Technician

High School Is Sufficient For These Mainstream Careers

November 16, 2021 by Guest Contributor

Careers That Don’t Require a Degree

In school, they say you need a degree to get a good job. But that isn’t true, High School is sufficient for these mainstream careers. There are quite a few high-paying jobs out there that do not require a College degree. Often all you need is a high school diploma or its equivalent and sometimes not even that.

Plumber

A plumber is someone who deals with the plumbing in a home or building. This includes installing pipes, sinks, toilets, water heaters, and water-softener units. To become a plumber, you need a high school diploma, be 18 or older, and complete required training. Once you do this, you need to complete a plumbing apprenticeship and then get your plumber’s license, all the while getting paid to learn. Getting your plumber’s license will have different requirements depending on the state you live in. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Plumbers, Pipefitters and Steamfitters earned an average of $56,330/yr. in May 2020.

The BLS projects about 51,000 openings for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters each year over the next decade. Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who retire. [Read more…] about High School Is Sufficient For These Mainstream Careers

Healthcare Careers on the Rise

November 10, 2020 by Tim McMahon

Currently, careers in healthcare are arguably more in-demand than they have ever been. With a large sector of the population approaching retirement age and more and more people opting to have and use health insurance, there is a shortage of healthcare providers that is rather on the unprecedented side.

This shortage applies to most jobs in the field of healthcare. Physicians, nurses and technicians are all in short supply. This is particularly true for regions and states that are more rural in nature as it can be more difficult to provide good healthcare to parts of the population that are more set apart from bigger cities and more highly populated areas.

While a shortage in healthcare providers is naturally not a positive thing, it does mean, however, that job opportunities in a variety of specializations are plentiful. The level of job security within the healthcare community, as well as enticing salaries, are enough to encourage many people to pursue a career in healthcare.

Here are three such careers that are currently on the rise:

Radiologic Technologist

One career in healthcare that is in particular demand at the moment is that of radiologic technologist.

What is a Radiologic Technologist? If you have ever been to a hospital or private practice where you had to receive an MRI, a CT scan, or something of that nature, then you have encountered one of these skilled technicians.

Often referred to as rad techs, a radiologic technologist operates the machinery involved in the capturing of diagnostic images. The equipment that rad techs operate and the information that can be gained from such imaging procedures is crucial to a physician’s ability to provide an accurate and precise diagnosis to a patient.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, the median annual wage for magnetic resonance imaging technologists was $73,410 in May 2019. And the median annual wage for radiologic technologists and technicians was $60,510.

Would You Like a Career as a Cardiac UltraSound Technician?

December 18, 2019 by Tim McMahon

We’ve all heard of pregnant mothers using ultrasound to see their baby before it is born. But ultrasound can be used for much more than that. According to Better Health “An ultrasound scan uses high-frequency sound waves to make an image of a person’s internal body structures. Doctors commonly use ultrasound to study a developing fetus (unborn baby), a person’s abdominal and pelvic organs, muscles and tendons, or their heart and blood vessels.”

When ultrasound is used to look at the heart it is called “Echocardiography”.

A How-To Guide to a Career in Echocardiography

Your heart is about the size of a human fist and it’s the hardest working muscle in your body. On average it beats 115,000 times a day pumping 2,000 gallons of blood throughout your body. The heart’s rhythms are controlled by an electrical system called the cardiac conduction system.

But when something goes wrong with your heart Echocardiography is an important tool for Doctors to diagnose the problem.

According to Medical News Today:

During an echocardiogram, a doctor can see:

the size and thickness of the chambers
how the valves of the heart are functioning
the direction of blood flow through the heart
any blood clots in the heart
areas of damaged or weak cardiac muscle tissue
problems affecting the pericardium, which is the fluid filled sac around the heart

Echocardiography 101

Echocardiography is also referred to as cardiac sonography, it refers to the use of sound wave technology to make real time images of the heart.

There are two types of imaging associated with the heart.

The first is known as an echocardiogram (echo), and it lets physicians gain an inside look at the heart’s valves and chambers. Echos prove useful, especially when determining damage from a past heart attack.

The second type of imaging is known as an EKG, and it lets you assess the rhythm, rate, and overall electrical activity going on in a patient’s heart.

Who Benefits from Echocardiography?

A wide variety of patients need echocardiography, including individuals who have experienced heart attacks, strokes, or unexplained chest pain.

They are also used to diagnose people with a history of heart murmurs, congenital heart defects, or even those who have experienced rheumatic fever.

Echocardiography technicians specialize in different types of patients. In other words, there are specific technicians who work with adults, children, and in a fetal setting. Technicians can even earn certifications in these specialized areas.

There are also a wide variety of types of echocardiograms performed. These include:

Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE)
Stress echocardiogram
Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE)
Dopple echocardiogram

Each test deals with particular parts of the body or certain conditions under which the body is placed. For example, the most common type of echocardiogram is the TTE, which creates an image of the chest wall to the heart.

Echo Techs are well paid. According to Salary.com “The average Echocardiograph Technician salary in the United States is $75,178 as of November 25, 2019, but the range typically falls between $67,635 and $83,405. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession.”

How to Become an Echocardiography Technician

If you’re passionate about helping people and have an innate fascination with the human body, then you could make a fantastic echocardiography technician. It all starts with education. Find out more information about sonography and echocardiography training.

You might also like:

How to Become a Vet Tech: A Simple Career Guide

November 11, 2019 by Tim McMahon

Today, 84 million millennials house at least one pet. That makes it so almost 7 out of every 10 American homes own an animal.

In a lot of ways, a love for animals is what inspires people to pursue a career working with them. Do you know what one of the most emotionally rewarding animal-oriented careers is that you start pursuing today?

Becoming a veterinarian technician!

Thousands of people find themselves wondering how to become a vet tech annually. In this brief guide, we break down the steps that you’ll need to take to realize your dreams of working with animals in a medical setting and whether or not those dreams are a good fit for your sensibilities.

Step 1: Understand What a Vet Tech Does

You may have seen a vet tech at your local veterinary office and felt inspired to walk in their shoes. Before investing thousands of dollars in your education and hours of your time achieving that end, you must understand what a vet tech actually does.

Vet techs manage several important responsibilities in a veterinary setting. Core tasks that they handle include:

Taking X-rays
Giving vaccines and medications
Providing first-aid services
Restraining animals during treatment
Keeping records on animals
Educating pet owners on proper care
Preparing instruments for surgery
Administering anesthesia

There more tasks that a vet tech may be asked to tackle in the office. What’s important to note is that just about every task that a vet tech does could cost animals their lives if performed incorrectly.

Step 2: Weigh Responsibilities Against Compensation

Vet tech responsibilities carry a lot of pressure. Becoming a vet tech also requires a considerable amount of time and money since attaining a formalized education is a requirement.

Given those facts, before you figure out how to become a vet tech, you should decide if the job versus the compensation offered strikes you as acceptable.

A veterinary technician makes about