Top 10 Fastest Growing Allied Health Careers
Posted in Job Market
Health care is the largest industry today. Currently employing over 14 million people, it is expected to grow even more in the next few years. As reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Health Care industry shows the highest growth of any other field.
The medical field has a far-reaching scope and offers hundreds of various jobs. Below are the top 5 health-care jobs as of today based on number of jobs, projected percentage of job growth, compensation and quality of life. These jobs are currently in high demand due to advancements in health care and the aging population.
Nurses
More than 15% of those working in health care are nurses. With over 2.5 million nurses all over the United States, it is projected to grow by 25% by 2016. What makes nursing a hot medical job is due to the fact that there are so many places that a nurse can work at varying levels of educational attainment.
Physicians
Physicians are expected to grow by 17% by the year 2016 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. One of the main reasons why being a physician is one of the top jobs in the medical field is because the earn the most among all other health care jobs. Granted that most surgeon and specialists fee are slightly squished by insurance companies and managed health care, they still earn several hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
Allied Medical Professionals/Medical Technicians/Medical Assistants
Allied medical jobs and medical assistant positions are included in the list because of the fair compensation, high demand and because of their versatile and flexible function. Minimum educational prerequisites are required and an astounding 36.1% growth by 2016 is expected making it a very viable option for many.
Medical Office Administrative and Supports Jobs
The entire medical admin and support jobs make up about 18% of all health care industry jobs. These jobs require little or no college coursework which means many can apply. But it also means that the compensation is not as high as other medical jobs.
One of the growing number of support jobs in the health care field are Medical Transcriptionists. They growth is not as big as other medical jobs but still significant - an expected 10.5% growth. This position is part of the list because its flexible nature, work-from-home capabilities and short training requirements.
