Top 10 Best Jobs in Healthcare That Don’t Require a Medical Degree

When you think about jobs in healthcare, the first things that come to mind are always doctors, nurses, and sometimes pharmacists. These are great careers, but they all require years of expensive, difficult education and certifications. And no, you don’t have to find capital to start your own healthcare center! 

Healthcare is an expansive field is so many opportunities for work. You don’t have to be a doctor or nurse to help patients get treatment. Even without a medical or nursing degree, you can make a good salary and build a career in healthcare. Positions like that of an emergency medical technician don’t require a degree and are open to anyone who is certified and stays up-to-date by completing their EMT recertification regularly.

Here are some of the best healthcare careers you can jump into without years of schooling and mountains of debt. 

10 Healthcare Jobs that Don’t Require a Medical or Nursing Degree 

1. Radiation Therapist 

Radiation therapists are the people who work with oncologists to help treat people with radiation therapy. They work to do radiation therapy on cancer patients or others with diseases that can be treated through radiotherapy. 

Most radiation therapists have either an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree in biology, radiation therapy, or a related field. You don’t have to have a specific degree, but there are required classes and certifications to take in order to start working. 

2. Physician Assistant (PA) 

Physician assistants work in hospitals and clinics alongside other medical staff. They can see patients, make diagnoses, prescribe medications, request lab tests, and help patients get the care they need. Although physician assistants are not certified doctors, they play a vital role in consulting with patients on a wide variety of medical issues. 

This career field only requires a bachelor’s degree and a few specific classes related to healthcare. There is a certification you need to maintain to stay in the job. If you look at physician assistant openings in your area, you’ll see that the salary is great even though you don’t have to go through nearly as many years of education as a doctor! 

3. Physical Therapist 

A physical therapist helps patients recover from injuries or surgeries, treat disabilities, and generally expand their range of motion through specific physical exercises. You can work for a hospital, a clinic, or even a professional sports team. There are so many opportunities for physical therapists in all sorts of healthcare establishments. 

To be a physical therapist, you have to get a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. Despite the word “doctor” being in the degree title, it’s not the same as going to medical school. This is a program specifically for physical therapists and it’s much shorter and more affordable than medical school. 

If you want to skip even more of the schooling, you can work as a physical therapy assistant. You don’t need a specific degree or certification for this job. 

4. Respiratory Therapist 

A respiratory therapist works under the supervision of doctors and nurses, specifically serving patients with breathing problems. They’re trained to evaluate and diagnose patients who are having trouble breathing. 

You can become a respiratory therapist with any of the bachelor degrees in healthcare, but there is also a special certification required.

5. Phlebotomist 

Have you ever had your blood drawn at a hospital or clinic? This was probably done by a phlebotomist. Their job revolves around collecting blood from patients and preparing it for sampling and testing. 

Most phlebotomists work in hospitals. You don’t need a degree to be a phlebotomist, although many institutions prefer those with at least an associate’s degree in a relevant field. You must get certified to work as a phlebotomist. 

6. Medical Assistant 

Medical assistants fill labor gaps in hospitals or clinics. They can do some of the work of nurses, including taking vitals or checking blood pressure while also assisting with administrative tasks like filling in charts, scheduling appointments, communicating with patients, and even doing some of the business or marketing tasks for smaller clinics. 

While no degree is required to be a medical assistant, it can be helpful to limit the specialty education you need for certification. You must have a minimum of a high school education, have completed a medical assistant training program, and have done a relevant internship in order to get certified. 

7. Ultrasonographer 

An ultrasonographer’s job revolves around doing ultrasounds for patients of all types. While this procedure is often done for pregnant women, there are many times when patients will be given an ultrasound to diagnose a health issue. Your job is to administer the ultrasound, highlight significant findings, and pass the results back over to the primary doctor. 

You don’t need a degree to be an ultrasonographer, but you do have to complete a 2-year training program to get certified to work in this field. 

8. Pharmacy Technician 

If you don’t want the stress of working directly with patients seeking treatment, the pharmacy is a great option to work in healthcare with a lot less pressure. Pharmacy technicians play a vital role in keeping the pharmacy running by working directly with customers, checking prescriptions, preparing medications, and more. 

Pharmacy technicians have even more opportunities than those working in hospitals since you can work in any pharmacy around the country. The minimum education required for this career is a high school diploma, but you can opt to get a certification. Many jobs today ask for certified pharmacy technicians. 

9. Nuclear Medicine Technologist 

With arguably one of the best titles in the healthcare field, nuclear medicine technologists work with radioactive materials and imaging equipment to perform critical testing and medical research. This is separate from radiation therapists who work with radiotherapy. 

While there’s no official certification for nuclear medicine technologists, most employers ask for an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field. You can also go through specialty courses that teach you about this field specifically. 

10. Audiologist Assistant 

As another highly specific healthcare field, audiologists work to evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients with hearing and ear issues. Audiologist assistants help the audiologist perform their duties by working with patients and helping with administrative tasks. 

Most audiologist assistants need to have an associate’s degree and be certified. This can be accomplished in less time than a bachelor’s degree. 

Conclusion 

Healthcare fields have a variety of career opportunities. You don’t have to go through years of medical school or nursing school to work in a healthcare career. If you want to work in healthcare, try out one of these jobs and start working with patients within as little as a few months!