Published on: 09 August 2018
Last Updated on: 08 August 2019
Have you always dreamt of a career in medicine? If so, then you will not be alone. Many people have the urge to work in this sector that really makes a difference and helps people in a tangible way. With around 17,000 students graduating from medical school each year, the medical profession is enduringly popular still. Though you may feel like this, it is key to really understand what this kind of career involves before embarking on it. By getting a thorough picture of what you need to know when entering the medical profession, you will be much better prepared to enjoy it.
What do you need to know?
The first thing to point out is that there are many disciplines within the medical sector when you have passed your basic training. These will have different challenges and various working practices to get used to when you move on to specialize in a certain field. However, below are the most common things to know about working in medicine as a whole:
Lifelong learning is key – to really excel and provide the best medical care that you can, you will need to keep learning throughout your career. Continuous medical education is very important in a medical career, so you need to be able to handle taking exams as you go along to get re-certified or pick up valuable new skills to progress. From cardiology CME to dermatology CEM among others, this is one area to know about in advance.
It will be emotional – you must be prepared to be in situations that are highly emotional and may leave you feeling drained or very sad. To enter into medicine means that you care about people, but this is what can also leave you exposed. Be ready to deal with this side of the job and not let it affect you too much.
Teamwork is king – being a medical professional anywhere means being part of a larger team. You must be ready to fit into the team and do all that you can to help it function. After all, there will be lives at stake, so everyone must work together effectively when treating patients.
Prepare to work hard – even if you have done very well at university and found it quite easy, the medical school will be a whole different ball game. Be prepared to find it difficult, challenging and at times frustrating. If this happens, then it is key to not give up and work through it to succeed.
Medical careers are rewarding
While there is no doubt that they can be challenging to get into, there is also the little argument as to how rewarding a medical career is. You will be wanting to work in medicine to protect people and make them better when ill. A medical role will help you do just that and really give you that sense of satisfaction that is hard to get anywhere else. Just make sure that you know what is in store and you will be ready to meet it head-on.
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Everyone struggles sometimes. While some people might be facing issues in their personal life, others might be unhappy with their careers. There comes a time in your career when you get bored with work. Things might seem monotonous, and you might want to switch gears. Changing things is a natural consequence of routine, and many people switch jobs for greener pastures.
According to research, an adult shifts jobs approximately 11.7 times between 18 and 48. However, doing so is not child’s play. Some professions are even more complicated to navigate.
A career in social work is one of the broadest in the world. Furthermore, it is unhealthy to keep working in a toxic position. And social workers are more vulnerable to burnout and workplace stress. Social work is flexible with an interdisciplinary nature. There are countless career opportunities to help others and improve their lives.
What Do Social Workers Do?
Generally, social workers help others make a meaningful change in their lives. Therefore, they may work in several positions.
There are three subsets of practice for social workers. They may work at the micro-level to focus on the issues of individuals. Or they may focus on the big picture and resolve the problems of communities and social groups.
Some social workers help support groups and head task forces. So, they may work in hospitals, schools, or have private practices.
Tips To Make The Most Of Your Social Service Career:
Now that you have entered social work, let’s move on to other matters. How can you advance your career? Read to find out more about this.
1. Get An Advanced Degree In Social Work:
Like all other professions, getting a graduate degree will help you climb the career ladder. With a CSWE online MSW degree, you can become a leader in social health. The best part is that these degrees are available online. So you can manage your course load and study at your own pace. But, do your research before you choose a program.
Look through online rankings and think about the pros and cons of each degree. You can also gain experience while studying. Interestingly, some supervisors even offer stipends and scholarships to their employees.
2. Develop Your Skills:
Research suggests that employers prefer people with transferable skills. However, social workers struggle to develop these skills. Therefore, it is necessary to hone these skills to advance in your career. Employers are looking for people with excellent communication skills, leadership capabilities, and technical skills.
