Page 40 - Skills - 2024

CHOOSING A CAREER
‘Healthcare Is a Big Deal’
Healthcare support occupations such as home health and personal care aides, medical transcriptionists, and occupational therapy assistants had a median annual wage of $33,600 in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics. A new report for job seekers by WCA (found at westchester.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ Jobseeker-Guide-12_7_23.pdf) shows that clinical medical assistants in Westchester make around $42,000 a year, while pharmacy technicians make around $40,000, and medical billers make around $45,000.
“We know what the demand occupations are based on historical data,” says Deryl Beasley, the Lower Hudson Valley regional director at the Workforce Development Institute. “I can tell you healthcare is a big deal, and it’s not just nursing. It goes across all different areas of healthcare.”
While healthcare jobs are in high demand, they often require long hours and offer challenges that other industries don’t have, such as overnight shifts or working on holidays. Healthcare workers need to be particularly resilient because they have to deal with difficult situations.
“When considering a job in healthcare, the number one quality I see in my colleagues and successful students is empathy,” says Caroline Murphy, an instructor at Putnam- Northern Westchester BOCES (PNW BOCES). “If you can’t place yourself in another person’s situation, it can make it harder to have patience and compassion at work.”
Westchester Providers Offer Training
For people interested in entering the healthcare industry, there are several educational programs offered in Westchester. SUNY Westchester Community College has workforce programs in healthcare with eight different options, including an intensive clinical medical assistant program, a medical coding program, and a remote pharmacy technician program, to name a few.
In the intensive clinical medical assistant program, people learn how to perform administrative and clinical duties under the direction of a physician. Students will learn how to prepare patients for examination by performing routine laboratory procedures. The medical coding program is now fully online and teaches students how to record, integrate, and report patient data securely with specialized computer applications.
In the remote pharmacy technician program, students will learn pharmacy laws, regulations, and medication organization. They will also gain additional skills for routine patient care such as ECG, phlebotomy, simple lab tests, and infection control. Upon successful completion of the course, students are eligible to take certification exams offered by the National Healthcare Association.
PNW BOCES also offers training for students interested in healthcare. It has a general intro to healthcare careers/ occupations course, a medical assistant course, and more. The medical assistant program can be completed in one or
two years and requires students to sit for a national exam after the successful completion of the course. The program works to cross-train students with administrative and clinical skills.
The demand for healthcare jobs will not waver anytime soon in Westchester. The outlook for the industry is strong and allows interested students to jump into a variety of specific programs related to their interests.
“Healthcare careers are physically and intellectually demanding,” says Murphy. “But it’s a career that I will never regret embarking on, especially now because I get to teach the next generation.”
A job in healthcare might be right for you if:
• You’re strongly motivated by empathy and compassion.
• You don’t mind working long and potentially irregular hours.
• You’re good at communicating with people and putting them at ease.
• You’re motivated to keep yourself healthy, e.g.
by exercising regularly and eating well. To care for others, you need to be in good shape yourself.
• You can multi-task and have strong problem- solving skills.
Some Key Westchester Employers
• Empress EMS
• Montefiore
• Northwell Health
• Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth)
• White Plains Hospital
This article and the EMT profile on the following page first appeared in Skill Up! This monthly
newsletter contains key information
for local job seekers, including
information about job options in Westchester and dates of upcoming job fairs. Scan the QR code to sign up and receive the newsletter.
38 2024 SKILLS What’s Hot. What’s Next. What’s Needed.