Five Reasons to Get a Natural Health Degree
| | Want a career where you can change people's lives for the better? Consider these five reasons to earn a natural health degree. |
Body, mind and spirit—alternative medicine professionals view all three aspects as vital to our health. When individuals achieve balance in the three, they can reach a higher level of wellness for life.
With a natural health degree, you could join a profession that guides individuals toward dramatic health improvement and health awareness. The industry offers an extensive list of fields, including chiropractic medicine, massage therapy, naturopathic medicine, nutrition and physical therapy.
If you aspire to a career where you exercise the skills and expertise to change people's lives for the better, a natural health degree may be right for you. Here are some reasons to consider this field:
1. Help People Feel Good
Holistic health providers teach patients the habits and healthy practices to sustain optimal health and prevent illness. There are also many practitioners who educate communities about the symbiotic relationship between a person’s health and well-being—the idea that a lifelong commitment of health awareness and positive choices directly affects quality of life.
Offering long-term, individualized care, alternative medicine specialists not only treat chronic pain and other conditions, but also support patients in maintaining healthiness through natural methods. These methods might include homeopathic remedies, dietary programs, exercise routines or touch therapy.
2. Join a Thriving Industry
Individuals with natural health degrees can anticipate exceptional job prospects over the next several years. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the employment rate in alternative medicine will grow approximately 42% between 2004 and 2014.
Furthermore, as of May 2004, 36 percent of adults in the United States sought complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to treat their health conditions. Of those surveyed, 25 percent said a conventional medicine professional suggested CAM treatment, and 55 percent said they believed CAM therapies combined with conventional medicine would improve their health.
With more Americans pursuing alternative healing methods or an integrated medicine approach, holistic health providers will remain in high demand and in excellent positions to grow thriving practices.
3. Get Workplace Flexibility
Combine the skills you gain through an alternative medicine degree with some business savvy, and you possess the tools to build your own private practice. In this arena, you can choose to work out of your home or in an office setting where you set the policies, make the hiring decisions and determine the schedule.
Alternatively, you can pursue the many job opportunities at clinics, wellness centers, physicians' offices and other health care facilities. Working in a clinical environment can help you gain the experience, confidence and clients to start your own practice later—if you desire.
4. Never Stop Learning
Earning an alternative medicine degree positions you for a long-term career filled with continuous learning opportunities. Some fields, including chiropractic medicine, massage therapy and nutrition, require a specific number of hours of continuing education each year to maintain licensure or professional registration.
In fields such as naturopathic medicine, where few states offer licensure, a national association ensures educational standards and qualifications among professionals. With the support of such associations, you can receive the ongoing training and credentials to remain a highly qualified practitioner in your field.
5. Make a Good Living
Annual salaries for entry-level massage therapists, physical therapists and nutritionists range from $30,000 to $40,000. Chiropractors starting out in the field earn approximately $40,000 per year.
While self-employed holistic health providers cover the costs to operate their business and provide their own health insurance and retirement, they typically earn more than salaried workers in their field annually.
There is also an earning potential in the rewarding nature of the profession—as much as qualifications and experience, the character and compassion natural health professionals demonstrate can influence their personal earning potential.
Return to the Holistic Health Career Center home page.
Sources:
www.holmedmarket.com
www.naturalhealers.com
www.payscale.com
www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs035.htm
nccam.nih.gov/news/camsurvey_fs1.htm
www.naturopathic.org/menucontents.php?id=1
Looking for Natural Health Degree Schools?
Try our Natural Health Schools + Training page. There you will find a comprehensive list of schools which offer program descriptions and request information forms to find out more.
Search our directory and find more: Massage Therapy Schools, Acupuncture, Chiropractic, and more.