Healthcare occupations are booming, and many students are pursuing education in relevant majors. A PBS report from 2021 shows that medical schools noticed a 15% rise in applications after COVID-19. You can find many exciting careers in healthcare to make good money. This article will take you through some of the most exciting careers in health while explaining how to pursue these careers academically. Remember to thoroughly research the job duties associated with these careers to ensure you’re interested in pursuing these careers.
Healthcare employment opportunities
What motivates youngsters to join health-related careers today? One may argue students find all health-related jobs lucrative because of how well they pay. The BLS states that healthcare occupations shall grow 13% this decade. Healthcare practitioners earned a median salary of $75,000 in May 2021, a whopping $30,000 higher than the median salary for all jobs in the country. These reasons are enough to make a student interested in pursuing a career in healthcare. Some exciting health careers are listed here:
- Health services managers
Salary:- $101,000 annually
Growth:- 28% this decade
You can become a Medical and Health Services Manager by obtaining a degree in healthcare administration. This job involves supervising a healthcare institution’s day-to-day activities and keeping workers productive. You can work in various settings such as clinics, hospitals, and physician’s offices. Some students may specialize in sectors such as clinical managers, nursing home administrators, health information managers, and others.
- IT managers
Salary:- $159,000 annually
Growth:- 16% this decade
Healthcare information technology managers are the experts combining their medical expertise with technical acumen. Your job is about regulating all the data, billing records, patient histories, and other medical paperwork that exists virtually. As tech has become more relevant in patient care, healthcare IT management is a lucrative field for someone with an IT background. It’s also the highest-paying job mentioned in this list of healthcare careers.
- Speech therapists
Salary:- $79,000 annually
Growth:- 21% this decade
This job is also called speech-language pathology, and these professionals help people suffering from communication disorders. So, what do SLPs do? After earning a master’s in SLP, pathologists in most states earn a license to practice. They help patients with speaking problems, such as speech disorders. Moreover, they treat children suffering from feeding or swallowing issues. It’s an exciting career for those who like public dealing and helping others overcome these obstacles.
- Physical therapists
Salary:- $95,000 annually
Growth:- 17% this decade
You can obtain a master’s degree or even a doctorate in physical therapy to pursue this career. A DPT makes you a highly-educated professional and may help you make even more money. You deal with patients who have to undergo surgery and have just undergone one. You help them bolster their mobility and find relief from pain. PTs don’t have to always work in medical settings; they find work in the education and social work sectors too.
- Nurse anesthetists
Salary:- $123,000 annually
Growth:- 40% this decade
Providing anesthesia before surgical operations is a delicate operation but not a deadly one. Surveys suggest that one out of a million patients succumb to anesthesia-related complications. These deaths have become rare because of professionals such as nurse anesthetists. These experts must obtain a CRNA to become capable of carefully administering the right dosage to a patient pre-op. This job can be very demanding as anesthetists must monitor during a procedure to ensure their well-being.
- Nurse practitioners
Salary:- $123,000 annually
Growth:- 40% this decade
It’s a well-known fact that the US healthcare industry suffers from a shortage of physicians. Data suggests the country needs 37,800 to 124,000 doctors in the next twelve years! However, nurse practitioners can fulfill this gap since they share similar competencies with physicians. NPs can obtain an FNP certificate to become capable of assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients. Many states allow NPs to prescribe medicines to their clients. Hence, people can visit you when doctors are scarce.
- Radiologic and MRI technologists
Salary:- $62,000 annually
Growth:- 6% this decade
This exciting career deals with operating the complex machines doctors need to scan patients and diagnose them. These machines use radiation techniques to take images of a patient’s body and cannot be operated by the untrained. Radiological technicians are trained to work with machines like that and help diagnose patients. You take MRIs and make sure X-rays are performed correctly to lead to an accurate assessment of the patient’s well-being. Also, beware of radioactive particles.
- Pharmacist
Salary:- $128,000 annually
Growth:- 2% this decade
Getting a degree in pharmacy prepares you for a career in this amazing vocation. It deals with selling meds as prescribed by physicians to ensure the well-being of patients. It’s a detail-oriented career and needs attentive individuals. You can read how slowly this job is progressing with a handsome salary. You can invest in your future by gaining a degree in pharmacy. You have to ensure the quality of the medicine given to people and ascertain there is no illegal (recreational) distribution of drugs.
- Orthotists and prosthetists
Salary:- $75,000 annually
Growth:- 17% this decade
As indicated by its name, the health career deals with fabricating prosthetics for people who’ve lost their limbs. You obtain a degree in orthotics and prosthetics to become licensed if required by your state. Your responsibilities involve designing artificial appendages, measuring patients for them, and making sure these limbs fit them. That’s how you can help people overcome disabilities and get back to their earlier lifestyles. You also deal with patients of different ages, genders, and backgrounds.
- EMTs and paramedics
Salary:- $37,000 annually
Growth:- 7% this decade
There are more than a million EMTs and paramedics working in America right now. The country’s healthcare system relies on the vigilance of competence of these professionals as they are the first respondents to the scene of an accident. Their services keep patients alive and well on their way to a hospital. A person should seek this underpaid but demanding career if that person is fond of adventures as well as excitement. Also, you only need basic training to become a paramedic in the United States.
Conclusion
More students are taking an interest in healthcare occupations since the coronavirus. You can also obtain a degree in healthcare – an MHA, for instance – to become eligible for health services management. Also, some other important careers include becoming a pharmacist, a paramedic, a prosthetist, a radiological technician, and an IT manager, among others. Some of the well-paid professionals in healthcare are nurse practitioners and nurse anesthetists. So, it would help if you chose a career based on your skills and passion.
