Five Health Careers to Pursue in Latin America
By Space Coast Daily // June 28, 2023
Latin America has evolved when it comes to health. There is more of an emphasis on health, fitness, and wellness than ever before. It’s no surprise, then, that health careers have become popular.
There are also more careers popping up all the time. Whether you are interested in working with people on their fitness, mental health, nutrition, or something else, there are health careers that can change your life and the lives of others. Continue below for five health careers to pursue in Latin America.
Nutritionist
Nutrition has become embraced by Latin America in a big way. For much of modernity, there was a resistance to health and nutrition. These days, things are changing. Nutrition is becoming more vital as manual labor decreases and more people move up to the middle class. Nutritionists are valued as a legitimate profession. When someone takes the time to get a nutritional degree, whether from a local college or from one in the U.S., they can utilize this education to work with top athletes or just the average person. Whether you are trying to help normal people get healthier or want to work with the nutrition of people who use their bodies to make money, nutrition has become a viable health career in Latin America.
Fitness Instructor/Trainer
The same goes for fitness instructors and trainers. There is no end to the number of different jobs you can have in fitness. You can train athletes or average folks. You can train people in weightlifting, overall fitness, or in a class like yoga or Zumba. As food becomes more plentiful in Latin America and more jobs are seated in desk chairs, fitness instructors and trainers are more valuable than ever. Latin America is growing and there are more people popping up every day that need help becoming a healthier version of themselves.
Therapist/Psychiatrist
Mental health is a part of the health career field. In Argentina, there are more therapists per capita than anywhere in the world. The rest of Latin America is catching up. The stigma and machismo surrounding mental health have waned. It is getting easier to tackle mental health issues across Latin America. Whether you are trying to help people talk out their feelings or want to be the person who prescribes necessary medications as a psychiatrist, there are plenty of ways to use your calling as a mental health professional to help people and make a good living while you’re at it.
Medical Jobs
The sky’s the limit when it comes to the medical field. Whether you want to become a surgeon or an orderly, there are all kinds of medical positions in Latin America. Like the rest of the world, Latin America needs great doctors and other healthcare professionals. Whether you are passionate about helping people or simply want to use your skills to find a lucrative position, pursuing a medical position in Latin America can be very lucrative and rewarding.
Physical/Occupational Therapy
Lastly, a health job that people overlook comes in the form of physical and occupational therapy, PT and OT respectively. Physical therapists help people gain function and mobility while mitigating pain and helping the person live their best life. OT is very similar except it treats patients in the context of their job and career. OT is designed to help the person become capable of doing their job well and without pain.
These jobs help people very much, and they can pay a lot when you work with the right people. For example, PT and OT for Latin American football (soccer) players can be very lucrative.
Depending on the vocation you have, there are plenty of health careers to pursue in Latin America. Whether you are trying to get a better job or want to help people live their best lives, there’s no shortage of great positions in Latin America. Between physical therapy, medical positions, nutrition, fitness instructors, and other positions, there is no shortage of great positions to choose from.
When it comes to Latin America, there are all kinds of different ways to find the right career within the fields of health, wellness, nutrition, and more. Of course, you should enjoy your work. Don’t pursue something just because it will make you money.
Instead, pursue a career that will be both rewarding and prosperous.