3. Join A Network:
Joining an organization can improve your experience and skill set. These social work organizations connect people to leaders and graduates. Many such organizations host events and seminars for members. Most of them also offer discounts to members. For example, the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry serves geriatrics patients and provides collaboration opportunities to professionals.
4. Get Experience To Contribute:
Experience is necessary for career development. This exposure gives you valuable insight into social work and the responsibilities of a social worker. However, you should get a diverse experience. Doing so will contribute to your career prospects. Try out new things, and gain experience in several positions.
5. Do Some Research:
While experience is necessary, research and knowledge are also vital to improve job prospects. Seek out classes in diverse fields and participate in independent studies. You can work with faculty members and researchers to make yourself more employable.
6. Get A Mentor:
It is not possible to do everything on your own. Therefore, you should ask experienced professionals to help you grow further. These people bring many years of experience and have inside knowledge about everything. Furthermore, they can also help your prepare for life challenges.
7. Network And Enroll In Professional Development Opportunities:
Most institutions organize events to increase knowledge and develop skills. You can enroll in workshops and courses to build your network and connect with others. Networking can improve your job prospects as well. Building relationships with other professionals can help you build enduring relations with others.
8. Take Some Time Out To Reduce Stress:
Self-care is vital for the health of social workers. You have to make time for yourself to reduce stress and avoid burnout. Take some time out to connect with friends and family every once in a while.
9. Always Act Professionally:
Social workers are witnesses to many embarrassing and humiliating things about their patients. Therefore, it is vital to follow ethical standards at all times. Handle your patient with dignity and the utmost care.
But, Why Work In Social Services?
If you are thinking of making a career change, then social work is the profession for you. On average, 6.2 million workers make a career change per year. Working in social services can put things in perspective for you. Not only is social work fulfilling, but it is also meaningful.
Social work is a growing field, and it is expanding rapidly. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for social workers will increase by 16 percent in the next few years. Therefore, there will be 110,000 new jobs until 2031.
Furthermore, the pay is not terrible either. According to BLS, the average salary is $67,000 per annum. And your wages might improve with additional certifications.
What Is The Next Step?
Now is the time to begin planning for your future. Therefore, start looking for employment opportunities. You can also enroll in graduate programs to improve your prospects. With a specialized degree in social work, you can reach the pinnacle of the career level.
Utilize these tips to make the most of your social work career. However, never forget why you chose to enter this profession.
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Therapy may be of interest to you if you're one of the nearly 58 million Americans who suffer from a mental illness on a yearly basis. Or if you simply want to improve your mental health.
But you might be wondering if you would benefit more from therapy with a therapist or a psychiatrist. Finding out how psychiatrists differ from other therapists in terms of their training and education, the therapies they offer, and their fees can be useful when making that decision. To help you select the best type between therapist vs psychiatrist, here is what you should know about them.
Therapist vs. Psychiatrist
Psychiatrists often provide mental, emotional, and behavioral disorder diagnosis, treatment, and prevention services. In order to treat mental health issues, they can also prescribe medication.
While most psychiatrists concentrate on writing prescriptions and tracking patients' progress, many also offer brief psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy, to assist people in addressing mental health issues. Still, others offer more extensive psychotherapy.
Psychotherapy can be shorter in duration and concentrate on problem-solving, or it can be longer and more intensive, with the goal of the individual and the psychiatrist working together to alter thought patterns or behaviors that may be negatively impacting the person's mental health.
A wide range of other mental health professionals, such as social workers, licensed professional clinical counselors, licensed marriage and family therapists, pastoral counselors, and psychiatric nurse practitioners, are also qualified to offer psychotherapy.
These professionals are certified to provide a wide range of psychotherapy services, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), meditation and relaxation methods, and ongoing emotional support. Therapists cannot prescribe medication, unlike psychiatrists.
