Discover your calling in healthcare with niche careers that help people

Healthcare is fundamentally an industry built to help people. Within this broad field, there are numerous niche roles that focus on serving specific populations, conditions or patient and client types. The opportunities for career expansion and taking on challenges can develop you on both a personal and professional level. You’ll benefit from the rewarding aspects of helping people and use a specific skill set, while continuously learning and evolving as a healthcare practitioner.

Job growth projections for skilled healthcare professionals are expected to reach 785,000 by 2034. This means that opportunities for diverse roles with strong job stability, a sense of purpose and the chance to help people are plentiful. From nursing to counselling, explore these niche careers that help people to find your next rewarding role.

Why choose a career that helps people?

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Choosing a career that helps people is a meaningful way to make a difference in people’s lives while also pursuing a purposeful career path. Roles that are centred around direct care, support, advocacy or education are immensely rewarding, both personally and professionally. The type of work you do in these roles can range from helping someone recover from a life-threatening illness to providing comprehensive care for a patient or client with a chronic disease or supporting someone’s mental health through a difficult life transition.

People working in patient-centred roles report high job satisfaction, as they can see the direct influence of the care they provide, which helps improve quality of life and promotes a profound sense of fulfilment and purpose. Advancing your knowledge to pursue specialised roles also means you can gain the expertise and in-demand skills to meet the unique health needs of a specific subgroup of people. Beyond common nursing, social work or counselling roles, there are niche roles that allow you to help people in need.

Niche healthcare professions that help people

These healthcare helping professions provide rewarding opportunities to meet people’s unique health and wellbeing needs.

Critical care nurse

A critical care nurse is a specialised registered nurse who provides care for patients with life-threatening illnesses or injuries. These nurses are trained to monitor and manage complex medical conditions, often involving advanced life support technologies such as ventilators, cardiac monitors and intravenous medications. Their responsibilities include closely observing patient status, responding promptly to changes in condition, collaborating with doctors and other medical staff and providing emotional support to patients and their families.

Critical care nurses typically work in intensive care units (ICUs), high dependency units (HDUs), emergency departments and other high-acuity healthcare settings. They should possess precise clinical skills, quick decision-making abilities and a high level of attention to detail. As a niche role within the broader nursing profession, critical care nursing serves a vital purpose by caring for the most seriously and critically ill patients, helping people on their path to recovery.

Are you a registered nurse considering a career move into critical care or intensive care?

The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Online’s Graduate Certificate in Critical Care is an online postgraduate course designed for nurses seeking advanced knowledge of core critical care concepts to advance their career in critical care nursing. You’ll develop valuable skills to care for patients in a range of critical care and intensive care settings, supporting their recovery and making a meaningful difference in their lives.

Diabetes educator

A diabetes educator is a qualified healthcare professional who supports people who have recently been diagnosed with diabetes or those at risk of developing the condition. They are typically Aphra-registered health professionals, such as nurses, dietitians or pharmacists, who have completed extensive training to deliver expert diabetes care, management tools and education to patients. They focus on empowering patients to self-manage their diabetes through healthy eating, insulin therapy, blood glucose monitoring and other interventions suited to their needs.

Diabetes educators can work in public and private hospitals, community health settings and in private practice. They actively collaborate with other healthcare professionals to develop a tailored management plan that supports patients on their individual health journey. This is an emerging role that directly supports people of any age with this chronic health condition in managing their diabetes and achieving an overall improved quality of life.

Are you a healthcare professional interested in a specialised role as a diabetes educator?

There are many postgraduate courses available to you if you’re considering becoming a diabetes educator. Explore these courses to either enhance your knowledge of diabetes or to gain comprehensive skills in diabetes management and care, with the option to complete practical training to become a credentialled diabetes educator.

Midwife

A midwife is a healthcare professional who provides essential support to women on their perinatal journey. They offer prenatal care and education to pregnant women, including assessments of the expectant mother and growing baby. Midwives help out during labour, closely monitoring progression and providing support during delivery. Midwives also provide care, resources and further support to both mother and baby, usually up to 6 weeks postpartum. This may include breastfeeding advice, postpartum recovery and mental health support resources.

There are various settings in which midwives can work, including public and private hospitals, community health centres, birthing centres, private practices and home birthing settings. They are trained in natural birthing processes and can also support obstetricians when necessary. The work itself can involve shift work and unpredictable hours, as midwives need to be available at all hours to meet the needs of pregnant and labouring mothers. Midwives provide essential, personalised maternal care, and as such, this career is powerful and rewarding, helping bring new life into the world.

Do you want to empower women and pursue a career as a midwife?

