According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), health care is THE fastest growing industry and expected to add the most jobs in the next 10 years.
Indeed, any expert in the field would likely say the same thing.
Why? One big reason is the Affordable Care Act, which has increased access to health care for millions of Americans. In addition, the push to reduce exploding health care costs have spurred reactions from every corner of the industry. For example:
Physicians Are Rethinking Their Career Paths
Increased regulation and decreased insurance reimbursements are causing many physicians to reduce their work hours, which will increase the necessity for more physicians and more nurses in the years to come.
Health Care Is Coming Out of Hospitals and Into the Community
The need for acute care hasn’t decreased, but the focus on health care costs has intensified interest in population health (also called community or public health).
Rather than waiting until someone requires hospitalization, the trend is toward delivering preventive care in the home and in community health centers.
However, this shift necessitates different kinds of caregivers, such as public health care workers, case managers, and patient advocates. In future years, more of these nontraditional health care workers will need to be hired and trained.
Technology Continues to Impact Health Care
There’s no doubt that health care and technology are intrinsically linked. When new technologies enter the market, whether in reaction to a problem widely perceived as needing a solution or as the answer to a question not yet asked, the industry has no choice but to act.
While some caution against the use of “novelty medicine,” (and they surely have a point), technological advances are a given in health care. As such, in the years ahead, more workers will be required to develop solutions, test solutions, implement solutions, and measure the effectiveness of those solutions.
We’re Getting Older and Living Longer
A report by the Healthcare Intelligence Network published way back in 2006 noted that Baby Boomers were living longer and had higher expectations of health care than generations past.
Fast forward to 2016 and the news hasn’t changed.
According to an estimate by the American Hospital Association, nearly 3 million Boomers will reach retirement age every year until the year 2029. These individuals want to stay healthy and feel good through retirement, and they’re looking to the health care industry to make it happen.
What’s more, this population is generally tech savvy and not shy about demanding new technologies that give them access to better care, such as digital record keeping, telemedicine, and wearable monitoring devices.
To meet Baby Boomer demand and expectations, the health care industry will continue to grow and innovate.
Growth Tends to Spur More Growth
Finally, as more and different positions are introduced to the industry, more people will be needed to manage and measure the efficiency of it all. That means more opportunities for health care administrators, IT staff specializing in health care, data collectors, data analysts, and human resources.
For these reasons and others, there’s no question health care careers will be in high demand over the next decade, and likely beyond.
