Key Takeaways
- A healthcare career with less stress and high satisfaction is pivotal because it directly impacts your work and patient care.
- Working as a pharmacist can be stressless and rewarding, as they don’t have nearly as many dark conversations with people.
- A career in occupational therapy can be fulfilling as patients rely on you and appreciate how you help them regain independence.
- Jobs in family nursing practitioners are quite popular as well as less stressful due to their ability to improve and save lives.
- A dietitian assists individuals with food allergies and sensitivities, and enhancing their quality of life is uniquely fulfilling.
The healthcare industry provides its workers with a stable job, reasonable wages, and the ability to do something meaningful every single day.
Nevertheless, many medical staffers have recently reported feeling extreme levels of stress and burnout, sometimes exceeding 70% (Source: National Institute of Health).
This fact is just one of the reasons why people seem to be avoiding this sector to get a job in.
If you are someone who wishes to pursue a career in the healthcare industry but would like to avoid high stress, there are in fact, many job opportunities with low-stress levels.
Not only will you be able to improve the quality of life of many people, but these positions are likely to provide you with incredible job security with good mental health.
This guide aims to highlight some of the low-stress positions in the healthcare industry, so that you can identify the role that brings you the most happiness.
6 Low-Stress Rewarding Healthcare Jobs
It is well recognized that working in health care is challenging, yet some of the jobs in this field enjoy better work-life balance and lower stress, such as:
1. Pharmacist
Indeed, getting a pharmacy degree is not easy; however, the payoff is quite rewarding and significant.
That is a big part of why you do not hear about pharmacists burning out as much as ER doctors or hospice nurses.
Pharmacists assist patients with medications by filling, dispensing prescriptions, and providing guidance for appropriate usage afterwards.
As an apothecary, it is vital to maintain a balance between your deep knowledge and personability, along with your organizational skills.
Compared to ER doctors, pharmacists don’t have nearly as dark conversations with people, for the most part.
So, is becoming a pharmacist worth it? Many pharmacists would say yes, as it’s a relatively low-stress healthcare position that pays well.
The data below shows the best medical careers that are low-stress, high pay, and require 4 years or less of vocational training.
2. Occupational Therapist
Many people usually rely on occupational approaches when coping with injuries and disabilities.
Working as a therapist suggests that work, in this case, has its own intrinsic value as one is able to enhance a person’s life meaningfully.
This may seem like a stressful responsibility, but the environment and nature of the work are relatively calm.
The environment is less clinical and stressful than a patient visiting an orthopedic or cardiac hospital wing.
Patients get far less stressed or depressed as they are moving from one department to another, compared to how they feel going to other hospitals or clinics.
It’s worth pursuing an occupational therapy job in which you can positively impact someone’s life without experiencing burnout.
3. Chiropractor
Healthcare is about keeping people healthy with its offerings to improve their wellbeing, manage health issues, and generally enhance comfort.
In this case, chiropractors are enhancing lives by relieving chronic pain in many individuals, which is extraordinarily burdensome.
The relaxed relationship creates a positive work environment that helps professionals in this field avoid burning out.
In addition, chiropractors don’t have to deal with the dark nature of grave diagnoses and conditions, which makes it rewarding both personally and financially.
Their role remains demanding, yet they enjoy an easier time than most professionals in healthcare.
4. Optometrist
Optometry is a vital healthcare field that directly affects the daily lives of countless patients.
That alone may make this practice seem quite stressful, but the burnout rate is low compared to others.
These medical professionals help them manage their vision with the goal of improving their overall life quality.
In this field, they are less prone to burning out than ER doctors, cardiologists, and OB/GYNs.
It’s worth becoming an optometrist for the ability to help patients without exposure to harsh realities and conditions.
Do You Know?
WHO estimates a projected shortfall of 11 million health workers by 2030, mostly in low- and lower-middle income countries.
5. Family Nurse Practitioner
There aren’t many things more fulfilling than having the ability to work with patients throughout their lives.
Family nurse practitioners can enjoy this luxury, even if it requires a lot of effortful work in this field.
An FNP has to assess, diagnose, and teach every single patient regardless of age throughout their lifespan.
Many individuals maintain lifelong relationships with them because of the rapport they build.
Of course, healthcare facilities can share records when patients switch providers, however, nothing compares to seeing the same FNP throughout your life.
Patients and FNPs alike benefit from this lifelong relationship as diagnoses and assessments are much easier.
Working as an FNP is personally and financially rewarding, and it’s a great way to avoid burning out.
6. Dietitian
Visiting and taking services from a dietitian are helpful to all people, which is why they have such a great diversity of clients.
These professionals work with individuals to outline the dietary focus for maintaining and prolonging life.
Being able to assist patients in sustaining diets that enhance their quality of life is uniquely fulfilling.
Sometimes, it entails working with them and dealing with tough diagnoses that are hard to deal with.
However, dietitians have the power to help clients overcome such issues and make their lives more manageable.
Working in Healthcare Doesn’t Have to Be So Stressful
Choosing a career path in healthcare does not mean one has to compromise their mental health for others.
In today’s time, aspiring medical professionals have access to information about the challenges and hardships of a particular field before selecting a major.
Pharmacists, family nurse practitioners, dietitians, and optometrists alike can all help people without burning out.
No matter which path you choose, just know that your choice to dedicate your life to helping others is invaluable.
FAQs
Ans: Yes, the career in healthcare is considered stressful, but many job opportunities are available with low-stress levels.
Ans: Yes, becoming a pharmacist is a stress-free job that requires a little hard work of providing patients with the medicines according to the prescription they provide.
Ans: On joining the career in occupational therapy, you get to build and strengthen relationships with patients, enjoy excellent earning potential, and get to work in a low stress environment.
Ans: The study has declared that a career in optometry has a lower rate of burnout compared to other medical professional jobs.
Ans: The study has declared that a career in optometry has a lower rate of burnout compared to other medical professional jobs.
The opportunities and scope are endless in the career of dietitian, and can be managed properly without burning out.
