2022 High-Demand Careers in Healthcare
5 Reasons to Pursue a Medical Career
There are numerous reasons to consider pursuing a career in healthcare. Along with the many rewards and benefits, healthcare careers exist across a variety of different specialities and subspecialties. From family medicine to psychology to healthcare administration, there are likely medical careers that meet the needs of and are best suited for a wide range of personalities.
Make a Difference
Working in a career in healthcare awards an employee the opportunity to have an impact on the lives of other living beings. Whether working as a Physician in an emergency room, a Veterinarian at an animal clinic or a Radiologist at an imaging center, healthcare workers are able to use their skills and knowledge to improve the physical, emotional or mental condition of those they care for.
Although assessing, diagnosing and treating others comes with a great deal of responsibility, being able to improve health outcomes is extremely rewarding. If it were not for those that choose to enter a career in healthcare, many patients’ lives would be drastically different today. There is no healthcare career too small or insignificant, as all roles together are what create the large landscape of comprehensive healthcare coverage.
“Being a Social Worker is the most challenging and rewarding career out there,” Rachael Cabral, a Certified Social Worker practicing in Pennsylvania, said. “Social work itself is challenging because you have to deal with people during the most difficult times of their lives. Additionally, the career is rewarding because you can help people through those very times.”
Job Security
As health and wellbeing is a part of everyday life, there will always be a need for healthcare services and those able to provide them. People are constantly experiencing injuries, illnesses and disease, leading to their dependence on care and treatment. This is especially true given the aging baby boomer population, and their pressing need for geriatric care, home health and preventative medicine.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of healthcare occupations is projected to grow 14 percent from 2018 to 2028. This rate of growth is much faster than the average for all occupations, adding about 1.9 million new positions. The BLS adds that healthcare occupations are projected to add more jobs than any of the other occupational groups.
While technology has come a long way and is now able to complete many data entry and administrative tasks, the need for physical analysis of a patient’s condition still exists. These patients rely on the informed decision-making and logical-reasoning of their providers and their staff to curate treatment plans and ensure that they are on the right trait to general wellness or recovery.
Diversity
With the proper educational credentials, people of all backgrounds work together across the medical field in pursuit of common wellness goals. Entering a career in healthcare means getting to work alongside a diverse group of professionals, dedicated to helping their patients. Being able to work with people of all ethnicities, genders, religions, etc., helps to widen each person’s perspective and awareness. Further, a diverse workplace allows each person to begin to better understand the world around them, and how their responsibilities and actions contribute to that world.
Patients also come from diverse backgrounds, meaning that healthcare professionals get to experience and celebrate the unique differences amongst patients as well. As each patient and case is special in their own way, careers in healthcare allow workers to develop connections which enable them to differentiate patients and get to know them on a more meaningful level. Getting to know patients and understand their backgrounds can make helping treat them even more rewarding. Accommodating patients of diverse backgrounds helps ensure that all patients needing care are able to receive that care in an efficient and effective manner.
Learn Each Day
One element of a career in healthcare that many enjoy is that each new day brings about new scenarios and challenges. While educational requirements often exist across many healthcare careers, the learning never stops. Patient cases can prompt new methodologies, new treatments or new approaches. Additionally, as medicine is constantly evolving, new standards of practice arise that need to be learned to provide the best possible care.
Since education is such an important element of a career in medicine, continued education opportunities are often readily available. Professionals can choose to increase their knowledge and skill sets by advancing their degrees, or just by taking a course or two. Many courses can be taken for credit or certification, and are now available online. This makes staying up-to-date on the latest information more accessible and convenient.
“Advancing your career in counseling requires that you continue to study. Attend training seminars constantly that provide you with new information,” Mark Brana, MS, a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor practicing in Nevada, said. “Never believe you know everything, because you don’t.”
Positions for All Education Levels
Despite learning being an integral part of any healthcare career, higher education is not necessarily required for all careers and positions. Some careers in healthcare, like that of a Laboratory Animal Caretaker, merely require a high school diploma or GED. Oppositely, there are multiple careers in healthcare that require a doctoral degree. This wide range in school requirements make a medical career obtainable for any education level, even while a professional is working toward an advanced degree.
“Although having prior animal care experience helps professionals succeed in this role, they can also be trained by an employer,” Marie Alessandro, a Lab Animal Caretaker of mice in Boston, Mass., said. “A hard working personality with an eye for detail will get professionals far in this career. Also, many facilities that are willing to train require only a high school diploma to begin.”
If someone enters a healthcare career in an entry level role, there exists the possibility that they can be trained and climb the professional ladder internally to reach a more sought after role. No matter what educational credentials a person currently has, there is a career in the healthcare industry that they can choose to interview for and work toward obtaining. However, education is not all that employers look for. Ideal candidates for careers in healthcare most often are kind, understanding, trustworthy and meticulous as well.
