Considering a rewarding career in healthcare? Want to explore your health career options in Australia? Then this blog post is for you! Keep reading.
If you’re intrigued about what career path you should take when working in the healthcare industry, then look no further. A magnitude of exciting careers in health are available to you.
- Pre-hospital care will see you on the front lines, responding to emergencies and non-emergency patients and incidents. Quick thinking and sound clinical reasoning are needed.
- Primary health and allied health contain literally hundreds of professions, with thousands of opportunities. Work options are vast; from doctor’s surgeries, resources sectors, military operations and hospitals, there are plenty of opportunities available to you both locally and on an international level.
A career in health could take you anywhere in the world! Let’s explore a few valuable and fulfilling roles you could pursue, in terms of the day-to-day, and approximate salary ranges in Australia. We’ve aggregated data from *insert source*, which gives the latest reliable data from the census.
Patient Transport Officer:
- Qualifications: Cert III in Non-emergency Patient Transport
- Career Opportunities:
- Emergency Medical Technician
- Event Medic
- Emergency Services Officer
- Private Sector Medic
- Remote Medic
- Duties: This career will see you transporting patients to a variety of settings, both healthcare and homes. You’ll be responsible for accurate record keeping, taking observations, providing support to other medical staff and many other exciting tasks.
- Salary: $65,000 – $75,000 (Based off Seek Australian averages)
Medic / Event Medic / Emergency Services Officer:
- Qualifications: Cert IV in Health Care OR Diploma of Emergency Health Care
- Career Opportunities:
- Emergency Medical Technician
- Event Medic
- Emergency Services Officer
- Private Sector Medic
- Industrial Medic
- Duties: Taking the next step in your career will expand the possibilities for you! Medics can find themselves in unique environments including mining, offshore oil, and gas, maritime, military and even aviation. Medics are responsible for accurate record keeping, responding to emergencies, giving intramuscular and intravenous medications, airway management, and thorough knowledge of Clinical Practice Guidelines and Drug Therapy Protocols!
- Salary: $65,000 – $140,000 Dependent on job role
Paramedic (Generalist)
- Qualifications: Bachelor of Paramedic Science and registration with AHPRA
- Pathway: You can also starting off with a diploma before moving onto a university degree and receive credits towards your degree. It’s also a great choice if you’re the kind of person who ‘learns by doing’. The HLT51020 – Diploma of Emergency Health Care with APC includes two clinical workshops to help you hone your hands-on skills with real-world paramedical equipment and patient care, and a work placement that will get you out into the field with the opportunity to use your skills in the real world, on real patients.
- Career Opportunities: State Ambulance Paramedic, Private Sector Paramedic, Australian Defense Force, Community-based emergency health settings
- Duties: Respond to emergency and non-emergency jobs, understand and be capable of making sounds clinical decisions. Use of a wide range of interventions, including both pharmacological and physical equipment. Advanced airway management, access and advanced techniques are learnt at this level, preparing you to develop the confidence and understanding to effectively manage nearly everything life can throw at your patients!
- Salary: $115,000 (Based off Australian government labour statistics)
Paramedic – Intensive Care And Extended Care
- Qualifications: Bachelor of Paramedic Science, registration with AHPRA and post-Graduate Certificate or Diploma of Advanced Paramedicine
- Career Opportunities:
- Intensive Care Paramedic
- Extended Care Paramedic
- Duties: Intensive and Extended Care Paramedics have advanced skills and education in acute and complex trauma and medical presentations in out-of-hospital practice. Providing clinical support to Paramedics and other pre-hospital providers, this level of Paramedic has a thorough understanding of critical and primary care.
- Salary: $127,000 (Based off Seek Australian averages)
Paramedic Practitioner (Doctor Of Advanced Clinical Practice)
- Qualifications: Bachelor of Paramedic Science, registration with AHPRA, post-Graduate Diploma of Advanced Paramedicine and completion of an approved PhD Masters.
- Career Opportunities:
- Intensive Care Paramedic
- Extended Care Paramedic
- Critical Care Paramedic
- Paramedic Practitioner
- Duties: This new and upcoming role in Australia is an exciting on to say the very least. This important new career pathway for Paramedics introduces advanced skills such as providing expanded health management and more comprehensive patient assessments, along side interpretation of diagnostic tests. This role has the capability to “treat and discharge” at the scene, reducing the burden on the health care system. Into the future, paramedic practitioners are expected to play an important role in alternative rural health Models of Care proposed due to the medical workforce shortages in rural and remote areas.
- Salary: TBA (Based off Seek Australian averages)
Emergency Medical Dispatcher
- Qualifications: Direct entry OR Certificate III/IV in Ambulance Communications
- Career Opportunities:
- Emergency Medical Dispatcher
- Operations Centre Call Taker
- Duties: Working under the Communications Team Leader, this role will keep you on your toes. On-the-job training is provided, and system familiarization is taught on how to remain calm, how to keep the caller calm and instruct them what to do to save a life. EMD’s receive 000 calls and dispatch appropriate resources on the front line to their location.
