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Medical Careers in Demand For The Future

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It is always in the best interest of a job seeker to enter a career that has promising growth. When a job market is expected to have increased demand in the future, this is promising for job security. The medical field is one industry that will continue to see growth. If you are interested in starting a career in the medical field and not sure what route to take, check out this list of medical professions that will be in demand for the future.

Nurses (including RNs)

By 2028, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that there will be 371,500 registered nursing jobs added. Between 2018 and 2028 this is a growth of roughly 12%, which is much faster than average.

As of 2018, the Health and Health Resources & Services Administration average age of a registered nurse was 50 years old. This is significant because as the population of nurses ages over the coming years and retires, they will need to be replaced by younger nursing professionals. This will create a shortage that will result in increased demand and higher wages.

Primary Care Doctors

General practitioners typically earn less than specialists, and – as a result – fewer doctors are choosing to work in general medicine. The BLS predicts there will be 55,400 new physician jobs in the U.S. to meet the needs of population growth, an increasingly aging population, and additional insured people who were previously uninsured. This is a growth of 7%, faster than average.

Medical and Nursing Assistants

Our aging population may see the creation of as many as 154,900 new medical assistant jobs and 137,800 new nursing assistant jobs, by 2028, in-step with the growing need for doctors and nurses for which there will have to be additional support – via medical assistants in clinics and nursing assistants in hospitals.

Nursing assistants typically require more training than, for example, home health aides or personal care aides and earn slightly more, at an average of $29,640 a year. Medical assistants earn an average of $34,800 a year.

Personal and Home Care Workers

The landscape for job prospects for both home health aides and personal care aides is incredible, no matter how you look at it. The number of people working as personal care aides alone grew from 534,000 to 985,000 between 2002 and 2012 – an increase of 118  percent.

By 2028, this explosion of available jobs is expected to grow by an additional 36 percent, adding 1,185,800 more personal care positions to the U.S. healthcare sector. The median pay for such jobs is $24,060, with the top 10 percent of earners making an average of $38,640.

Physical Therapists

Physical therapists not only work in outpatient facilities and hospitals, but they are also are integral contributors within a school district. Since they can be found in an array of working environments, the expected job growth is 22% over the next 8 years. That translates to 54,000 new physical therapy jobs in the U.S.

Medical Techs

Medical and clinical lab technicians play an important role in the diagnosis of patients. As a result, this profession is expected to grow 11% from 2018 to 2028 which translates to 35,100 new jobs.

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Contributor Tera Rowland

Tera Rowland is the vice president of Soliant and has worked in the healthcare staffing industry for almost 20 years in public relations, social media, marketing and operations. In addition to Soliant, Tera worked at the Mayo Clinic as an internal communication manager and for the Children’s Miracle Network. She is a member of the American Marketing Association and the American Staffing Association. Also, Tera has served on the board of directors for the Jacksonville Women’s Leadership Forum as part of the communication committee. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations as well as a Master of Business Administration in Marketing from the University of North Florida and has been published in the Huffington Post, Healthcare Finance News, Healthcare Traveler Magazine, and Scrubs Magazine. Make sure to read the rest of Tera's blogs!