Health Care Offers Growing Careers Helping Others

Are you working an underpaid job, suffering from a lack of employee benefits, or looking to start a degree program that can put you on the fast track to a better salary and stable career? If you're nodding your head at any of these, consider a career in the fast-growing field of health care. Health care careers offer stable job growth, competitive salaries, and best of all, a range of career opportunities. Check out some of the top health care careers that need people like you.

Bachelor Degrees for Health Care Careers

One of the fastest growing careers in the nation, nursing is a great career choice for those who want to be on the front lines of health care. Nursing education requirements vary depending on what kind of nurse you would like to be. Registered nurses (RN) are required to go through either a four-year bachelor of science in nursing or a two to three year associate's program, usually completed at a community college. These programs teach the basics of nursing and including courses like:

• Human anatomy
• Chemistry
• Biology
• Nutrition

All nurses, regardless of training, must be licensed to practice in their given state of residence and therefore must pass the the National Council Licensure Examination. Registered nurses make a median annual wage of $63,750 per year.

For those who want a career helping people solve their problems and build meaningful relationships, a bachelor's degree in social work may be the right choice. There are many types of social workers, but the main professional types are child, family, and school social workers who help children and teens cope with the emotional and physical strains of growing up, as well as health and substance abuse social workers, who aid individuals in leading healthy lives by counseling them through addictions and other medical ills.

The minimum undergraduate requirement to enter into this profession is the bachelor's degree in social work (BSW), a degree that can be completed either at a four-year accredited institution or a community college. You can also pursue undergraduate degrees in psychology, sociology, and a variety of different disciplines as long as you pass individual state licensure tests to qualify you for these jobs. Social workers in medical and surgical hospitals make on average $55,940 per year.

Master Degrees for Health and Human Services

While you can train for a range of rewarding careers in health care with a bachelor's degree, many practitioners chose to go on and earn a master's degree to further their career.

For example, advanced practice nurses generally enjoy greater autonomy and higher salaries than RNs. Advanced practice nurses must earn a master of science in nursing (MSN) in order to be qualified for their line of work. These advanced degrees typically take two or three years to complete, and usually only accept applications from those who already hold the registered nurse title. Advanced practice nurses can chose to specialize as nurse practioners, nurse midwifes, or nurse anesthetists. According to Advance magazine for nurse practitioners, the average annual salary for nurse practitioners in 2009 was $89,579.

Social workers who choose to go on and earn a master's degree in social work (MSW) or equivalent can qualify for supervisory, administrative, or staff training positions. Many who choose to pursue a master's in social work may go on to become certified counselors, which can require supervised clinical experience and state licensure.

Counselors, like social workers, perform various tasks depending on who their patients are. The first thing you may think of when the word "counselor" is mentioned may be your high school guidance counselor, but there are quite few other paths you may choose--becoming a vocational counselor, mental health or addiction counselor, or family and marriage counselor are all exciting options.

Degree requirements vary for this professional field, although every counselor has to go through specific licensing requirements as deemed by their state of residence. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, counselors earned a median annual wage of $41,320 in 2009, although wages varied by specialty. Educational, vocational, and school counselors, for example, had median earnings of $52,550.