Top 15 Healthcare Jobs That Are Pandemic Proof

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When 2020 began, no one anticipated that a pandemic was right around the corner. As unfortunate as it is, all of us are faced with a new reality. With the outbreak of the novel coronavirus comes many uncertainties, including job insecurity. 

If you haven’t personally lost your source of income, it’s highly likely that someone in your close circle became unemployed overnight. In the United States alone, fifty-one million Americans have filed unemployment claims since COVID-19 officially became a pandemic in January 2020.

Before the novel coronavirus outbreak, the healthcare industry promised stability and job security. In fact, during various economic recessions, healthcare professions blossomed while other industries crashed. The year 2020 has been the first to put everyone in a place of uncertainty, including healthcare professionals. 

However, not all healthcare jobs have been completely uprooted by the pandemic. In fact, there are some medical-related professions that have proven to be entirely pandemic-proof! 

Before we take a close look at the top 15 healthcare jobs that are pandemic-proof, it’s important to first define what it means for jobs to be pandemic-proof in the first place.

What Does It Mean for a Job to be Pandemic Proof? 

The major benefit of a career in the healthcare industry is that you will always be needed. The major caveat posed by the pandemic is that not all healthcare jobs are safe to work in-person. So, many professionals are making the change and working remotely, if possible. 

Being able to transition from working in-person to working from home is one of two main ways that healthcare jobs are pandemic-proof. If a healthcare job cannot be worked remotely, then the only other way for it to be pandemic-proof is if it involves directly treating COVID-19 patients. 

The majority of healthcare workers will be in high demand during an outbreak that puts people’s health in harm’s way. Whether the pandemic causes you to work remotely instead of in-person, or there are other adjustments being made to your role as an essential healthcare employee, your job is pandemic-proof if your duties cannot be postponed.

What Jobs in the Healthcare Industry are Pandemic-Proof?

Without further ado, the top 15 healthcare jobs that are pandemic-proof include… 

• Claims Processors 
• Call Center Representatives
• Epidemiologists
• Healthcare Data Analysts 
• Human Resources Specialists
• Medical Copywriters 
• Medical Lab Technicians
• Medical Transcriptionists
• Nurses
• Paramedics
• Pharmacists
• Physicians
• Physician Assistants  
• Sonographers
• Surgeons

Claims Processors

Medical claims processors will always be in high demand, especially amid a pandemic where a heightened percentage of the population is receiving medical care. When physicians or other healthcare workers provide you with medical attention, the services you received will be put together in what is known as a claim. 

Claims are essentially an explanation of the medical services you experienced as well as a dollar amount. The price attached to your medical services is submitted as a claim to insurance companies so that the healthcare workers who treated you receive compensation for their work. 

Since nurses and physicians alike are busy assisting a lengthy list of patients, the duty of submitting a claim on your behalf will be placed in the hands of a claims processor. The beauty of becoming a healthcare claims processor primarily lies in the fact that the job can be performed from home.

Call Center Representatives

The pandemic is shining a light on the need for call center representatives for medical centers. Call center representatives have replaced secretaries and receptionists now that it is no longer safe for them to work in-person. 

Call center representatives do not necessarily have to work out of a designated call center. Instead, the ability to work from home is what makes this position pandemic-proof. Hospitals and medical centers are limiting the number of people who can be in the building at any given time.

It’s not possible for people to walk into a medical center and interact with healthcare providers directly. Instead, they are being advised to call the medical centers. These phone calls are being directed to medical call center representatives. It is their responsibility to answer incoming calls, resolve issues for patients, figure out insurance claims, and assist patients with their circumstances. 

Epidemiologists

As important as it is to have healthcare professionals who treat the symptoms of COVID-19, it's also imperative that people are looking into the virus and figuring out how to minimize the spread. That's exactly what epidemiologists do, and now, more than ever, their investigative skill sets are in high demand. 

In addition to monitoring the virus and determining how it spreads, epidemiologists are taking their findings and advising people how to respond to the pandemic. Epidemiologists who specialize in infectious diseases—such as Dr. Michael Osterhold, PhD, MPH—have advised that we all wear masks whenever we go outside as it is the best way of minimizing the spread of COVID-19. 

Healthcare Data Analysts

Similar to lab technicians, healthcare data analysts take a close look at results. But instead of interpreting lab results and focusing on how to combat COVID-19, data analysts study data and compile reports on how to improve care for healthcare patients. 

Hospitals and other medical centers are always looking into ways that they can enhance the experience of their patients. Healthcare data analysts look at surveys to get an idea of how satisfied the patients are after being cared for, and the analysts compile data reports to show healthcare providers how they are performing. 

Human Resources Specialists

HR positions in the healthcare industry are pandemic-proof. The main purpose of a Human Resource Department is to ensure that employees are being treated well within the company. With the pandemic wreaking havoc and creating chaos in the healthcare industry, HR members are more important than ever before. 

Healthcare professionals are working exhaustively to care for COVID-19 patients, and not only does this take a toll on them physically, but it affects healthcare providers mentally as well. The HR department keeps a close eye on how medical centers are operating internally, and they ensure that the hard-working employees are being compensated for their work. 

