Job Opportunities for Healthcare Workers – Be the First to Involve
The healthcare industry is an extremely large world with dozens of different occupations, from nurses to cardiac surgeons. Nowadays, some of these specialists are more demanded than others because of several reasons like better healthcare quality, the growing number of outpatient clinics, and aging population.
Precisely, jobs like an athletic trainer, technologist, technician, and assistant become more and more popular. Read on to learn some catchy facts about the industry, healthcare workers, and their profession specifics.
Healthcare workers have a lot of promising opportunities in the modern community as they are highly required. The popularity of the industry will only increase as the population grows and scientific research progresses. Hence, the salaries will rise from the current level of average $47K; and new healthcare professions will become more demanded due to the expansion of alternative care sites and cost-saving approaches.
Who are Healthcare Workers?
Back in 2016, there were approximately 59 million healthcare workers. They care about patients of all ages, treat various diseases including severe and infectious ones, but what about their own health? Are physicians less vulnerable to diseases?
The thing is that the healthcare industry is a potentially high-risk sector. Here are some noteworthy reasons:
- Infectious diseases, harmful bacteria, and viruses.
- Dangerous substances and elements.
- Noise, heat, radiation.
- Irregular working hours.
The WHO reports that needles and syringes are a potential source of infection. Annually, 3 million cases are detected – 40% of hepatitis B, 40% of hepatitis C, and 4.4% of HIV.
Increasing Demand for Healthcare Specialists
The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that the demand for professional physicians will increase by 19% by 2024, so the industry will face the boom of new employees. Despite the described threats, healthcare remains the attractive sector. There are some obvious advantages as high salary, ability to save people’s lives, and social involvement.
But what are the reasons for such a demand? Here are three of the most essential ones:
- Aging population. As people become aged, they require more attention from healthcare workers – especially, personal assistants. Besides, physicians also grow old and retire, so the industry needs young specialists.
- The increasing number of health insurance clients. As the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act remains valid, millions of the US citizens are getting insured. Accordingly, this boosts the healthcare job market.
- Advances in medical technology. Modern medicine cures even the severest illnesses, so the survived patients require longer recovery therapy. In addition, healthcare is moving to the outpatient and home treatment approaches.
Jobs You Can Apply for Without Bachelor’s Degree
Let’s say, you are looking for a healthcare-related job but don’t want to study for six or more years to get a degree. There are lots of two-year Associates’ programs which also allow you to start working in the industry upon completion.
Registered Nurse
Registered nurses can follow several career paths and opportunities. However, there are important assessments like NCLEX, which is the final exam before obtaining a license.
Expected growth: 15%.
Nursing Assistant
Nurses are the great soldiers of healthcare and nursing assistants are their co-pilots as they take over secondary tasks related to patient care. Assistants are also responsible for lab activities.
Expected growth: 11%.
Medical Secretary
Unlike the previous job, this one is about administration only. Medical secretaries plan schedules, interact with patients when it comes to collecting their data, manage medical records, and help hospital visitors not to get lost.
Expected growth: 15% and more.
Medical Assistant
This occupation stands for miscellaneous administrative duties and even healthcare-related tasks like blood drawing. Medical assistants are multipurpose workers who act as secretaries and laboratory staff.
Expected growth: 29%.
Health Information Technician (HIT)
Health Information Technicians process various medical data, and are essential for modern healthcare facilities. HITs are responsible for keeping electronic health records, processing them, and organizing databases.
Expected growth: 13%.
Fastest Growing Jobs in Healthcare
If you are choosing the healthcare specialty, make sure to explore the following list. In addition to the aforementioned jobs which don’t require degrees, there are five occupations which will be most in-demand in the future.
Veterinary Technician/Technologist
In plain terms, this profession is like a medical assistant for humans. Veterinary technicians conduct tests and take care of animals under the supervision of chief vets.
Expected growth: 41%.
Physician Assistant
These assistants are engaged in similar activities as the medical ones, but they don’t focus on administrative work. Rather, they practice their specialty with a supervising tutor-physician.
Expected growth: 39%.
Athletic Trainer
Professionals who care about sportspeople, prevent and diagnose their problems, optimize activities, and increase the quality of their lives are called athletic trainers.
Expected growth: 37%.
Conclusion
As you can see now, the healthcare sector covers a number of specialties and some of them are getting increasingly popular. Physicians earn high salaries and enjoy fringe benefits, so if you are interested in this industry, look at some of the most promising jobs. Over the next years, outpatient clinics will rise and introduce new job positions including assistants and HITs. Consider these vacancies but don’t forget about traditional ones like nurses or vets.