Various clinical and research postgraduate midwifery courses are available to you if your passion is to support expectant mothers during an important life transition. Explore the range of graduate certificates, graduate diplomas and master’s degrees in midwifery here.

Youth worker

A youth worker is a type of social worker who supports young people and adolescents with personal, social and developmental challenges. These may include complicated family dynamics, mental health concerns, sexuality and identity issues, substance abuse, pregnancy, challenges at school and homelessness. Youth workers can provide individual or group support, crisis intervention, life skills education and facilitate connections to community resources, such as financial aid, accommodation and employment support.

Youth workers can work in schools, community outreach, rehabilitation or healthcare centres. They aim to help young people to get their lives back on track by building self-esteem, resilience and supporting positive choices that benefit their overall wellbeing and long-term health. Youth workers address the unique multifactorial challenges faced by adolescents as they navigate life into early adulthood. It’s a niche healthcare role that works specifically with young people, providing numerous professional rewards and opportunities for growth.

Have you considered a rewarding role supporting young people as a youth worker?

If you have a prior degree in a health-related field, the University of Canberra’s Master of Social Work (Qualifying) is your starting point to become a social worker. This globally recognised, AASW-accredited postgraduate course includes field placements where you can apply your theoretical knowledge in real-world social work settings. You may consider placements in youth centres or schools to gain valuable experience on your path toward becoming a youth worker.

Aged care nurse

An aged care nurse is a registered nurse who works with older populations, providing specialised nursing care and support for their physical and mental wellbeing. They can manage chronic and complex conditions, administer medications, provide support with mobility, assist with daily activities and rehabilitation exercises. They may also be involved in providing palliative and end-of-life care. Aged care nurses collaborate closely with other healthcare professionals to provide comprehensive care to patients and communicate with families, offering resources and support.

Aged care nurses typically work in residential care facilities, assisted living facilities and private residences. Nurses in aged care can also advance into roles such as nurse educator and nurse practitioner. The work of an aged care nurse helps older people maintain their health, emotional stability, dignity, comfort and quality of life. Aged care nursing is a challenging yet fulfilling niche field, as it provides specialised nursing care to people with unique physical, mental and emotional needs in the later stages of life.

Does aged care nursing sound like a rewarding career move?

Victoria University (VU) Online’s Master of Nursing (Chronic Disease and Ageing) can equip you with advanced skills to provide innovative care for older populations with complex health needs, as well as the expertise to move into senior and leadership roles in aged care settings.

Postgraduate courses in aged care nursing can equip students with important skills and clinical knowledge in this rewarding sector.

Remote area nurse

A remote area nurse is a registered nurse who delivers healthcare to people in regional, rural, remote and isolated communities. In these areas, access to medical and healthcare facilities is often limited, therefore, remote area nurses play a crucial role in providing primary care. Their role is usually broad and varied, encompassing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services, emergency and critical care, vaccination delivery, flight nursing, chronic disease management, health education and community support.

Remote area nurses can work directly in hospitals and are often employed by nursing agencies for contract-based work over a given period. Many remote area nurses are also nurse practitioners as they have a broader practice scope and can prescribe medications, order pathology tests and provide advanced nursing care when a doctor is unavailable. This nursing role requires an advanced skill set that differs from roles in urban settings. Nurses must be resourceful, work confidently and often autonomously, with the capacity to adapt to their situation and the needs of their patients. They play a niche role in healthcare, providing essential services to remote and underserved communities.

Are you interested in a role supporting rural communities as a remote area nurse?

Consider pursuing postgraduate study with graduate certificate courses in remote nursing to acquire additional skills in remote area healthcare practice. You’ll learn how to deliver effective nursing care that meets the unique and complex health needs of those in rural and remote communities.

Grief counsellor

As one of the many types of counsellors, grief counsellors support people coping with loss and navigating the terrain of their lives during this difficult time. A grief counsellor can help people by using counselling therapies and providing tools, resources and strategies to overcome and cope after losing a loved one, a relationship or other significant personal life change. They may work one-on-one or in group sessions to deliver interventions tailored to their clients’ specific needs. Grief counsellors can support people for a short time or over a longer duration to help them through a particular issue related to loss or grief.

Grief counsellors can work in private practice, community mental health services and in non-profit organisations. These professionals can refer clients to other healthcare professionals for comprehensive client care. Grief counsellors are integral to helping people find healthy and supported ways to adjust to life after unique and devastating challenges. Grief counselling is an emotionally demanding yet rewarding niche mental health role that gives people the necessary coping skills as they recover from life’s most difficult moments.

Have you considered a career as a grief counsellor, helping people navigate loss and life’s challenges?

