Once upon a time, I was an archaeologist, then I shifted gears completely to become a copywriter. From there, my path took me into a full-time role as Head of Marketing at an agency, before I found my way back to freelancing. Over the years, I’ve specialised in health and wellness copy, only to transition again into working with more finance-focused clients. But what if you’re a copywriter looking for a change that takes you somewhere completely different? Perhaps a shift from copywriter to health worker?

Now, I’m exploring yet another shift — this time toward supporting indie authors. All of which is to say: I know a thing or two about becoming disenchanted with your current thing and deciding to pivot in a new direction. You may enjoy copywriting, but you may also understand that it wasn’t something that you planned to do forever. Transitioning to a new career can be an excellent way to challenge yourself and also free up creative space to work on your own projects, away from the demands of having to spend your days writing professionally.

In a sea of trending professions, it can be difficult to figure out which industry to move into. If possible, it’s best to choose a career that has long-term growth potential, pays well, and has a positive impact on the world. Healthcare falls into that category — in fact, it may be the only career that ticks all of those boxes. 

Transitioning from copywriter to healthcare worker is more achievable than you might think, and is also something you can work towards while continuing your copywriting work. It also opens up the possibility of becoming a healthcare-focused writer, but even if your two careers don’t overlap to that extent, you’ll still find that your writing career helps when you work in healthcare.

OK, so how do you do it? Let’s take a look. 

Research Roles

It’s probably not correct to say ‘health worker.’ The healthcare industry is, after all, massive, and there’s no shortage of roles that you could theoretically step into. Traditional healthcare roles include nursing and emergency medical services, but you can also work in an administrative role. Even nursing and EMS can be further divided into more specialized roles. 

Get Experience

You might broadly believe that you’re well-suited to a healthcare role, but you won’t know for sure until you have first-hand experience within a healthcare environment. There are a few ways to get this experience before you decide to fully commit to the career change. Volunteering at a hospital or joining a hands-on EMS ride-along program can be an excellent way to get a thorough understanding of what it’s like to work in healthcare, without the long-term commitment. If you find that you thrive in these environments, then there’ll be a strong indicator that you’ll be suitable for a healthcare role. These experiences can also be an early opportunity to network with other professionals, which might just open doors once you’re qualified. 

Slowly Make the Transition

Even if you discover that transitioning to a role in healthcare is something that you would like to do, it’s not something that you necessarily have to do immediately. The job market for nurses and other healthcare professionals is expected to skyrocket in the coming years, so there’s no fear that making the transition slowly will curb your job prospects. You can also consider combining your careers by transitioning into healthcare writing before committing to healthcare full-time. 

Find Flexible Programs

You will, of course, need to become qualified if you’re going to become a nurse or work in EMS. Take a look at flexible programs. Many will allow you to study on a part-time, hybrid (part online, part in-person) schedule, allowing you to continue your work as a copywriter while you work towards working in healthcare.