Breaking Down the Fastest Growing Careers in Healthcare

When most people think of the hospital, their minds immediately jump to the doctors and nurses that stand on the front lines of the healthcare field.

It’s always important to remember, however, that the staff at a clinic or hospital or anywhere else are all part of a dedicated healthcare team. That team is certainly made up of doctors and nurses, but it’s also composed of a number of other specialists whose knowledge and experience can make a crucial difference in a person’s standard of care.

Today, we’ll explore some of the fastest growing careers in the healthcare field as outlined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. With a degree in one of these areas, there’s a great chance that your opportunity for job placement will be much higher than the 11% average across all industries.

Diagnostic Medical Sonographer

We find that the best way to describe diagnostic medical sonographers is to think of such persons as the detectives of the allied health community. You’ll learn how to get an accurate internal picture of different parts of the human body so as to assess potential maladies and reveal possible treatments in the process.

This job is expanding dramatically in the next few years due to a number of factors. The population is aging, thereby creating a need to properly diagnose numerous internal conditions. Plus, technology has progressed significantly and will continue to do so, providing for a greater array of noninvasive procedures that have the added benefit of getting an individual in and out of the hospital more quickly.

All told, diagnostic medical sonography is projected to grow by an astounding 46% between 2012 and 2022. Diagnosis? Positive.

Occupational Therapy Assistants

Before we begin, it’s important to note that Occupational Therapists are themselves set to experience a beneficial job forecast of 29% growth within the aforementioned years. And with Occupational Therapy Assistants set to experience 42.6% projected job growth (with aides not far behind at 36.2%), this is one industry that will see incredible expansion in the coming years.

Occupational Therapy is booming for many of the same reasons listed above, with more and more people looking to benefit from a level of care that extends far beyond what used to be possible. The healthcare community recognizes the value of enabling an individual to maintain an exceptional quality of life, and occupational therapy achieves that.

Nebraska Methodist College recently launched a Master in Occupational Therapy program whose first class begins in the fall of 2016. We do not offer an Occupational Therapy Assistant program, but as you can see above, OTs themselves can look forward to incredible job growth as well.

Physical Therapist Assistants

This is another role that’s vital for helping an individual improve their quality of life. Physical therapist assistants can expect 41% projected job growth until 2022.

Why this increased attention in professions designed to aid mobility? Once again, it has a lot to do with an aging population. People are staying active later than ever, and chronic conditions have also grown more common over the years.

Physical therapist assistants play important roles in healthcare, helping injured and ill people gain improved mobility and enhanced levels of comfort. If you want to see the visible difference you can make in a person’s life, then this may be the field for you.

Health Specialties Teachers- Postsecondary

This growing industry, which sees its 2022 projection standing at 36.1% job growth, is one that is critical to the continued advancement of healthcare education.

College students pursuing an allied health degree are acquiring highly specialized skill sets, but in order to meet demand, you need qualified individuals from the industry who are capable of teaching these healthcare workers of tomorrow.

This is why health specialty teachers are experiencing such dynamic growth. Nebraska Methodist College is helping to meet this demand with our Academic Program Administration and Leadership program, or APAL.

This Master’s level program is designed to teach those with a healthcare background how to step into educational leadership roles. Not only does it emphasize teaching knowledge, but it really delves into pedagogy and administrative functions as well.

Nursing Instructors and Teachers- Postsecondary

Growth in this field is projected to be large for the same reasons as the previous point. At 35.4% projected job growth, it’s clear that the United States will need a supply of people to teach future nursing professionals.

Nebraska Methodist College actually offers an MSN- Nurse Educator track for all nurses who have an interest in putting their own skills to use educating others. This has proven to be an attractive option for nurses who find the experience of teaching to be immensely fulfilling.

Because there is such a high demand for nurse educators, students can receive partial loan forgiveness through the Nurse Faculty Loan Program. Provided that the graduate agrees to teach full-time for at least four years following graduation, the individual can get up to 85% of their student loans forgiven.

The Future of Healthcare

As you can see, the future is looking bright for tomorrow’s healthcare workers. If any of these programs sound like something that would be the right fit for you, then download one of our degree guides from above or click the applicable links. They’ll provide you with more insights on specific plans of action in each degree path.