The University of Canberra (UC) Online’s Master of Counselling equips you with the skills, knowledge and confidence to support people during challenging life stages. You’ll cover units such as Core Counselling Skills, Diversity Inclusion Respect, Loss, Grief and Trauma in Counselling, as well as undertaking valuable placement units to apply your knowledge in real-world settings. UC also offers a Graduate Certificate in Counselling and a Graduate Diploma in Counselling as nested courses, providing essential skills in counselling.

Counselling is a broad mental health field with plenty of room for specialising in niche areas, such as school counselling, relationship counselling and career counselling. Explore these postgraduate counselling courses to find the right course to suit your career goals and interests.

Mental health social worker

A mental health social worker (MHSW) is a qualified social worker who specialises in supporting individuals with mental health issues. They can help people with a diagnosis of anxiety, depression, personality disorders and also those navigating substance abuse. Clients with these conditions are complex, and as such, require specialised and tailored support for their recovery. An MHSW has typically pursued further study in mental health. These advanced credentials qualify them as Accredited Mental Health Social Workers with the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW).

Mental health social workers are found in rehabilitation centres, community and youth centres, as well as private practice settings. They can provide individual or group therapy and counselling. They can assist with case management, crisis intervention and provide access to resources and support networks for clients. This niche role within the social work field allows professionals to help people living with the psychological stress and related challenges of their mental health condition. This role could be one of the most rewarding careers that help people, as it supports them in living more functional and healthy lives.

Do you want to help people in a niche role as a mental health social worker?

If you have an existing degree in a health-related field, the University of Canberra’s Master of Social Work (Qualifying) is your launchpad into the social work field. From here, you can pursue training to earn the AASW mental health credential and start your career supporting people with their mental health and recovery.

Disability support worker

A disability support worker provides emotional and physical support for people living with a physical or intellectual disability. Their goal is to help people live as independently and confidently as possible by assisting with personal care, domestic tasks, attending social and community outings or appointments and providing companionship to help develop their life skills in society. The role is tailored to meet each person’s unique needs and they work to encourage their sense of social connection, autonomy and emotional health.

Disability support workers can work directly in clients’ homes, in specialised care settings, group homes, schools, hospitals and supported employment settings. It’s one of the more rewarding careers that help people with disabilities. This role enables professionals to provide hands-on support to individuals living with disabilities, with a focus on preserving dignity, fostering inclusion and providing the necessary support to enhance their quality of life.

Paediatric nurse

A paediatric nurse is a registered nurse who provides care for children of all ages, including newborns, infants, children and adolescents. They can address the various health needs of paediatric patients by implementing safe, appropriate nursing care, administering treatments and monitoring for changes. Importantly, paediatric nurses support families to ensure that the best care for patients is achieved. Paediatric nurses also empower young patients through education, encouraging them to take a proactive role in their own health and wellbeing.

Paediatric nurses can work in various healthcare settings, such as community health centres, school health programs, medical clinics and public and private hospitals. Nurses in these roles also take a multidisciplinary approach to care, working with other allied health and primary healthcare professionals. The empathetic care and clinical expertise that paediatric nurses provide make this a rewarding role that helps young people with their unique developmental health needs.

Are you a nurse with a passion for working in children’s health?

Paediatric nursing courses can equip you with the expertise to manage complex paediatric conditions, strengthen your clinical leadership and equip you with the skills needed to excel across diverse paediatric healthcare settings.

Clinical neuropsychologist

A clinical neuropsychologist is a psychologist who has a special interest in brain disorders and injuries, such as Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury and stroke recovery. These professionals assess and treat individuals with neurological conditions that affect various functions, including language, cognition, emotions, learning, memory, and behaviour. They’ll determine the appropriate intervention and rehabilitation strategies for each client’s unique health needs. The goal is to support their recovery and help them improve or adapt to their challenges, optimising their quality of life.

Clinical neuropsychologists can work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, rehabilitation centres, mental health services, aged care facilities and private practice. Their role often includes collaborating with other healthcare professionals, such as neurologists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, general practitioners and speech therapists to deliver comprehensive care. Clinical neuropsychologists use their expertise to help people with brain-related conditions regain their independence and navigate the challenges of their condition, which makes a meaningful difference in their lives.

Considering a career as a psychologist and wondering how to start?

Explore our range of psychology courses to determine your next step toward becoming a psychologist.

If you have no prior health or psychology background, you can enrol in the University of Canberra’s Bachelor of Science in Psychology. This APAC-accredited course provides theory and work-integrated learning opportunities as a foundational pathway for further study to becoming a psychologist.

