Best Healthcare Careers For Work Life Balance

In a professional career, it can be difficult to achieve a healthy balance between your work and your home life. Work life balance is something that many people would have heard of but can seem and feel like something that is unobtainable in many industries. People who put emphasis on the belief that achieving a healthy balance between the two often struggle to be happy throughout their career and have difficulty finding a career that achieves that healthy balance. Finding a career that offers a good work life balance doesn't have to be a massive struggle, as the healthcare industry provides plenty of opportunities that offer a good work life balance for you and your career. We're going to highlight some of the best healthcare careers for work life balance, and why you should focus on pursuing those opportunities.

In many cases, finding a career with a good work life balance can be quite difficult to find, but it's important to remember that it's not impossible. There are a variety of reasons as to why finding a good work life balance throughout your career can be difficult. For instance, many jobs that pay better or have better career opportunities and ask employees to choose their career over their home life often require more demanding hours and incentivize going the extra mile for perks down the road. The opposite of this may also be true, as positions that offer fewer hours naturally tend to pay much less.

As a result, many people struggle to find the right balance between the two. Professionals in every industry have to determine whether or not they'd like to earn more money and have less time to spend it, or have more time to do things on their own, but have less money to spend in that time. Luckily, there are some industries, like the healthcare industry, that make having a good work life balance easy.

While the healthcare industry is miles ahead of other industries in the opportunities it provides professionals with careers that offer a good work life balance, there are some healthcare careers and medical careers that still have a difficult time providing that important balance. Some of the few healthcare careers that still struggle with a solid work life balance are physician roles. Doctors often have to work significantly more than many others, which means that they may not be able to create an ideal balance. If you’re considering a physician career in the healthcare industry, then this can be off-putting, but there are plenty of other fantastic roles for you to consider if you wish to pursue a career in the healthcare industry and find that work life balance you've been hoping for.

What Is Work Life Balance?

Work life balance refers to how people prioritize their personal and professional lives, as well as how much these intertwine and affect each other. This has been somewhat of a noteworthy issue for the past several years, as the increasing implementation and use of technology has meant that work-related tasks are now spreading into the home life of professionals. Companies, employers, and organizations are increasingly asking their employees to take their work home with them so they can have more productivity, but it's drastically affecting how happy employees are with their jobs. More than ever, as technology drastically changes the way we go about our jobs, employees are looking for jobs where they can easily separate their personal and professional lives and ensure their happiness throughout their career.

Before recent technological advances, it was next to impossible to bring work home with you, depending on your industry. With phones, emails, and other communication and project management technology, however, the relationship between personal and professional lives have become increasingly blurred.

Many people have different opinions on what the right balance between life and work should be. This is primarily because many of us will want different balances at various stages of life. For example, when you’re in your 20s, you may want to work as much as possible, as you might have fewer responsibilities outside of the job and you're hoping to get a leg up on the competition early on in your career.

As you get older, however, you may want to adjust the balance as you start a family and your priorities begin to shift from personal goals into family-oriented or group goals. This means that the appropriate balance between the two can be different to everybody at various times and what their career or personal goals might be at the time.

Importance Of A Good Work Life Balance

There are a variety of reasons as to why having an ideal work life balance can be important. The first of these is that having a terrible balance between the two can have adverse effects on your mental health. Much of this can be seen in employee burnout and a desire to progress throughout your career.

Employee burnout typically occurs when somebody is overworked, which can eventually culminate in an overwhelming amount of stress. Alongside this, having a strong balance between work and life can have a variety of physical health benefits, as it gives employees time to look after their well-being.

What many people may not realize is that having an adequate balance can also help to improve workplace productivity. While many people might believe that working a large number of hours means that they’re contributing a significant amount of work, even though this is true to a certain extent it isn't always the case.

