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Chapter 2 Career Skills in Health Informatics
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Career psychologist John Holland identifi ed six basic personality
types through many years of work and research in the fi eld of psychology.
Review the chart in Figure 2.17 to identify your top three personality types.
Then, consider careers that match those personality types. Matching your
personality to your career can lead to job satisfaction and success.
As you investigate careers that interest you, look for those that match
your work preferences as well as your personality type. Do you prefer
to work indoors or outdoors? Are you willing to work only on weekdays
and only during the daytime? How long do you want to attend school?
How much income do you want to earn? These preferences regarding
the practical parts of a career are also important to your job satisfaction.
Compare each of the careers you are interested in with your list of
personal preferences as you develop your career plan.
Career Portfolios
Your career portfolio records the work you have done to prepare for
a career or to get a specifi c job. You can use the contents of your portfolio
to plan your high school course schedule, apply to college programs,
complete scholarship applications, or apply for a specifi c job. Preserving
your portfolio and keeping it up-to-date makes these tasks easier because
you have all the information you need in one organized location.
career portfolio
a written record of career
planning and preparation
Figure 2.17 Health Science Careers by Personality Type
John Holland
Personality Type
Characteristic Health Science Career Examples
realistic
doer
likes mechanical hands-on activities
central supply worker
electrocardiograph technician
surgeon
investigative
thinker
is an analytical problem solver
medical laboratory technician
nurse practitioner
psychologist
social
helper
is cooperative and people-oriented
certified nursing assistant
health science educator
physical therapist
enterprising
persuader
is a competitive leader
pharmaceutical sales representative
healthcare administrator
dean of nursing at a college or university
conventional
organizer
pays attention to detail
dental assistant
medical coding specialist
operating room nurse
artistic
creator
likes creative activities
medical photographer
music therapist
community health nurse