Introduction
Attaining a degree in biology after college would get on the notion that the graduate is a lover of life. Life will open up to one as well. The public perception, on the other hand, is that there is no future in that course. Other than proceeding to medicine, of course. Here, let’s know about Hospital Jobs With A Bachelor’s Degree In Biology.
Well, there are many paths a biology graduate can take. One, as a teacher that proceeds into a Master’s degree. Or one that diverts into other natural sciences. Ocean Park would need a biologist. Also, a nature park of plants, herbs, and flowers is another. It is a world on its own.
There are many if one thinks out of the box. There is work available for a graduate with a degree in biology. It would surprise many there are jobs from places never thought of at all.
One of the last places one could think of is in the hospital. One may laugh at the incredulous suggestion. Not that many, but there are hospital jobs for a biology graduate. We take each of those jobs under scrutiny.
Hospital and Clinics: Types and Classifications
Hospitals
There are distinctions between hospitals anywhere in America. It could be private or public. At the mere sight of one, you would know if it is government or not. You can get to know this, not by any immediate realization, but by management and handling things. Also, by how much they could be able to help you and your situation. Sad to say.
Countrywide, there are over six thousand hospitals registered with the government. This does not include clinics that are small with a single doctor and a nurse or two. It is for an outpatient routine check-up, immunizations, or medical advice when sick. Clinics do not provide overnight lodging except for a few on certain occasions.
The number of hospitals has been increasing nationwide. Along with that, federal and state/local funding. Of the total number of hospitals, a little over 18% are government hospitals. The rest may either be investor-owned or nonprofit/nongovernmental hospitals.
Another way to look at hospitals is by the primary purpose they provide. Excluded from the list below are college infirmaries and prison hospitals. Both have limited functionality. They almost always refer a critical case to the general community hospital.
- Acute Care. These are facilities that treat patients in grave stages of illness, disease, or injury. It provides inpatient care and related services. Services such as a pharmacy and a surgery department are in-house. Usually a short-term stay for patients. The Intensive Care Unit in any hospital is an example of acute care.
- Psychiatric Hospitals. These facilities give diagnoses and treatment for patients with mental or emotional disorders. Some provide 24-hour planned treatment complete with staff and living spaces. An example of this is the Pilgrim State Hospital.
- General (Community) Hospital. This is the most common among the different types. These may have less than five hundred beds but has a complete line of services. Surgery, emergency, laboratory, and others, are available. This may also be in a rural setting. Beaumont Hospital is an example.
- Rehabilitation Hospital. These are the facilities with a specific set of patients, those with disabilities. They provide the required medical and health services. Aside from those, they have the social element, physical regimen, and vocational training. These may be inclusive or optional. Stanford Hospital and Clinics is a prime example of a facility for disability rehabilitation.
- Federal Government Hospitals. There are 200 of these hospitals nationwide. These provide care for specific patients that the federal government puts in priority. These types of patients are in active military service or those in the defense department. Veterans of the military are not in the exclusion. Those that belong to the health and human services department are in the priority also, to mention a few.
Clinics
These are medical facilities defined as ambulatory, outpatient, and non-hospital. These include “immediate” and “urgent” care clinics, surgical, dialysis, and dental clinics. There are over 34,000 clinics all over the country which have grown from about a decade ago.
This shows to the biology graduate that there are many clinics out there. This type of health care facility provides less opportunity in that it is small. A biology graduate also stands to earn less as much as in a hospital. But if one has a goal in the medical field, willing to persevere, this may be a fine place to start.
The Jobs, Duties, Responsibilities, and Estimated Salaries
Outside of the hospital, a biology graduate has a wide range of jobs to choose from. We will take the detour and explore, in no familiar sense, the unusual and narrower road that is the hospital and clinic setting. This slender world will not consider whether the graduate will save up to study further. If so, one must take steps for personal advancement further.
Forensic Scientist
A path many would not have the spirit to even consider the slightest. The workplace may not be amenable to all. Facing up to a human remains and manipulate the intrinsic of all attachments of the body. This is not much of an appeal to work. One thing, this is a work many would think does not exist. But it does. It is open for biology graduates.
