleric (Preacher)?
12. What kind of degrees/training requirements are needed to become a Physical Therapist?
13. Name two downsides to being a Registered Nurse.
14. What is the difference between an Optician and Optometrists?
15. List two difficult questions that Genetic Counselors are being hired to help customers address.
16. Describe two out of the ordinary jobs that Pharmacists are now doing.