I’ve been in the medical field for 17 years as a Certified Medical Assistant.

Lizbeth Marquez-Flores

April 25,2022 at 12:48PM UTC

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I’ve been in the medical field for 17 years as a Certified Medical Assistant. My current job, which is my favorite specialty, has been physically and mentally draining, and not living up to what I expected. I want to switch careers, out of the medical field and do something remote but with only this experience I can’t seem to find something else I can qualify for. Aside from my CMA cert, I have a BS in Biology and I also started my own business creating Haircare products (2.5 years) which I plan to grow to become my full time job one day. Is it possible to switch careers to a new field without getting a huge cut in pay? I’m also not sure how to navigate what else I might be good at.

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AnonymousApril 25,2022 at 1:25PM UTC
I would find a career coach who can help you navigate what you might want to do in the future. They will talk you through possibilities, what you like and dislike about them, etc.
As for getting a job, it's going to be important to highlight your transferrable skills in your resume that align with the jobs you do end up applying for. This will be easier once you find an area of interest and can start looking at job descriptions. If you notice many of the jobs require certain software's you may be able to do some online certification courses that aren't too expensive to help boost your resume and skill set.
Lizbeth Marquez-FloresApril 26,2022 at 3:05AM UTC
Yes I’ve been hearing about online very courses for software or tech jobs which I’ve been eyeing, wasn’t sure how good that would actually look on a resume but seems legit. I think I’ll look into that further. Thank you!
AnonymousApril 26,2022 at 1:12PM UTC
I think it depends on the course and who created it. I love EdX because they are all created by Universities/Colleges or reputable companies. Others may have suggestions as well but thats what I use personally when I need to brush up on skills.
JeanetteApril 25,2022 at 1:54PM UTC
I understand completely. I’m an RN and I’m currently attending classes for Medical coding and billing. I just can do nursing anymore, I’m absolutely de@d inside. If you have a community college near you, they probably have career counseling, they may have programs to get you turned around to something else quickly. For example, part of the program I’m in is medical billing and there are many people who take that class alone. The community college where I am taking the program actual administers the medical billing certification exam so you complete it all in one semester. The other option is to consult with a professional resume service to focus on the skills that can translate to another career. Good luck!
Lizbeth Marquez-FloresApril 26,2022 at 3:03AM UTC
I hear you, it’s been a tough 2 years too with COVID, I just can’t anymore and I’ve never like the administrative part of the medical field but I think I will look into a professional resume service, I feel like some of my entrepreneurial skills should be able to translate into something into useful, my business has been growing steadily and doing well so I must be skillful there haha good luck with your career switch!
Heather Stewart BrownApril 25,2022 at 3:06PM UTC
I would use the your skills you already have and move up the ladder in Healthcare to something in HR, scheduling, billing...
Lizbeth Marquez-FloresApril 26,2022 at 2:57AM UTC
I spoke to one of our higher ups about a management position but then I realized how bad the managers actually have it and realized I’d be even more unhappy there… they also are salary and literally work every day if the week, it’s kind of crazy when k hear the managers talk about how they are working on stuff late at night or on the weekends. I still have a business to run too
CassandraApril 25,2022 at 4:35PM UTC
Building on what some others have said, maybe try out a free online career quiz to see what might interest you. Then, you can find out what skills you need for that and go from there.
Lizbeth Marquez-FloresApril 26,2022 at 2:53AM UTC
Oh that’s interesting, I will look into taking one. I have so many interests it’s always hard to think of what I would actually be happy doing for work.
AnonymousApril 25,2022 at 4:49PM UTC
Have you thought about going into lab work? If you have a BS in biology, you should qualify for a lab asst position in a hospital. It's not remote work, but it would get you off the floor and onto the backstage without having to take a pay cut. If you heart is set on leaving the medical field altogether, you might think about teaching or leveraging your general medical background to pick up a job with a publisher of textbooks. Worth exploring.
Lizbeth Marquez-FloresApril 26,2022 at 2:59AM UTC
I actually wanted to work in a research lab when I graduated (not a hospital running labs) but couldn’t get in anywhere without at least a year of experience in a lab and my schooling didn’t count. I have though if teaching but thought I needed a degree in education, but the text book job is interested, I do
like writing.. something to consider thanks!
Joanne RosenApril 25,2022 at 7:35PM UTC
Have you considered health care sales? It's a lot of cold calling. There is a potential to make good money.
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2995894067/
Alternately, you could go into something like this: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3037078515/
In any case, if you'd like to know how your resume would stack up for alternate jobs, please upload it for a FREE analysis at: https://www.analyticadvantagecc.com
Cheers
Joanne
Lizbeth Marquez-FloresApril 26,2022 at 2:52AM UTC
Thank you, I will look into each of those options! I have thought of health care sales before but never did any research on it. Thank you!
Lizbeth Marquez-FloresMay 29,2022 at 3:56PM UTC
Joanne, I actually have a follow up question… I need to update my résumé for the career change but I am unsure of how to go about that. Do you have any suggestions on who or where I can go for help with that?
Jennifer WehrendApril 26,2022 at 1:35PM UTC
Have you looked into anything that would relate to your biology degree? That wouldn't be direct patient care.
Lizbeth Marquez-FloresMay 29,2022 at 3:54PM UTC
I had at first, mostly research stuff but I didn’t qualify because I needed A year of experience which I didn’t have the time… I didn’t really know what else I could do with a biology degree honestly and at this point I graduate in 2016 I have nothing under my belt to show for the biology degree so I feel like that worries me too when it comes to looking for a job with my degree. I initially got the degree because I was looking to become a physician assistant but that didn’t pan out.