There is no doubt that the current COVID-19 pandemic has thrust nurses and doctors into the spotlight like never before. Broadcast on our television screens are scenes from across the world, of patients being treated by diligent and hard-working hospital staff, many of whom are putting their lives on the line for those who need their help. There is also a great need and opportunities for social care jobs in mental health, homeless support, learning disabilities, supported living, and home care. It’s enough to inspire many people into the healthcare industry – especially seeing as this disease will require additional manpower to overcome. As such, this article is concerned with your entrance into the healthcare industry, showing you five ways through which you can help hospitals near you in the coming year.
Voluntary Roles
Possibly the speediest entry into the healthcare industry, and one that you can take almost immediately, is as a volunteer. Many hospitals, especially in times of crisis, require volunteers to help them. This won’t take place on the ‘front lines’ of the epidemic, but it will take place logistically, and it may well take place in the realms of public information, supplies organization, or even simple labor – like lugging new beds and ventilators from place to place. You can look for such voluntary roles in a number of places, including:
- Online, by searching for such roles in the search bar of your chosen search engine.
- By looking at the vacancies pages of the hospitals and health centers near you.
- By looking at advertisements in your local newspaper, and online, for volunteers.
- By contacting charities near you that deal with healthcare, care, and support for the vulnerable.
- By setting up your own initiative in order to help in this time of crisis.
Whether you’re looking to get involved by providing free meals for hospital staff, or by helping with the transportation and delivery of healthcare goods, volunteering is a sure fire way to get yourself involved in the current crisis, leading you to directly influence the events on the ground in your locality.
Hospital Worker
While the headlines and the pictures regarding healthcare and hospitals are often centered on doctors, nurses and surgeons, these are not the only roles to exist in healthcare institutions. Indeed, hospitals could not function without a small army of support staff, who will do everything from moving patients from room to room, to helping with databases and website coding. There are hundreds of careers in hospitals that can help the healthcare system as a whole, including:
- Cleaners, who see to it that hospitals are safe places to treat sick people every single day
- Orderlies, who support patients within the hospital, and support health workers with equipment
- Managers, who make sure that the ward and the hospital are working effectively through time
- Data analysts, who are able to help hospitals understand their capacity, and plan for worst-case scenarios
- Other professionals whose experience in a given industry is particularly valuable for hospitals; look at websites and job pages to see these roles.
Every hospital is slightly different, and as such you may well be surprised to find that you can help out in a novel way, without needing to qualify as a nurse or doctor beforehand. Do keep an eye on jobs pages for hospitals and health centers in order to step into a role in the industry.
Nursing
Nursing and caring are seen as two of the most sought-after, respected, and meaningful jobs in the world. Nurses make up a significant portion of the global workforce, and they perform the kind of care and health maintenance that saves hundreds of thousands of lives a day across the world. Though you will have to go through a college or university course to qualify as a nurse, it’s one of the most rewarding jobs in the world – and one that you’ll truly relish as you enter the fray as a health keyworker in 2021. To become a nurse, you simply have to:
- Have good enough grades to be accepted onto a college course
- Find the right course for you, including full-time courses and part-time courses
- Get into the institution of your choice, and apply yourself diligently to your studies
- Graduate with a qualification as a nurse, and look immediately for vacant positions
Nurses are always being sought by hospitals – there’s a shortage that needs to be filled quickly, both in the US and across the world. That’s exactly why full-time and accelerated BSN programs have been devised: to fast-track ambitious people into the nursing roles they’re looking for after a year’s study. Becoming a nurse in this time of global crisis is one of the best things you can do to respond to this unprecedented time.
Funder
Another way in which you can help your local healthcare institution, or those across the country, is to fund their work. Hospitals are always grateful for donations and other forms of funding – and you can contribute in a significant way by using your time and money to buy vital supplies, or help open a new wing, providing new beds for the ill and sick. It’s through this extra injection of cash that hospitals will cope with the increased demand for beds that we are seeing in 2020.
Becoming a hospital funder is easy: you simply need to contact institutions around you, and ask where your money will be best-placed. It’s often best to donate as part of a group, so as to add more clout to your donation. Build a community of people who care about the healthcare in their area, and donate a lump-sum, in order to make your contribution to a worthy cause in 2020.
Crisis Management
There are hundreds of different roles in the field of crisis management – from PR through to boots-on-the-ground logistics – and it’s in these roles that you may be able to play a pivotal role in the crisis caused by COVID-19. Remember that skills in providing healthcare are not the only ones that hospitals require at present: they also need those who can help them build out their strategies to optimize their work and their efforts in the weeks and months ahead. If you have the skills or experience to help in this regard, look for opportunities to contribute in your local area today.
These five roles will all see you enter the healthcare industry with gusto and determination in 2020 or 2021, helping those in need at a moment of global crisis.
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