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Anyone who understands the job market these days might be looking for the next career to put a paycheck in their pocket and also take care of the bills. However, if you need to go out and work in order to pay the bills, the last thing you can afford to do is to invest a handful of years (not to mention significant out of pocket costs) to get a degree.

An alternative option is to look into a program that can lead you to a better career with minimal schooling required. The good news is that the healthcare field is blossoming, and you could make the jump in a short amount of time. 

Athletic Training

Not many people think about the field of sports medicine as a truly intensive healthcare career, and that’s because it really isn’t. There is obviously some major need in this field and there will continue to be a need for professionals as long as people (especially students and younger children) continue to play sports and participate in athletics.

However, there are also the rehabilitation services that work together with this side of medicine as well. Even if someone hasn’t participated in sports for years or decades, they could still need to go through rehab in order to get back to regular physical shape. You won’t need to go through a decade of med school, but you can still get people up and running (or walking) in no time.

Medical Coding

As the healthcare industry continues to change almost daily, there is a greater emphasis that is being placed on billing, medical coding and data entry. With networks, plans and individual treatments being changed all of the time, people who are able to find efficiency in the area of billing and coding could find themselves with a strong sense of job security and a very good starting salary.

It might not seem like a major part of the medical process, but getting training in the coding field could help a number of hospitals, insurance companies or even independent agencies to keep track of the medical claim process.

By taking a few minutes to learn the certifications required, you could enroll in a program such as the many Allied Health Careers with Arizona College or various other institutions, and be able to get the training you need in an efficient amount of time. After all, the quicker you can get high quality training, the quicker you can get out into the workforce and start bringing in the salary you need while continuing to gain valuable experience.

Dental Hygienist

As long as people have teeth, they will need to have cleanings and preventative services to take care of those teeth. While this may not necessarily be the fast paced world of being a nurse or another hospital professional, you can expect the career to be relatively simple and stress free.

Plus, depending upon the practice you find yourself in, you could have great hours and job security. Everyone in every city needs a dentist and that won’t change for the foreseeable future. Just be sure you can deal with someone’s breath and potentially disturbing teeth decay and other than that you have a career that leaves smiles on the faces of others.

Massage Therapist

Another form of medical help that many people may not classify into the medical services field is becoming a massage therapist. Besides the fact that you get to network with high-powered clients (or anyone who has dealt with a lot of stress), you can also be the person that everyone loves to see.

While most medical procedures involve getting work done in a stressful way or can involve work (rehab, tests, physicals, etc.), coming to a massage therapist means an individual is able to get muscle pains out as well as some posture and alignment conditions as well.

As you continue to learn more and grow in this field about all of the new procedures, techniques and technology, you will see exactly how much comfort you can bring to people of all ages and for all walks of life. Massage and even chiropractic services don’t face the same levels of stress as most medical procedures, but they can be the difference when it comes to ongoing quality of life for many patients considering the current status of the industry and the long term outlook as well.

Regardless of what route you choose to take in your future, you need to find the route that best matches your needs. From the type of patients you deal with to the specific procedures done, and even the anticipated stress levels, workload, and scheduling – your new career can potentially fit right into the lifestyle you’re dreaming of. By taking the time to research the career that matches your expectations, you can step into a role that will last a lifetime.

7 Tips to Stop Micromanaging

Were you one of these people who listed “being a perfectionist” as one of your weaknesses in a job interview?

If yes, you’re probably already dealing with a common problem that stems from “perfectionism” and “need for control.”

Many managers, team leaders and bosses in general face it — being a maniacal micromanager.

If you’re still lost about whether or not this is one of your characteristics, consider this example:

You ask an employee to do an assignment that has a deadline. You know you can trust this employee, because he has always handed in good work on time.

However, you keep stressing over the things that could go wrong, and you ask the employee to give you updates about the progress after each completed task — and when he doesn’t, you personally go and check.

If this sounds a lot like you, then you are certainly guilty of being a micromanager. An effective manager, on the other hand, would allow the employee enough discretion to complete the task on his own, without too much interference.

Micromanagers are also guilty of avoiding delegation, nitpicking, stressing over tiny details, overseeing projects of others and always making sure that decision-making takes place in their presence or with their consent.

Here are a few ways you can avoid becoming micromanager and nip this evil in the bud before it starts to grow. Your subordinates will thank you tons for it!

1. Hire Only the Best Of the Best

One reason why you could spend your time excessively worrying about what others are doing is if you simply can’t trust them — and for all the right reasons. This would clearly mean that your employees are incompetent.

This calls for being more selective during the recruitment process and ensuring that top talent is retained. Look for people you can trust!

2. Delegate More Often

Micromanagers are also highly reluctant to delegate tasks to other employees. As a result, they are always overworked and frustrated about meeting deadlines.

Learn to trust more and delegate work to employees who are a fit for the job. The more you delegate and “let go,” the more you’ll realize you aren’t the only person in the organization who knows how to his job.

3. Clarify Your Expectations

If you’re running into problems with delegation, it could be that you’re not clearly articulating your expectations. It’s best to take time to draw up the requirements of the project beforehand, rather than communicating those expectations as chunks of information relayed from time to time.

If need be, write it down — on paper. Just like a school instructor would detail the requirements of an assignment or project due at the end of the semester.

However, unlike a school instructor, you might want to “keeps checks” to ensure the project is headed in the right direction — but that doesn’t mean repeatedly checking several times a day. Once or twice during a short-term project should be enough.

4. Allow Them to Make Decisions

Avoid thinking that you’re the only one around who needs to put a stamp to decisions. Let your employees “own” their work and have discretion over what they do.

In many cases, employees know more about what should or shouldn’t be done to move toward a goal from first-hand knowledge and experience. Don’t act like you’re their mother.

5. Try to Look at the Big Picture

Avoid pointing out small details that have nothing to do with how a project was achieved. Recognize the fact that there are several ways to approach a problem or fulfill a goal.

Your way doesn’t have to be the right way if the results are the same and no organizational policies are being violated.

6. Know Your Employees Better

With time and experience, you should be able to learn which one of your employees is best at what.

Every employee has a special set of skills and strengths that can be useful for different tasks and in different situations. Recognizing these skills and strengths will allow you to delegate better and score better results.

7. Reflect on Why Micromanaging Is Bad

Some micromanagers not only realize that they are micromanagers, but also wrongfully take pride in it. They give excuses for why micromanaging is the correct approach.

These excuses usually include the following phrases: “being detail-oriented,” “saving time” or “making sure nothing goes wrong.” While these are thoughts any responsible manager would have, they can’t serve as an excuse to over-do the part where you manage people.

So, instead of focusing on ways micromanaging could help you or your team, think of ways it could do the complete opposite. For example, your team will not be able learn and grow. Or, it will detract your focus from important issues that are your job by being too involved in things that aren’t.

—

We know it’s difficult when you’re held accountable for the actions of others. But think of it this way: Does your superior have to micromanage you to get the job done?

Most likely, the answer is no — what’s even more likely is that you wouldn’t appreciate it one bit. Learn to give that freedom to your employees as well.

(Photo by cpowell2 / CC BY)

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