For parents with young children or elderly relatives that require supervision, having a flexible work schedule can help make life more manageable. Several healthcare jobs currently in demand also have flexible schedules or part-time opportunities. Some even offer the potential for working at home. Students and career changers seeking a flexible schedule would be wise to consider the following healthcare careers.
1. Medical Coder/Transcriptionist/Health Information Technician
Busy medical offices employ medical coders and transcriptionists to process physicians’ notes, code treatments for insurance payments and properly process patient information in electronic databases. Medical coders, transcriptionists and health information technicians can enter the field with a two-year degree and the successful competition of a standardized test. Online programs can speed up the education and certification process.
Once professionals gain proficiency in database management and related tasks, there are often opportunities to work remotely. The work is usually arranged around deadlines for filing insurance documentation, while the exact hours could accommodate a wide range of schedules. For students and career changers with an IT background, a health information technician job working as a consultant may also be a good option.
2. Home Health Care Workers
Medical assistants and registered nurses may choose to work as a home healthcare provider. These professionals assist with the medical treatment of patients, help family members follow doctor’s notes regarding medicine schedules, direct the patient in physical therapy exercises and provide general care for bed-ridden patients including tending to personal hygiene needs. Necessary certification and licenses will vary from state to state and also correspond to the level of care needed. Private agencies, state run services and independent contractors all provide a variety of supportive services to patients recovering from recent injuries and those coping with a long-term health challenge. Due to the nature of the job, on-call work or shift work is common.
3. Pharmacy Technician and Pharmacy Assistant
While many pharmacy-related jobs are full time, there are part-time opportunities as well as “substitute” positions available when busy pharmacies have a short-term opening due to situations with current employees such as illness, vacation, and family leave. Agencies that handle “travel nurse” jobs may also have contacts on their website for the related part-time and short-term jobs in other allied healthcare fields. While states vary on certification and licensure requirements, often a two-year degree and on-the-job training is all that is needed to qualify for entry-level pharmacy assistant jobs.
Other Considerations
Hourly wages and regional demand will vary with geographic location and other factors such as education and experience. Local chapters of related professional organizations frequently have a place on their website for job openings, career networking and expected salary ranges. The best part about all the careers mentioned above is that education can be completed online often in a matter of months. With the aging population and recent changes in the healthcare system, the allied health fields continue to offer growing employment opportunities across a wide range of healthcare settings. Fortunately for busy professionals juggling the demand of complicated lives, a fair number of the most popular allied health jobs offer part-time opportunities with flexible scheduling.