Today, the healthcare industry boasts many stressful jobs that are equally rewarding and taxing. The responsibility of caring for others means you must sometimes jeopardize your comfort. Unfortunately, healthcare’s continual stress, workload, and ever-evolving nature can cause burnout.
This leads many people within the healthcare industry to reevaluate their careers. Luckily, a healthcare degree makes it relatively easy to pivot into a less stressful career path. Follow along as we explore the most stressful healthcare careers and highlight career pivots that can save you from burnout.
Urologist
Urologists are considered to have the most stressful job in healthcare, and the burnout rate is high. This is due to many reasons, such as the sensitive nature of the job. Many patients are apprehensive to visit urologists due to shame and discomfort.
The awkward nature of urology exams and the accompanying conversations can create stress. Urologists must work hard to not only comfort their patients but also make tough assessments and decisions. They must also overcome an awkward hurdle to get their patients to trust them and their expertise.
You can save yourself from burnout as a urologist if you pursue another healthcare avenue, like plastic surgery. Plastic surgeons certainly deal with stressful situations, but they don’t have to see patients in dire positions as often in many cases. The elective nature of many plastic surgery operations makes the situation less stressful for surgeons and patients alike.
Acute Care Nurse
Acute care nurses routinely see patients at their worst after experiencing traumatic injuries and disease complications. The emergency nature of their jobs means that they must think and act fast to provide the best possible care. Working in the intensive care unit (ICU) means that you must help people in dire need of it at the expense of your mental health.
Naturally, this work can put you face-to-face with some of the darkest possibilities you’ve ever imagined. Acute care nurses exhibit empathy and critical thinking skills that are necessary for the job. However, the burnout rate is high because of the intensive workload and high-stress environment.
Luckily, acute care nurses can use their nursing degrees to transition into a less stressful career, such as a nursing educator or home health nurse. You can become a nurse practitioner to avoid burning out if you further your education.
Anesthesiologist Assistant
Anesthesiology is essential to protect patients before, during, and after surgery. Anesthesiologist assistants are responsible for a big part of the work needed to safely monitor and anesthetize patients. However, it’s a much more stressful job than it may sound on paper.
That’s because anesthesiologist assistants must take lots of critical information into account to prepare patients to be anesthetized. For example, they must ensure there are no drug interactions or allergies that would harm the patient. They must also calibrate the machinery and work with the anesthesiologist to ensure safe dosages.
Luckily, the nursing degree it takes to become an anesthesiologist assistant lets you pivot to most nursing careers. You can avoid burning out if you transition to a less stressful career as a clinic nurse or occupational health nurse.
EMT
Emergency medical technicians, or EMTs, respond to medical emergencies and often find patients in dire condition. They must quickly stabilize, treat, and transport patients to the closest medical facility. The nature of some of the emergencies they encounter means that time is of the essence.
EMT work demands long hours, critical thinking skills, and lots of empathy. It can become especially taxing during public health crises, such as pandemics. The burnout rate for EMT work is quite high, and it leads some people to pursue other healthcare positions.
You can recover from work burnout if you make the jump from EMT to nurse. That way, you can choose between many nursing positions and put your EMT skills to good use. As long as you aren’t an ICU nurse, you won’t likely see patients in quite as dire conditions as you would as an EMT.
OB/GYN
Obstetricians and gynecologists deal with serious matters like pregnancy as well as medical emergencies like cancer. Both matters are of equal importance, which makes OB/GYN work take a toll on anyone in the field. Working as an OB/GYN means you must take lots of information into account to make important decisions that sometimes affect several lives.
For example, treating a pregnant woman means you must care for a mother and an unborn child. Pregnancy complications require lots of critical thinking and fast decisions to make. OB/GYNs also perform cancer screenings and help devise treatment plans in some cases.
You can transition to a research career if the stress of working as an OB/GYN has left you burnt out. That way, you can use your knowledge and experience to develop treatments and texts to help others.
It’s Never Too Late to Pursue Another Healthcare Career
A healthcare degree is like a skeleton key that opens the door to many possibilities within the industry. Sure, you may need to further your education to get some positions, but the foundation is already there. You can extend the lifespan of your time in the field if you switch to a healthcare position that isn’t nearly as taxing.
Whether it be a clinical nursing position or a job as a plastic surgeon, you can always find something less stressful. This will ultimately contribute to your well-being.
Photo Credit
Image by kp yamu Jayanath from Pixabay
Guest Author Bio
Sarah Daren
With a Bachelor’s in Health Science along with an MBA, Sarah Daren has a wealth of knowledge within both the health and business sectors. Her expertise in scaling and identifying ways tech can improve the lives of others has led Sarah to be a consultant for a number of startup businesses, most prominently in the wellness industry, wearable technology and health education. She implements her health knowledge into every aspect of her life with a focus on making America a healthier and safer place for future generations to come.
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