Gayane Aramyan is a Sherman Oaks, California-based licensed marriage and family therapist who specializes in postpartum and couples therapy. To customize treatment plans to each client's unique needs, therapists frequently integrate various psychotherapy modalities. If a patient's therapist wants to discuss medication options, they may recommend that the patient see a psychiatrist.
Therapist vs Psychiatrist: The Differences
Psychiatrists are different from other types of therapists primarily because they can prescribe medicine and hold a medical degree, such as an M.D. (doctor of medicine) or a D.O. (doctor of osteopathic medicine).
A psychiatrist's sessions may be shorter than those of a different kind of therapist, and they may only provide medication management rather than talk therapy.
Since they are not medical professionals, clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, and professional counselors with licenses are not allowed to give prescription drugs to their patients. They typically concentrate mostly on talk therapy.
Anxiety, bipolar disorder, and depression are among the mental health issues that therapists and psychiatrists can diagnose.
Education Required For Psychiatrists
Like a surgeon, pediatrician, or other physician, a person must first complete four years of a bachelor's degree. This is before beginning medical school to become a psychiatrist, according to Lisa Durette, M.D. She is the chair of psychiatry at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
Following medical school, candidates must complete a four-year residency program where they learn how to write prescriptions and about the practice of psychiatry. "There are additional subspecialties within psychiatry; for instance, I oversee the training of a two-year fellowship program in child and adolescent psychiatry at UNLV," adds Dr. Durette.
Psychiatrists may also choose to specialize in pain management, geriatric psychiatry, substance abuse treatment, or forensic psychiatry.
In addition to learning about psychotherapy, trainees in psychiatry may also learn methods like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). It is a less invasive treatment for major depressive disorder in which magnets transmit waves to the brain that help create new neural pathways to regulate mood.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which is electrical brain stimulation, sometimes helps treat treatment-resistant severe depression or bipolar disorder. Dr. Durette continues, "Psychiatrists are qualified to provide these medical treatments due to their specific training, but other therapists are not."
Psychiatrists are employed in diverse environments. According to Dr. Durette, they might work in private practices or in clinics with primary care physicians who specialize in internal medicine, family medicine, or pediatrics. In addition, they provide care through outpatient psychiatric treatment programs and work in hospitals.
It includes psychiatric facilities, emergency rooms, surgical centers, and cancer treatment centers. They may work in a residential (live-in) alcohol and drug rehabilitation program if they specialize in treating addiction.
Education Required For Therapists
Graduate degrees are necessary for licensure as licensed professional counselors (LPCs), licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs), and licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs). Counselors must complete a certain number of hours of supervised counseling after earning a master's degree in their chosen field of counseling. It usually takes two or two and a half years.
Here is more information about the particular master's degree that some counselors can obtain and the types of therapy that they provide:
In addition to having graduate degrees in marriage and family therapy, they will need at least two years of clinical experience. They also need training in family systems and psychotherapy, licensed marriage and family therapists, or LMFTs, are required to practice. Even in sessions with just one client, these therapists treat individuals, couples, or families. They use an approach that takes the family system or the relationships clients are in into account. They are skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide variety of mental health issues. These individuals treat anxiety, depression, and marital and relationship issues.
Licensed clinical social workers, or LCSWs, must finish a comparable amount of supervised training hours in addition to holding a master's degree in social work. Individuals, families, and groups suffering from mental illness can be diagnosed and treated by clinical social workers. Social workers, who place a strong focus on reintegrating clients into their communities, can be found working in government organizations as well as in private practices, hospitals, community mental health facilities, and primary care settings.
Individuals, families, and groups can receive mental health and substance abuse treatment from licensed professional counselors (LPCs). Licensed mental health counselors (LMHCs) hold master's degrees in counseling. LPCs use therapy utilizing methods that have evidence. Their skills include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and they work in private practices and mental health counseling centers. They are also capable of diagnosing mental health issues.
