Nursing isn't everything: other paths in healthcare

If you work in healthcare or are looking to, you've likely heard by now of the gold rush that seems to be a career in nursing. Due to technological advancements and an aging baby boomer population, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 26 percent growth in employment opportunities for registered nurses for the decade 2010-2020. This is much greater than average: the expected growth for all occupations, healthcare and otherwise, is 14 percent for the same period.

While opportunities in nursing are reported to be "excellent" by the BLS, it isn't the only career path in healthcare worth pursuing. (It just gets a lot of the spotlight.) Here is a sampling of non-nursing jobs you may or may not have considered, along with growth rates and salary expectations:

1. Athletic trainers
If you have an interest in sports and the healing arts, a career in athletic training might be your ideal. These are the people who diagnose, treat and help prevent bone and muscle injuries and illnesses. They are commonly employed by colleges or secondary schools to work with teams or athletic departments, but their patients are people of all ages and physical ability levels. The BLS predicts a robust growth for this occupation, a 30% increase in jobs for the decade 2010-2020. A bachelor's or master's degree as well as state certification is generally required.

Salary: CBSalary.com lists the national average salary for an athletic trainer to be $44,604.

2.  Medical records and health information technicians
These are the people who enter the codes and figures that help keep track of your health records. They work both with paper and electronic records, and must have painstaking attention to detail. Growing not as impressively as nursing, but still at a strong 21% for the 2010-2020 period, this field offers steady employment and doesn't require too much education. Many employers need only professional certification that can be obtained with post-high school training or an associate degree.

Salary: CBSalary.com lists the average annual salary for a medical records technician to be $47,136.

3. Office managers
A recent posting on MiracleWorkers.com by MedStar Health sought an office manager for Cardiology Associates, LLC, in Annapolis, Md. The position's duties were listed as overseeing the day-to-day operations of the office, developing marketing programs, managing the financial performance, overseeing billing practices, helping with recruiting, and more. This jack-of-all-trades position calls for someone with a bachelor's degree in business or health administration, experience working with physicians, knowledge of medical coding, and experience.

The BLS does not list specific growth data for healthcare office managers, but predicts the growth for the broader category of administrative services managers to be 15 percent for the period 2010-2020.

Salary: CBSalary.com lists the national average salary for a healthcare office manager to be $80,429.

4. Sales/marketing manager
Though you may not think of marketing as a traditional healthcare role, there is as much a need for it here as in any other industry. Recently, BAYADA Home Health Care posted an opening for such a position on MiracleWorkers.com. The listing described the duties as follows: develop sales strategy and conduct marketing analysis; conduct sales calls and evaluate the effectiveness of sales activity; and build and maintain strong relationships with physicians, assisted living facilities and others in order to generate referrals.

Someone interested in this position is best suited with a background in marketing with formal sales training, and must possess at least a bachelor's degree.

The BLS does not specify for healthcare, but predicts the growth of sales managers in general to be about 12 percent for 2010-2020.

Salary: CBSalary.com lists the average annual salary for a healthcare marketing manager to be $117,015.