Such jobs, in their usual locations, are at the local or state police departments. The federal government also requires Forensic Scientists. There are a few instances that hospitals have a Forensics Department, usually the big ones. As such, they need to fill that with qualified personnel. One example of this is the Atascadero State Hospital in California.
A Forensic Scientist, at an entry-level, requires a graduate of the natural sciences. A biology graduate qualifies.
Such is one work where one does not have to look below the heel of the shoe. But the job is exacting. Some of the duties of the position are:
- do a precise and timely analysis of evidence;
- maintain records, lab notes, and reports according to standards;
- provide accurate court testimony;
- quality results, conclusions, and opinions;
- perform scientific functions.
A Forensic Scientist would get an average income of around US$7,000/month which would be US$1,750.00/week or US$43 per hour, a respectable sum for a position that is not quite the usual. There are extra benefits, of course, aside from the base salary.
Microbiologist
Biology and microbiology have common major subjects between them. As such, a biology graduate is qualified for this job position. The educational background would not be of any issue for this position.
Many hospitals prefer not to title the job as Microbiologist. Some would choose to call the position Infection Preventionist. To project more of the inherent duties and the environment or the workplace is the reason for re-naming.
Whatever the name, among the duties for the position are:
- install, manage, and coordinate infection prevention and control program;
- compliance with federal and state guidelines;
- work with all hospital employees and patients towards compliance;
- provide training and supervision towards infection control throughout the facility;
- corroborate to develop procedures, protocols, and policies to improve infection prevention and control.
An infection preventionist earns in amounts that have a wide range from state to state. The median salary for this position is US$ 75,000/year, or US$6,200+/month, or US$1,500+/week, or US$39/hour.
Medical Records Clerk / Supervisor
Such is one position that a biology graduate should not bother about the status or prestige. The personal integrity is intact and solid within. There is something more profound on the near horizon soon.
The entry-level for this position does not need a college degree. It is only logical that a biology graduate will have to go for the supervisory job position if available. If not, then come and dive in, surf the waters, and come out the wiser with the goal closer.
Duties for this position include:
- prepare patient charts for discharge process;
- assemble record components in the correct order;
- evaluates, reviews, and processes a request for information releases;
- performs an audit of active charts regularly;
- maintenance of the record-keeping system;
- notices of delinquencies distribution to appropriate physicians for completion;
- input and update chart information into the computer system.
The entry-level for this position is US$ 30,000 per year. That will be about US$2,500/month or US$625/week, or US$15+/hour, excluding benefits and the likes. The supervisory level goes about US$ 60,000/year, or US$5,000/month, or US$1,250.00/week, or US$31+/hour.
Surgery Scheduler
This position is hardly known to anyone outside of the hospital. Such may even be a new job that a system needs to insert for a more fluid and efficient operation. Such a job position was non-existent 15 or 20 years ago.
This is most likely one chore of a nurse in the surgery department before. The devolution of duties of the registered nurse has been going on for some years. It does not confine the position within the surgery department as one of the duties will convey.
Several hospitals have adapted to this evolution of new personnel in their roster. They will need the position to do the following duties, among the many:
- maintains and establishes a sanitized and organized, professional environment;
- coordinating supply, personnel, and equipment to avoid conflict;
- scheduling and charging of patients for perioperative services;
- screens and processes, calls and messages for the surgical department;
- maintain correct and updated reports and statistics;
- assist other members in the department;
- adjust surgery schedules.
One healthcare facility requires secretarial experience for the job. It is also open for graduates of other disciplines. On the national scale, the median annual salary for this position is below. US$40,000.00/year, or US$3,300+/month, or US$833+/week, or US$20+/hour.
Sterile Processing Technician Supervisor / Manager
Another one of those jobs that do not need a college degree on the entry-level. A high school diploma is all that most of the hospitals and clinics would need. It is again the prerogative of the biology graduate to wait for a vacancy at the supervisory level. Or enter the low level first for any personal reasons.
A few of the many duties of the position are:
- to document or record all relevant data in an organized manner;
- helps in the department’s effort to contain costs;
- preparation of instruments and supplies;
- follows mandated policies on cleaning, sterilization, packaging, storage of implements;
- punctuality and presence at all times;
- do distribution of equipment;
- routine cleaning and maintenance of equipment.