If you have a bachelor’s degree in any field other than psychology, consider James Cook University (JCU) Online’s Graduate Diploma of Psychology. This APAC-accredited course is ideal if you’re considering changing careers into psychology and serves as a stepping stone toward further study that will qualify you as a practising psychologist.

Benefits and challenges of working in a helping profession

• • Benefits

  • Meaningful work
    
    One of the most compelling reasons people decide on a career in the helping professions is the profound sense of purpose, personal fulfilment and meaning they find in their work. Whether it’s supporting a young person navigating school challenges, providing life-saving care to critically ill patients or helping out with the daily tasks of someone with a disability. Your expertise, caring attitude, empathy and helpful nature have a major impact on the people you support as they recover and enjoy better health and wellbeing in their lives.

  • Specialisation opportunities
    
    As demonstrated above, there are plenty of opportunities to specialise in niche health areas depending on your strengths, career goals and interests. You can explore postgraduate study in different fields to help shape your career path. For example, in nursing, you could pursue further study in many other disciplines, including perioperative nursing, wound care, emergency care, palliative care, infection control, orthopaedic nursing, mental health, as well as leadership and education.

  • Room for personal growth
    
    Working in helping professions within healthcare offers broad opportunities for personal growth and development. Your confidence and skills are continually reinforced throughout your career. This results from direct patient and client care, upskilling into new fields and professional development requirements. You’ll gain critical thinking, complex problem-solving and effective communication skills, which are all essential when working with people to support their health.

  • Strong job stability
    
    With an ageing population and a rise in various health conditions, jobs that help people in healthcare continue to offer strong job prospects. This is true across multiple healthcare sectors, as well as niche health areas. For example, over the next five years, job growth projections for nurses, including theatre nurses, mental health nurses and clinical nurses are 13.9 per cent. Similarly, social workers and youth workers are projected to experience a 23.2 per cent job growth increase over the coming five years.

• • Challenges

  • Emotional demands
    
    Supporting people through trauma, illness or life crises can take a significant emotional toll over time. You’re working with people who’ve experienced intense life challenges, serious health conditions and are often in very vulnerable circumstances. If you’re considering a career that helps people, it’s important to be mindful of the risk of compassion fatigue or vicarious trauma. Set healthy boundaries, practice self-care and lean on your professional peer network to ensure you have the appropriate support in place for your own mental health.
    
    Some institutions may also offer scholarships or alumni discounts that can help reduce the overall financial burden.

  • Intense workload
    
    In some sectors, workload demands are high and staff shortages are a reality. This is sometimes the nature of professions that help people. In nursing, for instance, a shortfall of around 70,000 nurses is projected by 2035. While efforts are in place to help address this workforce demand, there are current pressures on existing staff with fewer nurses available to meet the complexity of patient needs. In some cases, this may mean extended hours and a higher patient load with an increased risk of nurse burnout.
    
    Effective time management and setting realistic expectations can help with balancing commitments and reducing the likelihood of burnout.

  • Continuous learning requirements
    
    A potential challenge of working in helping professions in healthcare is the ongoing requirement for continued learning and professional development. Research, technology and best practices are constantly evolving, meaning that you’ll need to stay current through professional development and training. This can be a significant time investment and mentally demanding, depending on the type of training or development you engage in.

  • Work-life balance challenges
    
    Certain healthcare helping professions involve travel, long hours, weekends, shift work and being on-call. This may impact your ability to have adequate rest, spend time with friends and family and engage in personal interests. While the work is meaningful and provides great job satisfaction, it’s important to look after yourself. Ensure the demands of your role don’t compromise your work-life balance with not enough capacity to prioritise yourself, your wellbeing and the other important aspects of your life.

How to start a career that helps people

Embarking on a career that helps people is an exciting step to take, however, there are a few things to consider to ensure it’s the right option for you. Whether you’re interested in nursing, social work, counselling or another healthcare sector, take the time to think about your future path, education requirements and ongoing commitment before you begin your journey.

1. Determine the right path
   Your initial step is to explore the different helping professions and identify which one aligns with your passions, skills and long-term career goals. Ask yourself what kind of work energises you and what you are interested in. It can be helpful to ask yourself some clarifying questions, such as: Do you enjoy working with children or older adults? Are your strengths in supporting people with personal crises? Do you have a knack for being resourceful and want autonomy in diverse healthcare settings? Are your clinical skills precise and do you enjoy problem-solving? Is there a specific area of health you’re fascinated by, such as diabetes, mental health or addictions?

   You may also want to consider job prospects, future demand and salary potential when it comes to determining the helping profession that’s the right path for you. Once you’ve aligned your ideal job to your ambitions and interests, you can begin to research the education requirements to become qualified in that role.

