The Coronavirus pandemic ravaged and burned out the healthcare workforce. Since then, there has been a high demand for skilled healthcare professionals.
There was already an existing critical healthcare labor shortage that the pandemic has exacerbated. The increasing demand for healthcare workers may reach 10 million by 2026. Yet, the labor supply can not keep up with the demand.
Additionally, the sector is forecast to grow by over 15%, an average growth rate that surpasses other labor sectors. Interestingly, the demand cuts across all healthcare sectors, from technical to clinical medical jobs.
These jobs need varying academic qualifications and experience. Let’s learn about some of them.
Table of Contents
Technical Health Careers
Technical health jobs are associated with advances in technology within the medical field. Here are some of the technical medical jobs;
- Surgical Technologist
Surgical technologists support safe surgical operations and patient care. They work together with surgeons and the surgical team to ensure smooth surgical operations.
- Average pay: $23.90/hr, $49,710/yr
- Qualification: Postsecondary non-degree
- Recommended education: Technical college training, an associate of science in surgical studies, or trade school.
- The number of US jobs: 0ver 100,000 in 2020.
- Pharmacy Technician
Pharmacy technicians support pharmacists in providing prescription medication to patients and healthcare teams.
You’ll need a high school diploma and on-the-job training to be a pharmacy technician. Alternatively, you can do a postsecondary pharmacy technology program. But you must pass the PTCB exam to practice. You can use a pharmacy technician practice test to improve your chances of passing the state board’s pharmacy tech certification test.
- Average pay: $16.87/hour, $35,100/year
- Number of US jobs: Over 410,000 in 2020
Other technical medical jobs include;
- phlebotomist,
- veterinary technician,
- dental lab technician,
- MRI technologist, etc.
Clinical Health Careers
The clinical health jobs are consist of roles that involve direct treatment and hands-on care to patients.
Most of them require advanced formal training and other criteria for qualifications. Let’s discuss some of them;
- Pediatrician
Pediatricians are physicians that have a specialty in children’s health. Their schooling covers common injuries, illnesses, and medical conditions in children and young adults. Although most of them practice independently, they also operate in hospitals and other healthcare centers.
Average pay: $85.16/hour, $177,130/year
Recommended education: Doctor of Medicine.
The number of jobs in the US: Over 27,000 in 2020.
- Chiropractor
Chiropractors address non-surgical conditions associated with body structure, especially bones and the spine.
They improve body function and pain relief without drug prescription. It involves properly adjusting and aligning the spine and other body parts.
They can work independently or provide support in hospitals. Chiropractor’s services are needed after injuries.
- Average pay: $34.00/hour, $70,720 per year
- Recommended education: Master of Science in Chiropractic or Doctor of Chiropractics.
- The number of jobs in the US: Over 50,000
- Obstetrician
Also known as OB-GYNs or gynecologists, they monitor and help pregnant women before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and after birth.
Also, they can conduct fertility screening and treatment to help couples having difficulty getting children.
- Average pay: $114.58/hour, $238,320/year
- Recommended education: Doctor of Medicine
- The number of jobs in the US: Over 18,000
Common Health Careers
- Medical Assistant
Medical assistants undertake administrative and clinical tasks for medical practitioners. You can take a medical assistant course, which helps in their duties depending on the setting; they collect specimens for lab, forward prescriptions to the pharmacy, offer customer service support, etc.
- Average pay: $14.80/hour
- Recommended education: Associate degree or high school diploma
- The number of jobs in the US: More than 18,000 in 2020.
- Nursing Assistant
Nursing assistants offer basic care and support patients’ daily living and functions. They support registered nurses to perform some of their tasks. Some duties include getting vital signs, dressing patients, organizing medical equipment, etc.
- Average pay: $14.82/hour, $30,830/year
- Recommended education: Associate degree or training in a trade school
- The number of jobs in the US: Over 1.4 million jobs in 2020.
- Registered Nurse
Registered nurses (RNs) collaborate with other medical professionals to offer optimal patient care. Also, they educate patients and the general public on different health conditions.
Some duties include running diagnostic tests, taking patient symptoms, administering medications.
- Average pay: $36.22/hour, $75,330/year
- Recommended education: Bachelor’s degree
- The number of jobs in the US: Over 3,000,000 in 2020.
- Nurse Practitioner
They offer specialty or primary care under the guidance of the physician. Some of the common duties for nurse practitioners include taking patient diagnostic tests, requesting lab tests, prescribing medications, and overall health condition management.
The duties of a nurse practitioner may vary based on state regulations and setting.
- Average pay: $109,601/year
- Recommended education: Master’s degree
- The number of jobs in the US: Over 10,000 in 2020.
- Physical Therapist
Physical therapists help ill or injured people improve their movement and relieve pain. Their duties include diagnosing physical issues and helping patients with hands-on therapy sessions for pain management. Teaching and engaging patients in exercises is part of therapy sessions.
- Average pay: $43.75/hour, $91,010/year
- Recommended education: Professional or doctorate degree.
- The number of jobs in the US: More than 230,000 in 2020.
There are also administrative roles in the healthcare sector. Here is one of them:
- Medical Transcriptionist
Medical transcriptionists convert audio recordings and interviews between physicians and others into written reports. They can work independently or with third-party transcription service providers to facilitate the creation of written reports for management’s decision-making.
- Average pay: $16.96/hour, $35,270
- Recommended education: Postsecondary non-degree certification.
- The number of jobs in the US: More than 50,000 in 2020.
Other administrative roles in healthcare include:
- Medical records director
- Medical biller
- Medical receptionist etc.
Take Away
The Healthcare sector faces a critical labor shortage from less-skilled to highly-skilled roles. The coronavirus pandemic increased the demand for healthcare workers.
So, if you wish to get into the healthcare industry, it is the right time and call. You have a lot of opportunities and roles that go beyond the ones listed above.