Medical Copywriters

Copywriting is a pandemic-proof industry, primarily because the nature of the job is a basic necessity, especially with the rise of digital media. Consider this. How would news have spread of the coronavirus pandemic if not for copywriters? 

More specifically, medical copywriters are in high demand at all times, pandemic or not. Medical concepts can be quite confusing for the average person, so copywriters who specialize in medical niches take complex ideas and break them down in a way that is easier to comprehend. 

Medical copywriters are not always tied to an employer. Instead, many medical copywriters work as freelancers. Medical copywriters provide valuable content for healthcare companies and brands alike, so their skill sets will always be significantly desired.  

Medical Lab Technicians

Lab technicians have been some of the most significant healthcare professionals in terms of combatting the novel coronavirus. Even though lab technicians are not working directly with COVID-19 patients like surgeons and nurses, they are still exerting all of their energy into fighting COVID-19 by running tests, collecting samples, and researching the virus. 

They also interact with other healthcare departments to communicate the final results of these tests and explain the meaning of these findings. Without lab technicians, we would not know if all of the COVID-19 tests being administered are positive or negative.

Medical Transcriptionists

Transcriptionists specialize in transcribing medical reports and creating written documentation of the details in these reports. Since medical transcriptionists work alone and spend their time transcribing documents, there is no real need for medical transcriptionists to work in public spaces, like hospitals or clinics. 

Jobs that you can work from the comfort of your home are some of the most pandemic-proof professions out there. This holds true for medical transcriptionists, as it is one of the most remote-friendly jobs in the healthcare industry. Also, there will never be a lack of work for transcriptionists either because medical reports are always being written and in need of transcription. 

Nurses 

Before patients can receive the care they need, someone must evaluate them. That’s where nurses come into the picture. A nurse is typically the first medical personnel you interact with when you arrive at a hospital or medical clinic. 

A common misconception is that all nurses are the same. However, within the nursing field, there are multiple different types of nurses, and all of them are in high demand. From critical care and the emergency room, to cardiac care and anesthesia, nurses of all specialities hold a pandemic-proof position. 

Paramedics

Emergency Medical Services providers are working on the front lines of the pandemic. They are responsible for responding to the COVID-19 outbreak. Paramedics arrive at the homes of people who are infected with the novel coronavirus and transport them to medical centers so they can be treated. 

Paramedics risk their lives everyday by coming into direct contact with the virus. Not only are paramedics assisting people with COVID-19, but they are also conducting their regular duties of responding to all kinds of emergency calls. The need for Emergency Medical Services will never go away, making paramedics pandemic-proof.

Pharmacists

Not only do pharmacists offer the irreplaceable service of filling prescriptions but they have also taken on the responsibility of administering COVID-19 tests. Thankfully, pharmacists can continue to work from their pharmacies in a safe manner by minimizing their direct contact with the public. 

Pharmacies are limiting how many people can be inside the pharmacy at any given time. In addition, it is expected that everyone practices social distancing to further decrease the chances of pharmacists catching the virus from customers. 

Physicians 

From emergency physicians and physician-scientists, to palliative care physicians, a very small number of physicians have reportedly lost their jobs during the pandemic. While their income might have been lower than usual, not many physicians were fired. 

Between the months of March and August, seven percent of physicians in the US experienced a decrease in how much money they made. This is one major perk of holding a healthcare position of high demand. 

Physician Assistants 

Not only are physicians pandemic-proof, but so are physician assistants. Don't let the job title mislead you into thinking that a physician assistant is merely an assistant to a physician. Instead, physician assistants are actually qualified to provide primary care on their own rather than simply assisting a physician.

Physician assistants are some of the first people patients come in contact with, right after nurses. Physician assistants perform an array of duties, such as conducting collecting medical histories of patients, physical examinations, and prescribing medicine.

Sonographers

Sonography is a medical field that focuses on understanding what is going on in the body in a more precise way. Diagnostic medical sonographers use imaging tools, such as sonograms and ultrasounds, to better understand how COVID-19 affects the inner workings of infected patients. 

Ultrasounds conducted by sonographers have shown how COVID-19 progresses in the body. Since the novel coronavirus yields an infection in the respiratory tract, sonographers are pandemic-proof because their work is necessary. Without sonographers, patients with COVID-19 might not receive adequate screenings at the hospital.

Surgeons 

Many people are having to reschedule their surgery dates, but the pandemic has not put surgeons out of work. Rather, surgeons simply have to be more particular about the surgeries they will perform amid the pandemic. 

While many surgeries are being postponed, there are certain cases that cannot be delayed, so surgeons are working tirelessly to prioritize emergency operations. Additionally, surgeons who are not scheduled to perform an operation are being recruited by other parts of the hospital to assist with the overflow of coronavirus patients.

How to Find a Pandemic-Proof Healthcare Job

Now that you have an idea of healthcare jobs that are pandemic-proof, you might be wondering where to find job applications for available positions. Whether you are looking for your first healthcare job during the pandemic or you are eager to transition into a position that offers job security, we hope this article helps you land a new role.