Healthcare

Why You Should Consider Healthcare Careers

The thriving healthcare field offers some of the best career opportunities in the United States. You have more than 80 healthcare occupations to choose from. If you're seeking a personally and financially rewarding occupation, consider the healthcare industry.

As a well-paid healthcare professional, you'll work with caring coworkers to improve people's lives. Salaries of nonsupervisory employees in most healthcare fields are higher than the average pay for all private industry.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects the healthcare field to create more new jobs than any other field. The BLS forecasts a 33% employment growth for the healthcare and social assistance industry from 2010 to 2020, providing 5.7 million new jobs. The BLS forecasts continued demand for healthcare workers at all education levels.

The top five healthcare growth sectors are shown below:

Home healthcare services
Non-physical healthcare practitioner offices
Medical and diagnostic laboratories
Outpatient care centers
Physician offices

What Type of Healthcare Job is Right for You?

If you enjoy working with people, consider careers such as physician, nurse, occupational therapist, or physical therapist. If you're a little shy, consider a job in a medical laboratory or a pathology job.

Many healthcare occupations only require a two-year degree or a certificate. For example, a physical therapist assistant only needs a two-year associate's degree.

The median wage for physical therapist assistants in 2016 was $45,290.^† Physical therapist assistant is one of the fastest growing occupations. The BLS forecasts a 40% employment growth from 2014 to 2024 for this field.

Shown below are some healthcare jobs and their ranking from the 2012 U.S. News & World Report's 25 Best Jobs list:

Registered nurse (#1)
Pharmacist (#3)
Medical assistant (#4)
Physical therapist (#8)
Occupational therapist (#10)
Clinical laboratory technician (#13)
Speech-language pathologist (#14)
Paramedic (#15)

According to U.S. News & World Report, jobs were selected based on the hiring demand forecast by the BLS for occupations from now until 2020, as well as employment growth, average salary, current unemployment rate for each industry, and job satisfaction.

Shown below are some of the healthcare jobs from the 2011 U.S. News & World Report's 50 Best Careers list:

Dental hygienist
Massage therapist
Optometrist
Physician assistant
Physical therapist assistant
Radiological technologist

Good-paying healthcare jobs which only require an associate's degree are shown below:

Cardiovascular technologist and technician
Dental hygienist
Diagnostic medical sonographer
Licensed practice/vocational nurse
Massage therapist
Occupational therapist assistant
Radiologic technologist
Respiratory therapist

Good-paying healthcare jobs which require a bachelor's degree are shown below:

Clinical laboratory technician
Dietician
Medical and health services manager
Medical technologist
Mid-level office manager
Recreational therapist
Registered nurse
Transplant coordinator

^†US Bureau of Labor Statistics, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physical-therapist-assistants-and-aides.htm ⮭