Health Careers Are A Hot Ticket
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Health care jobs are not only in demand, even in a slow economy, but are projected to continue to grow for many years as baby boomers age. More than 116,000 nursing positions remain unfilled across the United States today, and that number is expected to grow to 340,000 by 2020, according to the Boston Globe.
Demand for other health care jobs is also on the rise. They appeal to high school graduates who want a good career ladder, workers seeking job security and advancement, workers who have been or are afraid they may be laid off, and retired people who want or need to work at least part-time. Hands-on health care simply cannot be outsourced to other countries, so job security is excellent.
Because of the strong demand in health occupations, both public and private educational institutions are developing new and expanded programs in health careers.
Health care offers many career paths. Tuition reimbursement is often available, as well as a wide variety of work schedules and opportunities for on-the-job clinical rotations. Pay and professional respect are growing, too.
The New York State Department of Labor recently listed the 25 jobs that will grow the fastest through 2014 on Long Island, part which is in New York City and part suburbs. Of those 25 fast-growing jobs, nine are in health: medical assistant, home health aide, diagnostic medical sonographer, physical therapist, physical therapist assistant, physical therapist aide, physician assistant, medical records and health information technician, and home care aide. The largest number of openings will be for Registered Nurses (RNs) and home health aides.
Based on 2006 figures on the New York metro area collected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual incomes for these hot jobs, from high to low were: Physician assistants, $73,100; RNs, $70,300; physical therapists, $69,600; diagnostic medical sonographers, $64,900; physical therapy assistants, $39,300; medical records and health information technicians, $37,000; physical therapy aides, $27,300; medical assistants, $25,300 and home health aides, $18,600.
In general, the higher the pay, the more education and certification is required at entry level. Physician assistants and physical therapists require advanced college degrees, and RNs generally a bachelor’s degree. Diagnostic medical sonographers need a bachelor’s or associate degree, with associate more common.
Physical therapy assistants usually have associate degrees, while aides are trained on the job. Medical assistant training is one or two years. Medical records and health information technicians usually have an associate degree. Home health aides are entry level, and less likely to work for companies offering advancement or tuition assistance.
Additional education is usually required to advance to a higher level in health care.
To find out more about these or other health careers, including training and pay, plus future demand and advancement potential, it’s quickest to use the search box in Google or another browser and type in bls (for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) and the name of the occupation.