This is because the quality of your work may get worse the more time you put into it as a result of the employee burnout you've been experiencing and the stress that has been building up over time. As such, you could find yourself needing to redo much of the work you’ve already done. In many cases, it could also mean spending more time on certain tasks than you were initially allotted, which then only compounds the stress you've been feeling because of a poor work life balance.

The next reason that having the right balance between work and life is that it can help to ensure that you're a much happier person. Nobody wants to spend all of their time at work as they often have their own personal goals they'd like to achieve in addition to their career goals. This means that having enough time outside of your professional job can lead to a happier and more well-rounded life.

The majority of professionals are seeking careers where they can achieve a healthy work life balance where they can achieve all of the professional goals they've set out for themselves and still have time to have a healthy personal lifestyle.

Best Medical Careers For Work Life Balance

Finding the best healthcare careers for work life balance that suits you perfectly can be a difficult thing to do for you throughout your career, as there are a variety of things to consider based on your own professional and personal goals. While many people will look toward working hours as one of the larger parts of this, you might also want a position that’s rewarding in several other ways.

After all, nobody wants a position where they’re constantly bored at work but can clock in and out whenever they feel like it. Instead, you might want to have an exciting time where you're constantly engaged while you’re at work while still being able to enjoy life outside of the office.

There are a variety of options that could be considered the best careers for work life balance, especially in the healthcare industry. While the healthcare industry does have a few roles that don't provide good work life balance, the industry as a whole is building their reputation by providing greater benefits and more work life balance opportunities than before. We've taken the time to outline some of the best positions that do provide a good work life balance for those individuals who are exploring potential career opportunities, looking for a career change, or just want to learn more about the healthcare industry and good work life balance jobs. It should be noted that these roles offer an ideal balance in general, which means that the balance between work and life may be different depending on the company or medical center that you’re working for and some of the benefits they offer will impact that work life balance as well.

This could mean that you’ll have to speak with people at the company to ensure that it has the right balance for you and what their work life balance benefits entail if they offer them. Typically, you should expect something close to the balance you're looking for, although it’s still recommended that you look at each medical center or hospital’s work practices to get a specific picture.

1. Medical Assistant

Medical Assistants can have a much more flexible schedule than many people might believe. These assistants provide a variety of administrative and clinical work on behalf of physicians, with much of this depending on the needs of the center that they work for.

The amount of work that you’ll have to do, as well as the hours, will vary significantly depending on which facility you work at. As a result, Medical Assistants at much larger hospitals may have a somewhat more inflexible schedule than many people might want. This is due in large part to the variety of tasks that a Medical Assistant can have, as healthcare organizations increasingly ask Medical Assistants to perform more duties and become more well-rounded healthcare professionals in the industry.

However, there’s still a significant amount of balance in the role, with more flexibility being offered for private practices and other small medical centers and healthcare facilities. There’s little training needed for this role, with many people being trained on the job. The small training requirement means that it is a great healthcare career for individuals to pursue if they're looking to get into the industry for the first time, or they're looking to gain some experience as they work towards roles that require more experience.

Alternatively, you’ll be able to receive certification from a short-course, which may be beneficial if you're looking for potential healthcare careers that offer college credit or college experience that you can use in your healthcare career pursuit.

2. Registered Nurse

Many people might be surprised that a Registered Nurse can be one of the better healthcare careers for work life balance. However, there’s currently a shortage of these nurses across the United States, which could make it an opportune time to become one.

Registered Nurses are responsible for providing direct patient care. An RNs common responsibilities include observing patients, assessing patient signs and symptoms, assisting with treatment, and educating patients and their family members about their treatment plan.

Much of the reason behind the work life balance shift in nursing is due to the demand. There’s been a significant improvement in working conditions for Registered Nurses. The recent shortage of RNs, which shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, means that more healthcare organizations are willing to work with qualified talent to help make schedules much more flexible than before. Alongside this, many of these nurses can work in private facilities or even a person’s home.

