If you are currently working or considering a career in the healthcare industry, experts agree it’s one of the best career options in today’s job market. On their latest list of the 25 Best Jobs of 2016, US News and World Reports, 18 of the top 25 best jobs were in the healthcare field, and healthcare jobs have repeatedly represented a large proportion of the top jobs on that list for years. In terms of job prospects, industry growth, and job satisfaction healthcare consistently tops the lists of numerous business publications and news outlets. One avenue of healthcare that you might not have considered but may be an excellent choice for you is non-medical in-home caregiving. Here are just a few of the many benefits of a career in this challenging and rewarding field:
- Freedom – If you’re the type of person who feels trapped inside of a hospital or doctor’s office, in-home caregiving is a great way to ply your trade outside of those four walls. Home healthcare offers the opportunity to work in a variety of settings and free yourself from spending your hours behind a desk or the door of an exam room.
- Challenge – As an in-home caregiver, you’re responsible for so much more than just tending to the physical needs of the patient. You’re also assessing their environment, and help make the home a space that’s clean, safe, and works for their mobility limitations. You also act as a teacher to help both the patient and their family better handle the issues they face both now and as the patient’s condition changes over time.
- Relationships – Most patients who benefit from in-home care are elderly with chronic health issues or young and disabled. Often you’ll be spending months or even years forming close bonds with the patients and their families as you help to improve the quality of their lives and teach them how to best care for themselves and their loved ones.
- Fulfillment – The most important benefits by far of working as an in-home caregiver are the deep emotional rewards of knowing you are both keeping your patients healthy and comfortable, and often helping them avoid a traumatic move to a nursing home. You’ll be providing the security of professional healthcare along with the feeling of independence and contentment that come from being in their own homes.
Professional in-home caregivers are increasingly in demand and as our population ages, the opportunities will only continue to grow. If you like the idea of advancing your career while forming meaningful relationships with patients and truly making a difference in their lives and the lives of their families, you owe it to yourself to look seriously at working as an in-home caregiver.
