The COVID-19 breakout has caused anxiety and fear, but also has highlighted essential services that each community requires to carry on. Healthcare branches off in different directions, with some areas being well-represented by women (like nursing), but the media attention is also highlighting every integral part of an ecosystem that cares for us in a time of need.
Young people are particularly impressionable and may react strongly to the constant feed of news that is being shared through all types of media. To put a spin on this, highlight for them the positive stories, the heroes and helpers, and the news of recovery due to the many industries that are helping.
Here’s a list of just a few careers that can be tied to healthcare and are being put in the spotlight during the pandemic:
- Research Scientists – Countless scientists and students around the globe are researching, studying and testing every aspect of the pandemic; virologists in particular are frequent contributors to media interviews
- Data Analysts – Analysts are collecting, processing, and analyzing mountains of data that allows organizations to produce easy-to-read charts on what is happening, but their work also makes predictions on where numbers are going so that better decisions can be made
- Engineers – Engineers are designing medical equipment, planning changes for updating manufacturing (like switching from automotive production to ventilators), and creating layouts for medical facilities
- Respiratory Therapists – These specialized practitioners are trained in pulmonary (related to lungs) medicine and are caring for patients who are hospitalized
- Millwrights – These craftspersons are modifying machines to produce medical-related items, doing repairs, and ensuring production run smoothly
- Machinists – For plastics and other medical parts, a mold is usually required; machinists are programming and running CNC machines to create the mold
- Medical Specialists – Surgeons, anesthetists, and cardiologists are working diligently to care for the increasing number of patients contracting COVID-19 (only 39% of specialists are women!)
- Skilled Trades – Carpenters, electricians, plumbers and other tradespeople are working hard to finish medical facilities, housing, and retrofit existing spaces to accommodate more patients
Why is now a good time to have this talk with your daughter?
Supportive careers are in the spotlight and young women often say that they want a job that helps people. Nurses certainly are superheroes but there are an endless list of jobs that provide aid in a time of need. When different careers are highlighted in media — particularly when a female is being interviewed — take the opportunity to make the connection for the young women in your life: encourage discussion, research, and show how interconnected things really can be.