As such, you’ll be able to set your schedule around your personal life better than you may have in many other careers or in the past. However, this does take much more time than other positions to become certified and work in the industry, as you’ll need a Bachelor’s degree and a nursing license before you can start practicing.

Another benefit of working towards becoming a nurse is that students can pursue a nursing degree and gain valuable experience that contributes towards their future nursing career on their own schedule. In many cases, a registered nursing course can be done in a schedule that suits your needs.

3. Home Health Aide

Home Health Aides have the luxury of choosing which patients they'd like to interact with and when most of the time. Some Home Health Aides elect to work with agencies that they can then set their own schedule, or they work part-time and interact with patients whenever they'd like on a smaller scale.

The job of a Home Health Aide is to help and assist people who live with disabilities and may need assistance in their homes. Patients will often need a Home Health Aide at some point due to their disability, but it's also not limited to their age, injury, illness, or cognitive issues. While the position doesn’t always include medical care, there may be a certain amount required depending on the patient. In some cases, Home Health Aides will be tasked with assisting patients in how they use special equipment to care for themselves, maintain a safe environment, and assist them with various tasks around the house unrelated to personal care.

While the majority of Home Health Aides work full-time, there’s also the option of working part-time like we've mentioned earlier.

4. Physical Therapist Aide

A Physical Therapist Aide works with a Physical Therapist who provides services to patients recovering from a severe accident or injury. While being a therapist will need a significant number of qualifications, an aide will only need an Associate’s Degree before they can start practicing. This means that it's a great healthcare career option for those individuals who are looking to enter the industry for the first time or want to pursue the role to evaluate whether or not they could see themselves working in that field.

There are a significant number of options for where you can work with this degree, some of the locations include working in a nursing facility, hospital, or even an outpatient care center. In addition, you might find work opportunities in private businesses, training centers, and private practice offices. Typically, you should expect a variety of tasks and responsibilities, including helping patients through their recommended exercises. Many of the tasks you will perform will be designed at promoting wellness and overall fitness for each patient and acting as a go-between for Physical Therapists and the patients.

5. Medical Coder

Medical coding positions have become more and more popular over the past few years, even though a large number of people may not know what’s involved with the role. It’s a Medical Coder’s job to learn and use a variety of medical codes that each represent a specific piece of information.

These numbers are then attached to a patient’s medical file in place of their name to help protect their privacy. The numbers are typically color-coded so that a doctor can know what they’re dealing with straight away and begin working quickly.

While there’s a significant demand for Medical Coders in large hospitals and medical centers, they could also be useful in smaller private practices. As a result, there can be a significant amount of flexibility in the role, and you could also work as a freelance medical coder, which many people might want to take advantage of.

Like some of the other positions on our list of best healthcare careers for work life balance, this position does not require a significant amount of training, as it typically only needs a two-year degree. As a result, it can be an easy and effective way to get into the healthcare industry or gain that valuable healthcare experience that so many roles need.

Conclusion

While there are a variety of other healthcare careers for work life balance that you can take advantage of, we've outlined some of the best healthcare careers for work life balance above. While much of this can be driven by the number of hours you choose to work, that doesn’t mean that they can’t be rewarding in a variety of other ways. There are plenty of healthcare careers that offer different kinds of benefits as opposed to work life balance that you should also consider. Don't rule out a job opportunity initially because of the work life balance expectations in the job posting, as plenty of healthcare organizations are more than willing to negotiate it as part of your benefits and compensation package.

In many cases, the ability to set your hours and work your own schedule can be rewarding in itself as opposed to some of the other benefits you might initially receive.

When it comes to finding the best careers for work life balance, regardless of industry, you should ensure that you put a large amount of research into it. While many positions can offer an ideal balance, this can vary from company to company and research is required to evaluate all the benefits and potential compensation that can come with each position. To learn more about healthcare careers and evaluate how you can work towards a healthcare career, take a look at our Career Profiles and Career Paths.