There are jobs available that allow you to work in healthcare without having to directly take care of the patients, and there are many reasons you may prefer this to direct patient care. Perhaps you want to help people, but aren’t good with putting patients at ease. Perhaps you just find you work better with technology or administration. Many of these jobs are vital to the continued operation of the healthcare system. Here are just of a few of the ways that you can have a career in healthcare without being directly involved with its recipients.

Medical Coding

Coding and billing are important functions of the healthcare system. This is where medical care is classified in order to be monetized. The insurance companies require this information so that patient care can be quantified and assigned a value for the procedures and supplies that were utilized in direct relation to their care. You’d need to have a basic understanding of medical terminology in order to be effective in this role, and it’s a perfect roll for someone with more technical and computer experience.

Technology Options

The technology and healthcare fields intersect in the interfaces that are used by the healthcare staff and even the patients. This could include the websites that can be viewed, the hospital charting interfaces, or even components of the accounting department. You may be more interested in this field because your skillset involves writing code to make the programs function properly. Many people utilize their art degrees in order to develop website content that’s easy to read and intuitive.

Administrative Careers

The administrative side of the healthcare field is one that’s wide ranging. Taking a medical office administration course could prepare you for entering into this type of career in a doctor’s office. It generally involves a lot of paperwork and maintaining an appropriate level of organization. Administration could encompass ordering supplies, the development of a new appointment system, or even working to manage the daily flow of patients so that everything can stay as streamlined as possible. While it may not be the first job you consider, administration helps everything else in a hospital or clinic run smoothly.

Healthcare Management

Healthcare management is crucial so that there are enough doctors on site to see all of the patients and address their medical concerns. For example, someone who works in healthcare management could become the administrator for a hospital or even the office supervisor for the billing department. The point of the management role is to ensure that everyone stays on task for the benefit of the patients and the system as a whole. You may even want to work in the laboratory and work to manage the testing of samples in a timely manner.

You can still work in healthcare even if you don’t like to work with the patients. Consider one of these ways that you can realize your dream of working in the healthcare field without having to deal with patient care.

Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most of her time hiking, biking, and gardening. She recommends for businesses to look into IT consultant companies near them. For more information, contact Brooke via Facebook at facebook.com/brooke.chaplan or Twitter @BrookeChaplan

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.