The Upside-Down World of Healthcare Staffing

Copyright (c) 2010 Trey Markel

If you were able to go back in time twenty years and ask a recruiter what the number one field to find a job in would be in 2010, you would hear the words "health care". That's how long the health care industry has been sitting at the top of the charts for job opportunities. Health care staffing agencies have sprung up all over the nation and they are staying busy with the ever-increasing demand for personnel. Despite that, the field is becoming less attractive to students entering college for the first time and administrators seeking long-term stability. The general consensus, as health insurance has now taken center stage in American politics, is that the bubble is about to burst.

For those in medical school right now or those already working in the health care field, please don't up and quit your jobs or drop out. The health care industry will always have work available. People get sick and need caretakers. What is upside-down about it now is that specialists abound and primary care doctors are becoming more difficult to find. Students who are graduating from medical school are choosing to go into a specific type of medicine instead of starting as a general practitioner like they did in years past. Meanwhile, most health insurance policies require a referral from a PCP in order for a patient to book an appointment with a specialist. Something has to change.

How Rising Costs Affect Health Care Staffing Needs

You would think that rising costs would mean an increase in the number of jobs available, but in the health care field that is not necessarily the case. With the number of primary care physicians decreasing and fewer medical students choosing to fill those spots, specialists are getting less referrals, creating a need for them to raise their fees. On the other end, the pool of patients waiting to see a primary care doctor before they can get to a specialist is getting larger and the waiting lists longer, causing hospitals and doctors' offices to stretch their already strained resources to the limit. More administrators and clerical personnel can be hired to handle the paperwork, but that means higher insurance rates and doesn't make the quality of care any better.

Change is happening across the board, but there aren't any significant fluctuations in the number of jobs being offered by health care staffing agencies. If anything, there seems to be an increase, but those new jobs are the kind that may not be long term. The ability to pay for extra support staff may decrease as time goes on if a solution to the backlog and the lack of primary care physicians isn't addressed. Even if nothing changes, the new jobs that are opening up in the field right now are either entry-level low-paying positions or high end surgeon's jobs that require specialized knowledge.

Primary Care Physicians Will Always Have Work

Having painted such a bleak picture of the health care staffing industry in previous paragraphs, let's take a moment to instill some hope into the medical student working hard to obtain a degree. If you choose to become a primary care physician you will always have work. There is no shortage of available positions in what has been classified as the "front lines" of the medical industry. If you're willing to spend some time caring for patients the old-fashioned way, checking aches and ailments, recommending treatment options, and writing prescriptions, you will have a secure future. It may take a little longer to pay off those student loans you've been taking on, but there is no question about job security. No other position in the field can offer that.

Health Care Staffing for Health Insurance Companies

Is mandatory health insurance the solution to this problem? Some claim that the recent health insurance bill actually gives health insurance companies carte blanche to charge whatever they like. If someone is mandated to buy insurance, why bother trying to keep prices down? They have to buy. Of course, there is competition which will help keep prices lower, but most experts agree that costs will go up, not down. If you're seeking a job in the health insurance field right now, your prospects look pretty good. The new laws expand coverage to more Americans, so more staff will be needed to handle the demand. Even if the law is appealed, many of those new jobs will be long term. The extra personnel will be needed just to deal with all the changes.

Nursing is a Wonderful Option

Medical students who wish to be doctors are looking at high liabilities and crushing debt from student loans before they get started. Nurses don't have the same issues. You can become a registered nurse in less time than it takes to become a full-fledged doctor. You'll normally work as an employee so you won't be responsible for liability insurance, and salaries are significant, more than most jobs in the private sector pay. The gem of health care staffing is definitely nursing positions. If you're graduating high school and looking for a solid, long-term, secure job in the health care field, go to school to become a nurse. There will always be a need for your services, no matter where you are.

How does Upside-Down Become Right side-Up?

Mandatory health care was one attempt to solve the problems of rising medical costs and long waiting lists at clinics and hospitals. The premise behind it was that uninsured individuals were weighing down the system and that creating extra revenue would solve that problem. The reality is that the problem isn't health insurance. It's the health care industry itself, which is upside down right now. The trend for medical students entering the field is to go directly into a specialist's position, skipping the hard work of being a primary care physician. Until that problem is addressed, the system is not likely to improve, but no matter what there will always be jobs available in health care. If you're looking for real job security, go into health care staffing. They need lots of help.