Monday February 21, 2011
If you are going to treat patients who speak a language other than English, you must be prepared to communicate with said patients in their language. That's the message issued by the Joint Commission to hospitals and healthcare facilities. The organization is rolling out guidelines and requirements for hiring more qualified medical interpreters in multi-lingual healthcare settings.
This could be good news for current and future medical interpreters, who may find their services in even greater demand as these new regulations are implemented and enforced, initially on a one-year pilot program basis.
The field of medical interpreting was already projected by the BLS to grow by 22 percent from 2008-2018. That represents an addition of more than 11,000 medical interpreter positions.
The Joint Commission's new regulations may place additional demand on these professionals, who earn about $38,000 on average, but can earn more in the high-end range, from $60,000 - $70,000. Most positions, but not all, require a bachelor's degree, and fluency in English plus at least one other language is required.
According to a recent report in MedPageToday, healthcare facilities must hire and train a more adequate workforce of medical interpreters to communicate with patients and ensure more positive outcomes, among other benefits. Specific standards are being put forth to help facilities comply with the communication needs of their patients and more effectively share important health information and instructions with patients and their families.
According to the Joint Commission's whitepaper, as many as 3,000 adverse events including complications and death can be attributed to "communication breakdowns," or language barriers between healthcare workers and patients. The regulatory commission hopes to improve these outcomes with the incorporation of more medical interpreters into the healthcare workforce.
Related: Medical Interpreter Careers
Sunday February 20, 2011
Is a career as a massage therapist right for you? According to US News and World Report, which included massage therapist on its list of Top 50 Careers for 2011, being good with your hands is not enough to be successful in the field of massage therapy. You also must have a very good business sense, as more than half of massage therapists are self-employed, in business for themselves.
Massage therapists are expected to be in high demand, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with growth being "faster than average", at 19 percent. That rate of growth represents an addition of about 23,000 new massage therapist jobs from 2008-2018. While many people often think of massage therapy as providing relaxation or stress-relief, there are many other health benefits provided by massage therapy including pain management and rehabilitation of an injury.
With average wages of about $16.78, the pay is not highly lucrative for massage therapists as compared to some other health careers. That wage equates to about $32,000 per year, assuming a full-time work week of 40 hours. However, many massage therapists do not work a full-time schedule. That scheduling flexibility and work-life balance is one of the attractions of the profession. Some massage therapists earn upwards of $25.00 per hour, which is closer to $50,000 in annual income on a full-time basis.
The top five states for employment of massage therapists are:
- Washington
- Colorado
- Nevada
- Hawaii
- Alaska
Related: How to Become a Massage Therapist
Tuesday February 15, 2011
The healthcare industry unemployment rate is only about five percent, while the overall unemployment rate is still at nine percent. Healthcare now accounts for about 10 percent of all private sector jobs, according to a recent report.
Therefore, many people who are unemployed, or who are currently employed in more depressed industries, are wondering how to make a career move into a more promising role in the healthcare field.
Making a career transition into a different industry is always challenging, but it is especially challenging in a slow job market. However, shifting gears is possible, if not easy.
Yesterday I spoke with Cheryl Palmer of Call to Career, about this very topic of making a career change into healthcare without prior industry experience. Palmer's Executive Careers show on Blog Talk Radio featured tips for making the leap into a new industry, as well as information about the most in demand medical careers, and how to approach the industry shift.
Readers often express a great deal of interest in the best ways to make a career change into healthcare, so I've also provided numerous tips and ideas to help make a career transition into the healthcare field. If you think a career in healthcare might be a feasible option for you, or if you'd like to explore the healthcare industry to see if it makes sense for you to make the transition, below are several resources to help you gather information, make your decision, and create a career transition plan.
Friday February 11, 2011
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This year, About.com Health Careers is participating is the annual About.com Readers' Choice Awards. Vote for your favorite medical job board, networking site, and healthcare industry news and information site.
Voting for the winners will take place from February 11th through March 8th, with winners announced on March 15.
There's no prize -- just the bragging rights of being recognized by the readers of a leading website owned by The New York Times Co.
To learn more, visit: awards.about.com.
Thank you for your interest and participation.
Related: About.com Health Careers Readers' Choice Awards | About.com Readers' Choice Awards
