Do you like working with people?
Do you like helping and caring for others?
Then a career in Health and Social Care could be the right option for you!
This sector is primarily focused on working, helping and caring for people in need. The aim of professionals in this field is to work together as a team to save and improve lives.
There is a wide-variety of careers available in this exciting sector ranging from nurses, doctors and carers to lab technicians, medical illustrators and therapists.
All the jobs in the healthcare and medicine sector are important and there are huge opportunities for people with all kinds of talents and abilities to contribute and make a real difference.
Barbara M. Swanson states in the introduction of her book Careers in Health Care: “The demand for medical services has never been greater, and the opportunities for serving are more diverse and, in most cases, more plentiful than ever before.” (Introduction xiv, 2005)
Many professionals in this industry love their jobs, receive immense job satisfaction from just day-to-day tasks and say that their jobs are like no other jobs in the world.
The sector of Health and Social tend to be broken down into two key areas:
1) Healthcare
Healthcare is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of various diseases and illnesses in people. Professionals working in this area of the industry include (but are not limited to); doctors, nurses, paramedics, health visitors, dentists, pharmacists and consultants.
Due to the nature of this sector and the need to attend a person in need; one might be working in different settings such as in hospitals, clinics, patients’ homes or temporary medical facilities.
Working in Healthcare is a very specialist industry and often requires excessive amounts of experience and on-the-job training. A professional working in this environment will be expected to deliver medical attention when necessary as well as ensuring an individual’s health is never at risk.
2) Social Care and Services
Some people in society may need extra care or support to lead a normal life and perform their day-to-day activities. Social care provides this support and covers a wide variety of occupations within this sector. It is often categorised into two main areas of work:
A professional working in this field may also be required to work with children who are struggling emotionally or who are physically ill. In such cases the professional would be required to offer support to that child’s parent or guardian.
This work involves working with people from all walks of life; from children to the older generation and it really is up to the individual to choose the specific area that they would like to work in.
Depending on which area of this field a candidate wishes to work in will ultimately depend on what qualifications are required. Both areas have very specific qualifications and requirement needs, but will often require at least 5 GCSEs at grade A-C for entry-level positions.
Senior or specialist positions:
For a candidate to work in a specialist role within Healthcare they are required to carry out a three year diploma or a four year degree course. Relevant experience is not necessary to apply for the diploma or degree course and candidates who have a degree in a similar discipline including; health, biology or social sciences may qualify via shortened two year postgraduate course.
In order to work within Social Care and Services an individual often requires both a degree at a minimum of a 2:2, followed by a postgraduate qualification in Social Work approved by Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC), in order to be accepted on to the postgraduate courses many universities look for relevant work experience or an undergraduate in a similar discipline.
Professionals within this sector can expect to receive good salaries with exceptional benefits from their employer, especially in regards to training and development.
Depending on which area of this sector an individual chooses to work for will ultimately result in their pay. A breakdown of this information is as follows:
Note: Given the broadness of this sector many choose not to work for the NHS, however these salary bounds are also often adapted by private companies within the sector. Please refer to the actual job adverts for specific salary information.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
The National Health Service (NHS) employs more than 1.6 million people in various roles across the UK and has a budget of more than £110 billion per year.
The NHS is expected to make savings in the decade to come; however, there are still shortages of medical professionals to fill many roles.
The private healthcare sector has also been growing over the past decade and is expected to continue to grow at a rate of 2% over the next decade due to the demand driven by ageing population and more people suffering from medium-term and long-term conditions.