The State of Health Care Jobs

By Erica Moss on January 22, 2012

While many sectors are feeling the impact of the current economic downturn, health care is experiencing unprecedented growth. As members of the Baby Boomer generation retire, more health care workers are needed to address their medical needs. In addition, advances in medical technology have increased the survival rates of the severely ill and injured patients, requiring additional health care workers for treatment and recovery care.

Photo by Walt Stoneburner on flickr.com

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that health care was one of the largest industries in 2008, with more than 14 million jobs related to the diagnosis, treatment and care of patients. The BLS also estimates that between 2008 and 2018, at least 3.2 million new jobs will be created in health care — more than for any other industry.

In the past year, an average of 24,000 new health care jobs were generated per month. These are some of the fastest-growing jobs in health care:

Registered Nurses

The median age of registered nurses is increasing and there is currently a shortage of younger RNs to replace them. At the same time, tougher immigration laws are decreasing the number of foreign RNs entering the U.S. job market. It is expected the 43 percent more registered nurses will be needed by 2018.

Physician Assistants

There is a continuing demand for PAs to assume a variety of patient care responsibilities that have traditionally been held by doctors. The BLS reports an expected employment growth of 33 percent for physician assistants by 2018.

Physical Therapists

The increase in older patients will increase the demand for physical therapists who can plan and implement rehabilitative programs that improve mobility, increase strength and relieve pain. The BLS estimates that 33 percent more PTs and PT assistants will be needed by 2018.

Home Health Care

Improvements in diagnostics and surgery are allowing more patients to receive outpatient rather than inpatient treatment and to recuperate at home. As a result, the demand for home health care professionals is expected to grow by 50 percent by 2018.

In addition to providing job security, jobs in the health care industry provide the satisfaction of improving patients’ health and well-being. Few careers provide the challenges and rewards that can be found in the health care industry.

As in most industries, advanced professionals and managers can typically expect greater responsibility, more complex duties and higher pay than other health care workers. Earning an advanced degree in a health care field is one of the best ways to ensure higher compensation.


This post is written by Erica Moss who is the community manager for the online masters in nursing program at Georgetown University, offering one of the nation’s leading nurse midwife programs. She’s also an avid dog lover who enjoys photography and meeting new people.

 


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