Utter and complete newbie needs to pick a field

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Hello!

I've been kicking around the idea of a career in healthcare, mostly because right now I have absolutely no direction (working as a file clerk) and because I like to help people (love customer service, hate sales).

The problem is, there are so many fields in healthcare I have no idea even where to start. I'm limited by a few things: I'm technically able, so I'm leaning towards one of the technician jobs (MRI, X-Ray) more so than nursing, though that's not out completely. I live in San Diego and must stay here (girlfriend going to school here). I do not want to spend more than two years in school before being able to work in the field. That doesn't mean I'm closed to the idea of more school later. I just can't bear the thought of doing office work for the next half decade.

So, what kind of technician jobs are out there, what schools are in Southern Cal, what does the job market look like, and should I just start with going to school for LVN before trying to move on and up so I can start working sooner?

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.
Hello!

I've been kicking around the idea of a career in healthcare, mostly because right now I have absolutely no direction (working as a file clerk) and because I like to help people (love customer service, hate sales).

The problem is, there are so many fields in healthcare I have no idea even where to start. I'm limited by a few things: I'm technically able, so I'm leaning towards one of the technician jobs (MRI, X-Ray) more so than nursing, though that's not out completely. I live in San Diego and must stay here (girlfriend going to school here). I do not want to spend more than two years in school before being able to work in the field. That doesn't mean I'm closed to the idea of more school later. I just can't bear the thought of doing office work for the next half decade.

So, what kind of technician jobs are out there, what schools are in Southern Cal, what does the job market look like, and should I just start with going to school for LVN before trying to move on and up so I can start working sooner?

:balloons: Hello and Welcome to Allnurses.com:balloons:

Just wanted to extend a welcome. Cruise the forums and you might get some direction regarding a career choice.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

There are a number of 2 year degree programs in healthcare technology. The nice thing about California is the junior colleges try to work with the state universities so you can transfer into bachelor's programs if you want to get a higher degree. I guess the counseling office of your local junior college is a good place to start. Ask for information on careers in healthcare. Dental hygiene and mortuary care are also taught in junior colleges. I know you said you you can't bear the thought of doing office work for the next half decade, but Health Information Science (used to be called Medical Records) is an AA degree'd course of study. It requires extensive use of computer technology nowadays. I used to have a list of something like 50 different healthcare careers, but do you think I could find it this afternoon? Nope. Did you know that the people who make dentures and prostheses make a pretty good living--AA degree and BS degrees respectively for those.

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I'm in the same situation as you. I am leaning towards Nursing because it is a broader degree. If you do a Technical degree you have a skill in one specialized area. There are pro's and cons for both. My brother is a doctor and is not very supportive of Nursing for me. He is big on Technical stuff, but I am really feeling that I will be a better fit with Nursing myself. I really like reading the forums on this sight to get a feel what current Nursing are thinking. I am taking the TEAS in about 2 months.

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