If you’re looking for a way to make some extra money, consider applying at your local hospital. Sure, it won’t be as glamorous as a job working with celebrities or maybe even as exciting as designing computer chips, but it’s still an industry that pays quite well. Applying to jobs at hospitals allows you to get paid while doing things that you love. If you’re considering a job in the medical field, we’ve put together some article about entry-level jobs that wear scrubs.
Entry Level Jobs That Wear Scrubs
Once upon a time, only doctors and nurses wore scrubs. Those days are long gone, together with the days of beepers and station wagons (remember those?).
Nowadays, many employees who work in healthcare are required to wear medical scrubs, although they aren’t nurses, and many who don’t work in healthcare wear scrubs, too.
Even regular folks wear nursing scrubs, since they’re so comfortable and easy to wear. Surprising, right? I also think scrubs can be comfy, if you know which ones to buy. I don’t wear them, though, because I’m not a nurse, and, contrary to popular belief, I actually think that medical uniforms are for nurses. Don’t you?
Nowadays, dietary, housekeeping, and many other hospital workers are wearing scrubs. It can get confusing for patients; when there’s no color code, its more difficult to differentiate between the housekeeper and the nurse.
Not all patients can read name badges, and when someone is seen in scrubs, you think nurse. So a receptionist who is walking down the corridor can oftentimes get stopped by a patient for help, but honestly, the best help the receptionist can give is usually a call to the nurse.
Scrubs are not only worn in hospitals: many physical therapists, massage therapists, hairdressers, kennel attendants, and other workers have been spotted in scrubs.
Not all nurses love this new trend; as one nurse puts it: “It really bugs me…. I worked long and hard to be an LPN, and feel that if you are NOT in medicine, you should not wear scrubs.”
“We have all worked hard for our licenses and titles, we want to feel proud to wear those scrubs and be called ‘Nurse.’”
So, although nurses remain the heroes in scrubs, it looks like the world has realized that medical uniforms are a super practical, deliciously comfy clothing choice! What can I say? Like it or not, scrubs are getting popular with people!
- Home health aide
National average salary: $25,584 per year
Primary duties: Home health aides provide basic health care services to their patients in their patients’ homes. They help their patients with various daily tasks like laundry, housekeeping, bathing, grooming, shopping and food preparation. Home health aides also provide their patients with companionship.
Related: Learn About Being a Home Health Aide
- Phlebotemist
National average salary: $33,836 per year
Primary duties: Phlebotemists draw and collect blood from patients. They use these samples for various purposes like medical testing, donation or medical transfusions. Phlebotemists ensure they’re working with the right patient, label the vials for their collection of blood samples, determine how best to draw blood for each patient and transport blood samples to the right laboratory.
Related: Learn About Being a Phlebotomist
- Caretaker
National average salary: $28,642 per year
Primary duties: Caretakers assist their patients with their basic medical needs. They create a care plan, provide companionship, help with light housekeeping, monitor and administer their medications, prepare their snacks and meals and drive them to their appointments as needed.
Related: Learn About Being a Caregiver
- Nursing assistant
National average salary: $31,886 per year
Primary duties: Nursing assistants work in various facilities and provide personal care to their patients. They help bathe, dress and feed their patients, take their vital signs, prepare and serve their meals, tidy up their room, set up the necessary medical equipment and monitor their condition and overall behavior.
Related: Learn About Being a Nursing Assistant
- Medical assistant
National average salary: $32,386 per year
Primary duties: Medical assistants support health care workers such as physicians and physicians assistants. They essentially perform many administrative and clerical tasks such as answering telephones, greeting patients and filing patient records and insurance forms. Medical assistants also schedule patient appointments and handle correspondence and paperwork in a clinical setting.
Related: Learn About Being a Medical Assistant
- Pharmacy technician
National average salary: $32,448 per year
Primary duties: As licensed health care providers, pharmacy technicians work alongside a licensed pharmacist. They confirm prescription orders, prepare and file patient prescriptions, communicate with customers and manage the inventory in a pharmacy.
Related: Learn About Being a Pharmacy Technician
- Physical therapy assistant
National average salary: $33,405 per year
Primary duties: Working under the direction of a physical therapist, physical therapy assistants help patients recover from injuries or illnesses in order to help them achieve greater movement. They also help them manage any pain they experience from these injuries and illnesses. Physical therapy assistants help their patients throughout the therapy process and help them with specific exercises according to their care plan.
Related: Learn About Being a Physical Therapy Assistant
- Veterinary technician
National average salary: $33,446 per year
Primary duties: Veterinary technicians use their medical knowledge to help animals live healthier lives. Working under the direction of a veterinarian, veterinary technicians determine the care an animal needs, help with operations, maintain supplies, conduct examinations and feed and care for animals in a veterinary office.
Related: Learn About Being a Veterinary Technician
- Dental assistant
National average salary: $37,211 per year
Primary duties: Dental assistants help prepare patients for their dental procedures. They sterilize and disinfect instruments, prepare materials and instrument trays and help dentists with dental procedures. Dental assistants also help create a safe environment for patients and display proper bedside manners.
Related: Learn About Being a Dental Assistant
- Licensed vocational nurse
National average salary: $58,178 per year
Primary duties: Licensed practical nurses provide medical care to a variety of patients in medical and health care facilities. Often supervised by a registered nurse, physician or physician’s assistant, licensed vocational nurses record vital signs, administer medications, interact with patients, help with patient examinations and note all patient history and information.
Related: Learn About Being an LVN
- Registered nurse
National average salary: $60,570 per year
Primary duties: Registered nurses administer patient care in various health care facilities such as hospitals or nursing homes. They determine their patient’s needs, observe their symptoms, communicate and collaborate with physicians, perform patient exams and diagnostic tests and record patient health history. Registered nurses may also provide various care like changing a patient’s wound dressing or administering their medication.
Related: Learn About Being a Registered Nurse (RN)
- Massage therapist
National average salary: $60,590 per year
Primary duties: Massage therapists assess their patient’s needs and locate points of their body providing them with pain or tension. They manipulate their muscles and soft tissues to help them relax and to ease any of their pain. Massage therapists also advise their patients regarding proper stretching and relaxation techniques.
Related: Learn About Being a Massage Therapist
- Surgical technician
National average salary: $65,978 per year
Primary duties: Surgical technicians provide surgical care as part of a larger surgical team. They assist medical professionals through the process of an operational procedure. Surgical technicians may also transport their patients to surgery, prepare operating rooms and arrange the necessary equipment.
Related: Learn About Being a Surgical Technician**
- Dental hygienist
National average salary: $78,832 per year
Primary duties: Working under the supervision of a dentist, dental hygienists provide these oral health professionals with assistance in a dental office. They also evaluate a patient’s oral health, clean a patient’s teeth, look for signs of infection or disease like gingivitis and teach their patients the importance of good oral health. Dental hygienists also provide preventative care and in some states, help with fillings and remove sutures.
Related: Learn About Being a Dental Hygienist
- Occupational therapist
National average salary: $92,186 per year
Primary duties: Occupational therapists help their patients live their lives to their fullest potential. They treat ill, injured or disabled patients and help them regain or improve the skills they need for their daily lives. Occupational therapists evaluate their patient’s needs and their specific conditions to determine the right course of treatment. Also, they review their patient’s medical histories, interpret their test results and observe them doing tasks to provide them with better assistance.