Expert Opinion
According to Dr. Durette, the number of hours needed for clinical requirements—basically, supervised, on-the-job training—varies. It is based on the kind of therapist and the state licensing authority. For instance, in Georgia, a license to practice marriage and family therapy requires 2,000 hours of direct clinical experience. Meanwhile, in California, a license to practice requires at least 3,000 hours of supervised experience.
The American Counseling Association says licensed professional counselors need to complete 3,000 hours of supervised counseling experience before obtaining their license. However, the requirements may vary slightly based on the state licensing board.
How To Know Which One Is Correct For You?
Psychiatrists are qualified to diagnose psychological disorders like depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and attention-deficit disorder (ADHD), for which drugs may work.
Psychiatrists frequently have to order tests in addition to speaking with patients if they require medication. This helps them
assess whether the medication is helping. In-depth assessments and occasionally blood tests assist psychiatrists in ensuring that drugs are working and not creating side effects.
According to Dr. Durette, many people can gain from seeing both a psychiatrist and a therapist. Especially if they collaborate to make sure they're in agreement regarding the patient's course of treatment. The American Psychological Association reports that there is evidence that medication plus talk therapy may be a more effective treatment. It can be used for eating disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, and substance abuse disorders than either treatment alone.
Who Is Qualified Enough?
To identify a possible therapist vs psychiatrist, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests looking through:
The credentials, license, and experience of the mental health professional
The area of expertise or concentration of a mental health practitioner's work
The general therapy approach or philosophy of the mental health professional
Whether the mental health specialist can write a prescription for medicine if you believe you might need it
The mental health specialist's recommendations for your personalized treatment regimen.
You can look for a therapist in your area or one who is authorized to provide teletherapy in your state. You can use the online directories provided by many organizations that represent licensed therapists. Among these organizations are a few of them:
Wrapping Up
It can be difficult to choose the best course of treatment for you, but it's crucial to go with the one that will help you the most. A consultation with a therapist can point you in the right direction if you're not sure where to begin. If you have thoughts to share or questions to ask about therapist vs psychiatrist, please leave a comment below. We would love to hear from you!
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When you're a parent, it can be difficult to find the time and energy to work. However, there are many jobs out there that allow you to work from home so you don't have to miss out on time with your family. The following list includes some remote jobs for stay at home moms and working parents who want flexibility and a chance to make extra money:
Top 10 Work-From-Home Jobs For Moms and Dads
1. Advice Columnist
If you’re a mom or dad who has something to say, this is the job for you. Advice columnists are typically experts in their field, who also have the ability to write well and answer questions from readers.
Many advice columnists work from home and can do so on their own schedule; however, some employers will only hire those who are able to work full-time.
Advice columns appeal to all types of readers because they offer a unique perspective that readers may not get elsewhere.
As an advice columnist, you’re your own boss and can create your own hours—you don’t need anyone else except yourself (and maybe your kids). You might be surprised at how much money it is available for writers who want it!
2. Blogger
Blogging is a great way to share your knowledge with the world. You can blog about anything you are passionate about. Perhaps you want to build up your resume and create a personal brand, or maybe you have an established career in which blogging will help promote your expertise.
Either way, if you know how to write well and have plenty of time on your hands (or perhaps feel like faking it), there's no reason why blogging shouldn't be considered one of the best ways for moms and dads who want to work from home.
3. Writer
Write web content for businesses that don't have their own content staff (or don't want to hire one). Many small businesses don't have full-time employees who write articles on their behalf—they simply pay someone else to do it!
In fact, many large companies also hire freelance writers who work remotely via the Internet rather than having them come into an office every day. The best way to find these jobs is through job search engines like Indeed or Monster; there are tons of listings available right now because of how common remote work has become over the last decade.* Write web content for large companies looking for more than just basic articles (and pay $20 per hour).
Large corporations often need help from freelance writers when they're short on time; instead of hiring someone full-time who could take months off during maternity leave or vacation periods due to family obligations—which happens all too often nowadays—they'll turn towards freelancers
4. Editor
Editing is a job that requires you to make sure the content your company or client produces is accurate and of high quality.