- Salary: $65,000 (Based off Seek Australian averages)
Enrolled Nurse
- Qualifications: Diploma of Nursing
- Career Opportunities:
- Enrolled Nurse
- Aged Care Nurse
- GP Assistant and more!
- Duties: This career path can see you in many settings, including aged care facilities, hospitals, private practice, and many others. This qualification prepares you for patient management and observation recording, entry into the health care system and a good foundation understanding of nursing practice. This qualification grants entry into the RN degree.
- Salary: $60,000 – $65,000 (Based off Seek Australian averages)
Nurse (Registered Nurse)
- Qualifications: Bachelor of Nursing AND AHPRA Registration
- Career Opportunities:
- Nurse
- Paediatric Nurse
- ED Nurse
- Triage Nurse; and
- more!
- Duties: Ensuring optimal outcomes for your patients and promoting best practice, work in multidisciplinary teams, triage patients and more. This job has a wide range of career opportunities and options. Paramedics will often look to this qualification as a career option also. RN’s can work in remote and austere locations also, this career pathway may take you interstate and even internationally for those who are keen to see the world whilst doing something they love. Learn how to transition from a nurse into a paramedic here.
- Salary: $83,000 (Based off Seek Australian averages)
Doctor / Physician / Registrar
- Qualifications: Bachelor of Medical Studies, Doctor of Medicine, Fellow
- Career Opportunities:
- General Practitioner
- Emergency Medicine Registrar
- Surgeon
- Cardiologist
- Anaesthetist; and
- many, many more!
- Duties: This challenging though very rewarding career has no limits. You are qualified to the highest level in medicine. This pathway will see you working in surgical units, hospitals, interstate and internationally. From locum contracts to wilderness medicine, this is an exciting career path.
- Salary: $160,000 – $420,000 (Based off Seek Australian averages)
Optometrist
- Qualifications: Bachelor of Vision Science
- Career Opportunities:
- Optometrist
- Optometrist Assistant
- Duties: Identification of problems associated with eyes. Your role will be to examine patients, perform tests and provide patients with the best treatment options.
- Average Salary: $115,000 (Based off Seek Australian averages)
Dentist
- Qualifications: Bachelor of Dental Surgery
- Career Opportunities: Dentist
- Duties: Perform oral health assessment, conduct clinical treatment, create treatment plans, administer, and monitor local anesthetics and prescribe medications. Looking after oral health isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, though this could be the job for you!
- Average Salary: $165,000 (Based off Seek Australian averages)
Medical Research Scientist
- Qualifications: Bachelor of Medical Science
- Career Opportunities:
- Clinical Project Co-Ordinator
- Medical Science Liaison
- Duties: Improving treatments and investigating medical conditions. This role requires a high level of focus, concentration, and analytical skills. The role will see you interpreting clinical trials, managing peer review publications, conducting health risk assessments and much more!
- Average Salary: $90,000 (Based off Seek Australian averages)
Psychiatrist
- Qualifications: Bachelor of Medicine (Psychiatry)
- Career Opportunities:
- Clinical Project Co-Ordinator
- Medical Science Liaison
- Duties: Talking with patients about emotional, behavioural problems and mental health. You will be assessing and diagnosing conditions, along with preventing and treating mental health. This role will see your expert opinion used, prescribing medication, and working closely with other health care professionals!
- Average Salary: $350,000 (Based off Seek Australian averages)
Occupational Therapist
- Qualifications: Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance (Occupational Therapy)
- Career Opportunities: Occupational Therapist
- Duties: This role will see you assessing injured workers, visiting workplaces to understand high risk manual tasks, running workshops, consulting with insurers and providing clinical opinions.
- Average Salary: $88,000 (Based off Seek Australian averages)
Surgeon
- Qualifications: Doctor of Medicine
- Career Opportunities: All surgical classes, opportunity to specialize
- Duties: Consult and examine patients, operate in surgical theatres, and give post operative care. Many options are available for this level of health care professional.
- Average Salary: $300,000+ Varied pay structures
There are literally hundreds of avenues to explore if you’re considering taking up a career in healthcare. The top 10 most in-demand healthcare roles right now are:
- Medical Health and Service Managers
- Occupational Therapist Assistants
- Respiratory Therapists
- Psychologists
- Nurse Practitioners
- Assistant in Nursing
- Aged Care Workers
- Community Support Workers
- Medical Assistants
- Dental Hygienists
If you are seeking a change in your career, now is the time to do something about it! You won’t be disappointed in a rewarding and fulfilling career in health care. What are you waiting for?