The entry-level position will earn a base salary of US$ 41,000.00/year, or US$3,400+/month, or US$850+/week, or US$21+/hour.
The supervisory level will earn US$ 56,500+/year, or US$4,700+/month, or US$1,100+/week, or US$29+/hour. These are all national averages.
Patient Dining Supervisor / Manager
Prestige has never existed at the lowest level. From the bottom, there is only one place else to go; up. Biology graduates or any college graduates may opt for the supervisory position. This is in the caregiving department of the hospital.
But the entry-level is open for those biology graduates who do not care about what others might have to say. Time and money are of the essence to advance your professional life if that is what one chooses.
Some facilities do not even need a high school graduate for the entry position. Being a Biology graduate then will be on the list as over-qualified. Persistence will play a role in a job position in this department. It definitely will not be difficult.
The following is a shortlist of the duties of an entry-level dining associate. Again, we care to emphasize, a position a notch higher for biology graduates is much better. A shortlist of the duties:
- help patients make menu selections;
- set up, deliver, and retrieve meal trays;
- meals delivery at the right time and temperature;
- follow with all federal, state, or local sanitation requirements;
- complete all daily, weekly, and monthly reports;
- follow hazards control guidelines.
On average, the Patient Services Supervisor would get a shade over US$900 a week that equals US$22+/hr. The work, aside from the base salary, comes with added benefits. Such would be an array of insurances and employee program benefits.
Medical Assistant / Patient Care Supervisor / Manager
This position must be a supervisor, at the least, for a biology graduate. Entry levels into the job position of Patient Care Technician do not need a college degree. A high school diploma or has in possession of a GED grade is the basic rule.
There may even be an opportunity for a managerial position in facilities of large capacity. The title of the job may sound confusing with a nursing duty. It is not, but it still cares for the patient.
Some duties of the position are:
- clerical duties for patients;
- do vital signs, weight, rooming routines, help with procedures
- may administer medication only after approval from allowed medical personnel;
- collects specimens and sends them to designated labs;
- assigns medical record numbers of patients;
- scheduler for patients, physicians, and concerned departments in the hospitals
- any matter of the patient’s personal need.
There may be further requirements by other healthcare institutions. These are mere certifications that may last from 3 to 9 months. You may have to take them in the soonest time possible for you to qualify.
Health care facilities that have this position in their system are enormous. One may notice that this is to ease the workload of a Registered Nurse, which is a scarce commodity.
A Patient Care Technician can earn a base salary of US$35,000/year, or US$2,900+/month, or US$730/week, or US$18/hour.
The supervisory level, also on a national average, has a base salary of US$55,000/year, or US$4,500+/month, or US$1,100+/week, or US$28/hr. All these do not include benefits.
Molecular Biology Technician
The job requirement for this position needs to have a bachelor’s degree in any scientific field. A degree in biology is qualified. In general, this work is at the center of research and data acquisition. Depending on the type of employer, strict biological laboratory experience may be required or not. Exposure to any harmful laboratory specimen is a high possibility.
This job position is in the research of new agricultural products and procedures. In this setting, a less strenuous and less harmful environment exists for the employee. A list of the more common duties and responsibilities of the job follows.
- Lend technical support in the overall research activity.
- Assists in planning field research and logistical support.
- Receive biological samples and implement appropriate storage.
- Standard operating procedures must have strict adherence at all times.
- Operate robotics systems (in medical laboratories).
- Perform manual pipetting (in medical laboratories).
This position is also on the roster of the federal government, especially the National Park Service. In this field, the molecular biology technician will focus on any area of wildlife, plants, and fisheries.
In the medical field, prior experience may be requisite. This previous experience may not be that explicit in the agricultural research field.
Given the broad field the job position exists, the annual salary of the work is at US$55,000/year, or US$4,580/month, or US$1,145/week. That is just the base salary excluding company or federal benefits alongside the job.
Conclusion
If a biology graduate plans to work and study, there are several hospital jobs the graduate may apply for. There are also clinic jobs. If there are no plans for further studies, the graduate must plan long and deep. As long as one is not that selective of the position, one will earn the keep.
The only foreseeable drawback is the location of where the graduate is. The presence of healthcare facilities nearby that need personnel. If there is not one, it will be a decision delicate enough for the graduate to decide.