As an editor, you'll be responsible for checking and correcting content before it's published, assigning articles and editing their content, writing headlines and subheadlines, writing introductions (and sometimes conclusions), verifying facts, finding ways of improving readability via changes in sentence structure or word choice—basically anything that helps make the written material clearer.
5. Virtual Assistant
As a virtual assistant, you'll be working remotely with clients who need help with basic administrative tasks. To be successful in this role, you should have:
A computer and internet access
Time to dedicate to the job (it's not going to make you rich)
Reliable transportation if you're going to set up in-person meetings with clients (or they will find someone else)
The work can vary from project to project, but it typically involves responding to email queries from customers, managing calendars to organize and schedule appointments or meetings for clients, updating their social media accounts on their behalf, and performing other administrative tasks as needed.
A great way to get started is by registering for an account on Upwork or Fiverr where there are plenty of opportunities for virtual assistants. The pay isn't great but it's very flexible so long as you have enough projects lined up!
6. Social Media Manager
Social media managers are responsible for creating and executing social media strategies that boost a company's visibility, engagement and reputation. The position also involves measuring the ROI of various campaigns and marketing tactics.
To qualify as a social media manager, you should have at least three years of experience in digital marketing or communications; be skilled in storytelling through video production; understand how to use analytics to measure results; have an eye for design; possess strong copywriting skills; be able to create engaging headlines that grab attention; know how to incorporate images into content effectively (and choose them carefully); understand how people interact with one another online so that you can anticipate trends before they happen (and capitalize on them).
7. Website Developer or Designer
Website developers and designers are two different types of web professionals who specialize in different aspects of website creation. Developers are more technical and work on the back end of a website, while designers are more artistic and create the front-end look and feel.
Developers use programming languages like HTML and CSS to create websites, while designers use tools like Photoshop or Sketch to add graphics, animation, color schemes and fonts.
8. Graphic Designer
As a graphic designer, you could design logos, print material, and websites. You may also create designs in other media such as digital or print. You will use computer software to create graphics.
Some examples of the type of jobs you could do include:
Designing websites and logos
Designing advertisements for magazines and newspapers
Creating brochures, leaflets, and posters
9. Transcriptionist
Transcription is the process of converting spoken words into written text. A transcriptionist sits in front of a computer and listens to audio files, typing out what they hear. They listen to audio files that have been recorded by others or created by themselves, such as interviews and meetings. Some transcriptionists work from home, while others work from an office or cubicle setting.
There are many different types of jobs available for transcriptionists such as live transcribing (working for companies who conduct business over the phone), legal and medical dictation, call center-based programming, educational interviewing/recording services, medical reports/transcriptions, real estate recordings, etc.
10. Customer Service Representative
Customer service representatives work in a variety of industries and settings, but they all have one thing in common: they are tasked with responding to customer requests and inquiries. They may be called upon to answer phones, resolve issues, or handle transactions over email or social media. Customer service reps can find employment at call centers and other organizations that deal directly with customers on a regular basis.
A stay-at-home parent who has excellent communication skills and an outgoing personality would be ideal for this type of job. In addition to having good verbal communication skills, you'll need strong listening skills so that you can accurately understand what your customer wants from you before providing them with an appropriate response or solution.
The ability to multitask is also crucial when working as a customer service rep—you'll likely receive calls from multiple people simultaneously during busy periods so it's important that you can quickly switch between tasks as needed without losing focus on each one individually."
Conclusion
If you’re a parent, this list can be a great resource for finding work that fits your schedule. If you have other responsibilities outside of work, it may be difficult to find an employer who can accommodate those needs. But if you’re lucky enough to have a job that allows flexibility in their hours or remote working options, there are plenty of opportunities out there for stay-at-home parents looking for something more than just childcare!
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