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Where the future is:
The hottest healthcare jobs
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Healthcare has been identified as one of the hottest growth areas, with employment outpacing the non-healthcare sector two-to-one. More good news: This growth is expected to continue. Here's a close-up look at some of the hottest areas within healthcare.
Health Administrator/Executive
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects rapid employment growth as the industry expands and diversifies. In the face of regulatory and technological changes, personnel shortages, increasing demand for accountability by insurance companies and Medicare and increasing importance of preventive care, healthcare managers and executives play an increasingly important role in the industry. Jobs at the highest levels of management bring prestige and attractive salaries — expect keen competition.
Hot specialty areas: You'll find the most opportunities in health practitioners' offices, general medical and surgical hospitals, home healthcare services and outpatient care centers.
Registered Nurse
Nursing was named one of the 25 best careers by an article in U.S. News. The rankings took into account salary, job market outlook, and quality of life, among other considerations.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Registered Nurse is one of the top ten occupations with the largest job growth.
The need for nurses is enormous, with more than 100,000 vacant positions right now, and an estimated shortage of 800,000 nurses by 2020. In fact, "registered nurses are projected to create the second largest number of new jobs among all occupations," according to the Bureau.
Hot specialty areas: Outpatient care centers, long-term care facilities and home healthcare are expected to grow faster than average. A shortage of nurse educators will create additional need for nurses with graduate degrees who want to work in academia. Registered nurses have a great potential for advancement — in particular those with a graduate degree, who are sought after to provide much-needed services such as case management, health promotion and disease prevention.
Physical Therapist
It's expected to be one of the fastest-growing jobs between now and 2014, according to an article in U.S. News, with a projected growth rate of 36.7 percent. That's mainly because aging baby boomers will require treatment for arthritis, stroke, heart disease and other conditions. Medical and technological advances in treating newborns, trauma victims and patients suffering from various disabling conditions will create additional demand for rehabilitative care. The current popularity of fitness and sports also means there will be more musculoskeletal injuries to be treated.
Hot specialty areas: Physical therapists are increasingly being asked to consult with employers regarding preventive initiatives such as evaluating worksites, developing exercise programs and teaching safe work habits. Many of these opportunities can be incorporated into a physical therapist's current practice or performed as a separate, part-time business.
Occupational Therapist
Another of the fastest-growing jobs between now and 2014, according to an article in U.S. News, with a projected growth rate of 33.6 percent. Middle-aged baby boomers and increasing numbers of the elderly will require more therapeutic services as the incidence of heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer's disease and other disabling conditions rises among this demographic.
Hot specialty areas: Emerging practice areas include driver rehabilitation, fall-prevention training for the elderly and working with disabled children. Rising healthcare costs mean assistants and aides are taking on more hands-on roles, freeing occupational therapists to assume supervisory roles.
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