Education

• The educational requirements for medical field jobs vary. On the low end, a high school diploma is required for almost all jobs, such as food service personnel and janitor. At the next level are nursing and medical assistants, who go through training programs lasting less than a year. Technicians usually have vocational degrees while nurses, nutritionists and other clinical personnel have college degrees. Doctors are the highest end of the educational scale, and they often have 10 or more years of post secondary education.
  
  

On-the-Job Training

• All jobs in the medical field require on-the-job training. In many cases, this training, called clinical training, takes place during the time the medical worker is in school. This medical training introduces the worker to various clinical settings, usually hospitals, and helps guide the person through using her training to work with patients. Much of the personal patient care training is done during this time.
  
  

Opportunities

• Health care is the only field not to be harmed by the economic crash of 2008. Instead because of an aging population, the medical field is growing. New career options are opening up frequently. Polysomnography, or the study of sleep, is one growing area of the medical profession. Other non-traditional medical careers, such as health educators, also are growing. Alternative therapists trained in such modalities as massage therapy and acupressure also are gaining acceptance.
  
  

Salaries

• The pay for medical field jobs ranges depending on the position and its requirements. Nursing assistants are paid hourly usually beginning just above minimum wage while nurses can make anywhere from $11 to $50 an hour, as of 2009, depending on the types of patients they have and their training. Doctors’ salaries go well into the six-figure range, but not until after years of training.
  
  

Considerations

• People considering a medical field career should think about how much they enjoy working with patients. All personnel in the medical field, from records clerks to counselors, all deal with patients at some point. Workers in the medical field also need some flexibility as patient needs come first and not based on a time clock.