Thinking about going into the healthcare field? Now seems to be a good time. Healthcare jobs increased by 37,000 in March, according to recent data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This brings the yearlong total to a whopping 503,000.
I repeat: 503,000. In a year. That’s huge. And the general growth of healthcare has been steady over the past decade.
Hospitals hired the most people this year, with 10,000 additional jobs in March and 183,000 jobs throughout the year. Ambulatory services added 27,000 jobs in March. The growth also extends to dentists’ offices, physicians’ offices and more.
Registered nurses make up 2.7 million of jobs—the biggest occupation group right now. Nursing assistants sit at a healthy 1.4 million, and home aides have reached over 800,000 jobs.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the healthcare industry is also projected to add 9.8 million new jobs from 2014-2024—the highest job growth rate of any industry.
There’s a lot of speculation about the cause of the growth, but the general consensus is greater access to healthcare via the Affordable Care Act and the Baby Boomer generation aging into retirement and Medicare. Industry advances like telehealth and health information technology also create more jobs, and more need for specialized technical skills.
And not all of the added healthcare jobs require a doctoral degree or years of schooling, either. Check out this list from The Fiscal Times to see the top 50 healthcare occupations and the educational requirements for each. The list includes positions like dental assistant, healthcare administrator, health information technology and more.
Education institutions like Ultimate Medical Academy also offer associate degrees in allied health fields including Medical Billing and Coding, Health Technology and Systems, Health and Human Services and others. These types of degrees can qualify you for many different positions in the field of healthcare, without the need for years and years of schooling.
For more information on healthcare industry projections, average salaries and the different types of employment opportunities, click here.
Statistics accurate as of April 19, 2016