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Start a rewarding new career working closely with people to support great health and wellbeing. Start by studying a health course.
How do we ensure all Australians have access to the high-quality health care they deserve? As a health professional, you could play a leading role in answering this question – using your skills and abilities to tackle our most urgent challenges and connect all people with the services they deserve.
Working closely with patients and other medical professionals, health service workers provide holistic care, treatment and management to all kinds of patients, and help manage illness and injury.
With an ageing population placing increasing pressure on the health care system, and complex regulations making service provision more difficult, skilled health professionals who can successfully navigate the system are in urgent demand. By studying a health course, you’ll build the key insights, skills and abilities to stand out professionally and to make a real difference in the lives of your patients.
In an increasingly regulated and evolving world, the smooth coordination of delivering different services is a complex and ever-changing labyrinth – making the skills of qualified health management professionals urgently sought-after.
You may study a health course as a certificate or diploma course, as a bachelor’s or master’s degree, or as an advanced diploma or other post-graduate certificate. After completing a health course you’ll likely work in a private practice, clinic or hospital setting, and may pursue employment in a broad range of roles, including seeking work as a nurse, doctor, physiotherapist, nutritionist, speech pathologist, social worker, dentist, pathologist, allied health assistant, or working in health administration and management.
If you’re passionate about helping people and want to use your skills to help them access the best possible care, study a health course and start an exciting and rewarding new career.
Due to the wide variety of roles in the health industry, the day-to-day tasks you can expect to perform will vary, depending on your career path and area of specialisation. However, the majority of roles in the health industry are focused on providing the best care possible to a patient, and as a result, your work will likely focus on your patients.
You might perform tasks such as:
Health course graduates may work in a range of broad range of roles, including working in medicine, allied health and complementary therapies.
Upon course completion you may choose to seek employment as a:
You’ll enjoy working in the health industry if you:
The Australian Government’s Job Outlook predicts significant growth in a range of health roles over the next decade as Australia’s health system adapts to a growing and ageing population.
Employment prospects in the nursing, speech pathology, physiotherapy, nutrition, social work and pharmacy professions are all expected to expand, and roles in health management and administration are expected to rise by approximately 25 per cent by 2020.
Job Outlook identifies nursing as a particularly fast-growing industry – predicting over 50,000 new registered nurses will be required in Australia by the end of this decade. Currently employing approximately 277,000 people, the nursing sector will employ nearly 330,000 people all over Australia by the end of 2020.
PayScale reports average salaries for a range of health profession roles.
According to PayScale, registered nurses may expect to earn a salary between $38,000 and $81,000 per year, with an average salary of approximately $64,000 per year. If you choose to work as an allied health assistant to a specialist, you can expect to earn approximately $54,000 per year.
You may choose to pursue further training and work in a specialised allied heath role. According to PayScale, an occupational therapist can earn between $45,000 and $78,000, depending on experience, with an average salary of $62,000. A physiotherapist can expect to earn between $49,000 and $88,000, with an average salary of $68,000. A nutritionist can expect to earn between $45,000 and $78,000, with an average salary of $53,000.
You may also choose to work in health administration or management. According to PayScale, a health administrator can expect to earn an annual salary between approximately $49,000 and $62,000 per year, with an average of approximately $87,000.
