LET'S TALK HEALTHCARE

When the average Nigerian thinks of healthcare professions, they think of high JAMB scores, eye bags, scrubs, stethoscopes, and syringes. However, with the population boom over the last two centuries and a concurrent increase in the demand for quality health services, the healthcare sector has evolved into over fifty specialties dedicated to ensuring that health services are delivered effectively and efficiently.

With Nigeria currently ranking as the 6th most populous country in the world—population of 218,541,212—and the ever-increasing shortage of health workers in the country, healthcare careers have never been more important.

Beyond the core clinical jobs that used to characterize healthcare, there are now technical and healthcare support jobs. These, in turn, have made the health sector a massive employer.

Career Paths in Health Sector

The under-listed are viable career paths in the health sector today:

1.) Anesthesia technician 

2.) Audiologist 

3.) Athletic trainer 

4.) Child life specialist 

5.) Chiropractor 

6.) Community health worker 

7.) Cytogenetic technologist 

8.) Cytotechnologists 

9.) Dentist 

10.) Dental assistant 

11.) Dental hygienist 

12.) Dialysis technician 

13.) Dietician 

14.) Electrocardiogram (ECG) technician 

15.) Emergency medicine technician (EMT) and Paramedic 

16.) Exercise physiologist 

17.) Genetic counselor 

18.) Health information manager 

19.) Healthcare simulation educator 

20.) Healthcare simulation technology specialist 

21.) Home health aide 

22.) Massage therapist 

23.) Medical doctor 

24.) Medical laboratory scientist

25.) Medical physicist 

26.) Medical radiologist 

27.) Medical assistant 

28.) Medical social worker 

29.) Medical therapist 

30.) Medical transcriptionist 

31.) Molecular genetics technologist 

32.) Neurodiagnostic technician 

33.) Nuclear medicine technologist

34.) Nurse

35.) Nursing assistant 

36.) Occupational health and safety specialist and technician 37.) Occupational therapist 

38.) Occupational therapy assistant and aide 

39.) Optician 

40.) Optometrist 

41.) Orthotist and Prosthetist 

42.) Pathologists 

43.) Perfusionist 

44.) Pharmacist 

45.) Pharmacy technician 

46.) Phlebotomist 

47.) Physical therapist 

48.) Physical therapist assistant 

49.) Physiotherapists 

50.) Positron emission tomography (PET) technician 

51.) Psychiatric technician and aide 

52.) Radiation Therapist 

53.) Radiologic and MRI technologists 

54.) Recreational therapist 

55.) Respiratory therapist 

56.) Speech-language pathologist 

57.) Sterile processing technician 

58.) Surgeon 

59.) Surgical technologist 

60.) Transplant coordinator

Now, though some of these career paths look as alike as two keys of a brand, they open different doors. Watch this space for more information on what obtains for in the different fields.

You are welcome!