I was laid off about a year ago and decided to go back to school to find professional work AGAIN.

I look at the ads on the internet sites, but I can already tell you those are misleading....seeing that I apply for the ones that I have experience for and never get a call back.


Is there anyone who's a health care worker that knows about the hiring situation?

Do you know what fields are the widest open?

Would you suggest getting into medicine?

Given the diet and weight of the average American, cardiology and the related fields might be a good place to start. From what I hear (my wife works in that area), there will be a serious shortage of such people in the next 10 years in the USA.

I am a speech therapist. Great field! Not really a financial windfall but you get to help a lot of people and the job security is good. There is a VERY LARGE nursing shortage. If you go into nursing you will have a great job waiting for you before you finish school.

I am an EMT, which I don't recommend if you want to make any money, even though you will always find work.

My wife is a Nurse Practitioner, but she used to be an RN. Nursing is a really good profession. Nurses are always needed and are getting paid better than ever.

I also would recommend the Public Health Service for its excellent benefits and competitive pay. If you choose the commisioned corps, you get all the military benefits (including the very short career span to retirement), without having to actually be in the military or go through basic training.

There are some medical fields that require less training, and have fairly good pay-offs - lab tech, radiology tech, stuff like that. I don't recommend becoming an LPN, as you will have to do all the dirty work for everyone else (giving the sponge baths, changing the bedpans, etc.)

I worked as a Medical Technologist in a hospital laboratory several years ago. That's similar to a lab technician, with an advanced degree and more training (sort of like an RN compared to a LPN). It's a pleasant work environment, and usually pretty good hours, and low stress...but I don't recommend it. The pay is low for the amount of education, and jobs are not abundant. Machines and less intensive, point-of-care tests are replacing the lab workers, so there will likely be fewer positions in the future, even with the health care fields expanding in all other directions due to an aging and growing population .

I am a recruiter in the Health care industry. What is it that you do? How long have you done it, and how good are you at it?

I subscribe to a Jobs search engine every other month. I think that it costs me about 3 bills per month. Unfortunately, for you I guess, I don't have it this month.

Send me an email or PM with your resume as Jan. comes to a close, and I would be happy to run a few searches for you and possibly give you some decent leads.

BTW, if you know of any Pharmacokinetic Scientists with PhD's, I would love to talk to them as well. If I don't know them and I place them, I'll give you 5 grand. Seriously.

Thanks for the comments. I lost this thread and just found it again.

I hope getting the education pays off, I've spent a lot on education already and it's not helping find a job right now. And I'd hate to get a degree and not find work.