Healthcare jobs are at a premium

It is a fact that people today, whatever the reason, do not take proper care of their health whether due to a fast paced lifestyle or mere complacency. People just do not eat right and are way too inactive. That, together with a rapidly aging population has led to the healthcare industry being one of the fastest growing in the world. Healthcare jobs are consequently at a premium. As one of the largest industries in the US in 2008, healthcare provided 14.3 million jobs for wage and salary workers. Furthermore, ten of the twenty fastest growing occupations are healthcare related. Healthcare will generate 3.2 million new wage and salary jobs between 2008 and 2018, more than any other industry, largely in response to rapid growth in the elderly population. An occupation in healthcare is not only a wise choice for jobseekers but also a rewarding one.

Combining medical technology and the human touch, the healthcare industry diagnoses, treats, and administers care around the clock, responding to the needs of millions of people—from newborns to the terminally ill.

The establishments that make up the healthcare industry are varied in terms of size, staffing patterns, and organizational structures. The majority of healthcare establishments are offices of physicians, dentists, or other health practitioners. Although hospitals constitute a very small percentage of all healthcare establishments, they employ close to a third of all workers. Healthcare firms employ large numbers of workers in professional and service occupations. Together, these two occupational groups account for the vast majority of jobs in the industry. The next largest share of jobs is in office and administrative support. Management, business, financial and other occupations in healthcare made up the remainder.

Professional occupations, such as physicians and surgeons, dentists, registered nurses, social workers, and physical therapists, usually require tertiary qualification and often have high levels of responsibility and complex duties. In addition to providing services, these workers may supervise other workers or conduct research. Some professional occupations, such as medical and health services managers, have little to no contact with patients.

Health technologists and technicians work in many fast-growing occupations, such as medical records and health information. Technicians, diagnostic medical sonographers, radiologic technologists and technicians, and dental hygienists may operate medical equipment and assist health diagnosing and treating practitioners. They are typically graduates of 1-year or 2-year postsecondary training programs. Service occupations attract many workers with little or no specialized education or training. These workers are typically nursing aides, home health aides, building cleaning workers, dental assistants, medical assistants, and personal and home care aides. Nursing orhome health aides provide health-related services for ill, injured, disabled, elderly, or infirm individuals either in institutions or in their homes. By providing routine personal care services,personal and home care aides help elderly, disabled, and ill persons live in their own homes instead of in an institution. With experience and, in some cases, further education and training, service workers may advance to higher-level positions or transfer to new occupations.

Healthcare jobs, therefore, can attract a wide range of talents and offer a varied salary scale.