2. Pursue a bachelor’s degree or vocational qualification
   Once you've narrowed down your health sector and potential niche role, you can begin to look at different universities and their respective courses to find one that suits you. Depending on what you’re interested in, you may be able to complete a vocational education course to become qualified. However, the majority of healthcare fields require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree qualification.

   Entry requirements for universities in Australia can vary widely depending on the institution and the specific course. You may be a recent year 12 graduate or a mature-aged student looking to start at university for the first time. In this case, you may be considering an undergraduate degree in a particular discipline, such as the University of Canberra’s Bachelor of Nursing or Bachelor of Science in Psychology.

   These courses have entrance ranking admissions criteria, which can be achieved by either your Year 12 ATAR, other Australian qualification, relevant work experience or an overseas qualification. Aside from these, there are other entry initiatives available as an alternate pathway into study, provided you’re eligible.

   No matter your previous education or work experience, there are usually pathways available to help you enter tertiary study and complete a university degree. These may include bridging courses, recognition of prior learning (RPL) or demonstrated relevant professional experience. It’s always best to confirm with your chosen university on what their specific entry requirements are for your course to ensure you qualify for study.

3. Complete postgraduate study in your chosen field
   Earning a bachelor's degree and entering your field are possible for some healthcare roles. However, as mentioned, many healthcare professions require further postgraduate study and additional work experience to ensure you have the requisite and advanced skills for your role.

   If you’ve completed a bachelor's degree in your chosen discipline, then you would continue along this study path in your field to become a qualified health professional. If you’ve completed a bachelor’s degree in one area and want to switch to another healthcare field, there are options available to you to achieve this outcome.

   For example, if you want to become a counsellor, the University of Canberra (UC) Online’s Master of Counselling recognises a previous undergraduate or postgraduate degree in any discipline as part of their admissions criteria.

   Can you do a master’s course without a degree? The answer is yes, provided you can demonstrate your previous work experience as relevant to the course you’re interested in. Again, universities will have their own process for recognising prior experience as credits toward your course, so it’s best to confirm with your institute to know whether you qualify for entry.

4. Apply for jobs in your helping profession
   If you’ve chosen to complete a graduate nurse program with a community nursing focus, it’s likely that you’ll naturally transition into a permanent role within the same organisation.

   For those looking to move into community nursing from other areas, you’ll be able to apply for roles through platforms such as SEEK and Indeed.

   Most roles usually require at least two years of clinical experience along with first aid and CPR certifications. Some roles may also require knowledge in complex wound, diabetes, stoma, catheter and PEG care. Since many community nursing roles involve travelling between clients, holding a valid driver’s licence is also usually essential.

5. Join a professional association
   With the right qualifications, you're ready to step into the workforce. Explore sector-specific job boards, your own professional association and employment websites like SEEK, LinkedIn and Indeed. Joining industry-relevant networks in your local area can provide valuable connections to job openings in your field.

   Another thing to keep in mind is that some postgraduate courses require work experience in a specific niche field as a prerequisite for enrolment. For example, to enrol in many critical care nursing postgraduate courses, a minimum of one year of experience in critical care nursing is typically required.

   It can sometimes be helpful to look at your end goal and work backwards, developing a plan of what education and experience you may need to become qualified and to work in your chosen role.

6. Maintain a growth mindset
   Each role, whether it's midwifery, diabetes education or aged care nursing, comes with unique responsibilities, challenges and rewards. A career in healthcare also requires an ongoing commitment to further study. This ensures you’re up-to-date with industry best practices, which in turn enables you to provide the best care for your clients or patients. It also offers valuable opportunities for professional development and career advancement. It’s also an important requirement to maintain your professional registration or recognition.

   Postgraduate study is a powerful way to build expertise, stay current and even pivot into new areas of practice. There are many courses available to help you grow personally and professionally, whether it’s advancing into senior roles or exploring niche health fields. Continued learning and maintaining a growth mindset ensures your career stays aligned with your goals, values and the changing needs of the people you help.

Get started in a niche healthcare role

A career that helps people is rewarding, stimulating and entirely possible in the healthcare industry. Whether you’re an established healthcare professional interested in shifting toward a niche role, or you're coming from another background into new healthcare horizons, there are courses available to set you up for success. These courses are flexible and designed to fit in with your work, personal and life commitments.

If a niche healthcare role sounds like your next career move, GlobalHealth Education’s university partners offer postgraduate courses in many fields. These include psychology, counselling, nursing, mental health, healthcare leadership and management, public health and social work. Browse for courses, select a course and enquire to speak with a Student Enrolment Advisor to apply.