A career in the healthcare industry is aspired to by millions who pursue courses related to it as well as those who let go of this aspiration without trying anything, mostly due to the myths that repel them from the sector. These myths scare the students as well as parents and discourage capable individuals from entering the field. Myths are not anything new and are associated with almost every job role, no matter the industry. At the same time, it is important for you to be exposed to reality and forget the myths in your mind once and for all.
Based on workforce studies by bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), OECD, and national health councils, healthcare is one of the fastest-growing employment sectors globally, driven by aging populations, chronic disease management, and technological innovation.
Myth 1: Do You Have to Study for Many Years to Work in Healthcare?
Requirements of many years of study or long hours dedicated daily are associated with courses like MBBS, BDS, etc. However, not all healthcare careers require long years of study. Based on various studies, the healthcare sector is one of the fastest-growing employment sectors globally, as it offers multiple entry points with shorter, skill-focused pathways that include paramedical roles too.
The pathway to these paramedical roles starts from pursuing a short-term course from a healthcare academy in Goa, or from anywhere you want. The myth behind a long phase of study is driven by the assumption that healthcare is only about being a specialist doctor.
As for the facts:
- Clinical roles like paths nursing, medical laboratory technology, radiography, etc. can be pursued with shorter education paths
- Skill-based certification course in areas like health informatics, medical coding, and emergency care can be completed in a short duration
Myth 2: Do Healthcare Professionals Always Work Beyond Their Assigned Shift?
In a healthcare role, you will experience structured shift systems to follow, which does not make overtime or working out of your shifts a routine. While the concept of doing overtime when required exists, it is not constant across all job profiles of the sector. While such situations do arise for doctors, they tend to be emergency cases. Otherwise, modern functioning of any healthcare body involves shift rotation, workforce planning, and compliance with labor regulations.
What the facts say:
- Fixed shifts are common in diagnostics, labs, and administrative healthcare roles
- Rotational shifts in hospitals are planned in advance
Myth 3: Is Work-Life Balance Absent in Healthcare Careers?
Work-life balance in the healthcare sector depends more on the specific place you work at rather than your position or the whole sector. You would only feel the absence of work-life balance in cases of emergency. Otherwise, it is easy for healthcare professionals in any position to manage their predictable schedules and personal time.
Key factors on which work-life balance depends:
- The type of role (clinical, technical, managerial, or digital health)
- The type of workplace (hospital, diagnostic center, corporate health firm)
- Shift structure and staff available
Myth 4: Can You Work Only in Hospitals or Clinics If You Choose Healthcare?
In the eyes of many aspirants, the scope of jobs in the healthcare sector is limited to working at hospitals and clinics, making for a myth that needs to be debunked with appropriate facts.
In the present time, health systems operate across community care, corporate wellness, insurance, research, education, and technology platforms. In this system, hospitals make for a large fraction alongside many other smaller but relevant ones.
Common non-hospital work environments include:
- Diagnostic laboratories and imaging centers
- Pharmaceutical and medical device companies
- Health insurance and third-party administration firms
- Public health departments and NGOs
- Telemedicine and digital health platforms
- Academic and training institutions
Myth 5: Is Nursing a Career Only for Women?
Among the most relevant roles in the healthcare sector is that of a nurse, which is unfortunately seen as a women-centric role. While a huge part of the nursing domain is dominated by female professionals, there is no rule that disbars a male from entering the nursing field, which can be seen by the presence of male nurses all across the world.
The profession of nursing, like every other role, demands the valuable skills of an individual rather than their gender. These skills include:
- Clinical competence and patient care
- Emotional intelligence and communication
- Physical and mental resilience
- Ethical practice and teamwork
Myth 6: Do Only Senior Doctors Make Decisions in Healthcare?
Many candidates feel that working in a hospital means functioning like a robot entirely on the orders of a senior doctor or supervisor, which is absolutely not true. To give a patient the best possible treatment, decisions are made by multidisciplinary teams, not individuals alone. While senior doctors play a key role in the efforts put in, the overall treatment is a collaboration of senior and junior position holders like the role of cardiac care technicians, nurses, and other people responsible for handling the patient.
Decision-making involves:
- Multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings
- Standard treatment protocols and clinical guidelines
- Inputs from nursing staff and allied health professionals
- Patient preferences and informed consent principles
Conclusion
The healthcare careers are far more diverse, flexible, and structured and carry a prestige that should not be harmed by common myths. Not all roles that you overlook require many years of study, endless overtime, or hospital-only work environments. One domain that stands apart from these common myths is the paramedical field.
If you are an aspirant looking to enter the paramedical field, then GD Goenka Healthcare Academy prepares the best career path for you to walk on. Enroll at GD Goenka Healthcare Academy in your most preferred certificate or diploma course and get your successful career started in the healthcare field.
FAQs
Q. Do all nurses do night shifts?
Nurses work on different shifts at different bodies. While not all of them do night shifts necessarily, them working in such a period is important.
Q. What is the easiest field in healthcare?
The easiest field in healthcare is considered to be the paramedical field, consisting of job roles in radiology, medical imaging, phlebotomy, MLT, etc.
Q. What is the fastest growing career in healthcare?
The fastest growing career in healthcare consists of jobs like physical therapist, nurse, radiation therapist, optometrist, etc.