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The Best Healthcare Jobs for Veterans

The Best Healthcare Jobs for Veterans





The Best Healthcare Jobs for Veterans:

1. Licensed Practical Nurse


While enlisted you can take your military training and apply it to your duties in the medical environment to complete your mission and save lives. Also, the program only takes about 18 months, which isn't much time compared to your military commitment. And when you get the credential, you can start making more money, even while in the military.


Also, LPNs are in high demand (~800,000 jobs) and have one of the best job-growth outlooks for the future (around 25% over the next 10 years), which positions you in a highly secure job if you obtain this credential. They start out making about $42k a year, which isn't bad for only having to go to school for 18 months.

2. Registered Nurse


Another reason becoming a RN is a great option, is because you become an expert in emergency service delivery in under-resourced environments-- if you get your experience in the military-- which can be translated super well in the civilian world, as you can go to disaster and crisis areas and make a huge impact.


Becoming an RN takes more time than becoming a LPN, and usually requires a Bachelor's for better advancement and career opportunities. But you can receive your Associate Degree and jump into the field in more entry-level jobs--although your experience in the military can give you more skills that lead to more advancement opportunities. You must pass the NCLEX-RN and be licensed by state to be considered for RN roles.

3. Nurse Practitioner

Becoming a Nurse Practitioner is a more complex path and takes more schooling, but the job really pays off. Not only do Nurse Practitioner's make great money (~$97,000/yr), they also have a great projected job-growth of 31%. To be an NP, you must first get your Bachelor's in Nursing and become an RN. If you become a RN with a Bachelor's Degree, you can transition to a NP position a little easier with a BSN-to-MSN (Master's of Science in Nursing) program, where you will specialize in certain areas of your choosing. You could then go on to get your Ph.D., but it's unnecessary unless you plan on going into research, policy making, or teaching.



4. Physical Therapist


Being a PT allows you to affect many people's lives that have gone through a great tragedy and give a gift that not a lot of people can give-- independence and mobility. You could work with the Wounded Warrior Project to give back to your brothers and sisters that need an extra push to get up and back at making the world a better place.

Becoming a PT is highly competitive, and your military training will give you the upper hand-- from day 1 you've competed in a high-intensity atmosphere with hundreds of other candidates. The hands-on-experience you can get from being in the military will also make you a strong candidate for the school and put you ahead of most others competing.

Most people receive a Bachelor's Degree before applying for PT graduate school, and they major in a pre-medical field or another science-rich major. You must earn your Doctorate of Physical Therapy which take about 3 years on top of your Undergraduate degree (you can usually jump into the doctoral program without a Master's) and become licensed and certified, along with a residency.

The path isn't easy, and it's not short, but you have the skills instilled in you from your military training to accomplish anything-- if you want it bad enough.


Advance your career. Change your life. - HospitalCareers