It is characteristic that in the modern, rapidly developing healthcare industry, new positions appear due to technological advancements, and some positions have become no longer relevant. That is why, to ensure that your career life is on the right path, you must be in touch with the current trends within the healthcare sector. For those who are trying to decide what career to pursue or those planning to change careers, the knowledge of which positions will be in demand in the future or, on the other extreme, the positions that will set a job carrot. Further, awareness of the specific skills employers need today will help you target your personal growth. To understand the conclusion of traditional doctor and nurse-type professions in the future healthcare industry, in this article, we will describe the shift of healthcare jobs, indicate the primary professions and give you suggestions.
Introduction
Healthcare has been and will continue to be an essential sector given the importance of human welfare and the value of human life; however, healthcare jobs are different in the modern world. Even though there is a steady growth in some healthcare careers, others are experiencing limited growth because of technology. In that light, these contemporary trends assist people in preparing themselves for manoeuvring precariously in this ever-evolving line of work. Whether you want to acquire employment in rapidly growing fields like the PAs or you want to know the latest issues affecting long-term care, it will only be wise to manage your expectations appropriately through a career track.
The Importance of Staying Informed About Healthcare Job Trends
Just as the overall climate of healthcare changes, the individual prospects for employment and growth do as well. Knowing which industries have growing and shrinking employment demand enables you to plan your career better. In this way, understanding where the most opportunity lies, you can align your skill set to what employers want and improve your odds of finding a stable job. On the other hand, when such roles appear to be deteriorating, it may help you avoid participation in a career that offers few prospects.
Growing Professions and Skills in Demand
Individual specialities should be mindful that as healthcare expands, certain career fields are booming, unlike before. Thus, knowing which roles are growing will assist you in determining where most of your energy should be directed. Allow me to share one of the most promising healthcare careers of the present and the future.
Physician Assistant (PA): A Booming Healthcare Career
Among several emerging occupations in the sphere of healthcare, the most dynamically developing one is the occupation of a Physician Assistant (PA). A PA is an employee of a physician, and while they might work independently, they can only do so under the direction of a physician. They may also work in primary care, surgical assistance, and emergent care. They do procedures, make diagnoses, treat diseases with the necessary medications, and frequently act as agents of the overseeing doctor.
According to the BLS, PAs are expected to raise their employment by 31% in 2018-2028 compared to other average employment growth rates for most nursing occupations, which constitute only 5%. I attribute this staggering growth to the fact that there is a growing demand for healthcare providers globally, especially in areas where doctors are hard to come by. The PA profession presents several options for speciality areas; this makes the career preferred by those who wish to assume fundamental roles in patient care.
In particular, the desire to become a PA remains a perfect opportunity for young people who want to have a bright and stable practice in healthcare. Now is a perfect time to look into this emerging profession due to the increasing demand for PAs.
Skills in Demand for Physician Assistants
To perform well as a PA, one has to be a good communicator with excellent problem-solving skills, Proficient in medical practice, and a good team player with excellent working relations with doctors and other medical personnel. Another factor is also unrelated to patient dependency, as PAs will have to deal with a range of patient requirements and therapies.
Declining Healthcare Professions: Technological Disruption
While there is an increase in some roles, other roles are even declining, mainly because of enhanced technology. For example, demand for Medical Records and Health Information Technicians is anticipated to decrease progressively by 7% by 2028 as postulated by BLS.
Medical Records and Health Information Technicians
It has been experiencing a decline in recent years thanks to the evolution of electronic health records (EHRs). The need for technicians is reducing in the healthcare industry, where many organizations are implementing technical systems for record-keeping. Implementing a computer-generated system for capturing and storing patient information calls for a diminution of human resources in record-keeping.
Workers in this sector need to update their knowledge in applying digital health technologies at the workplace to remain relevant in the industry or consider specializing in technical operations.
The Growing Demand But Shrinking Supply of Long-Term Care Workers
They are service providers that attend to the orphans with challenges they face in their daily lives, including bathing, feeding, and moving around. They also provide emotional counselling to the patient and their families as they are critical players in enhancing their client’s quality of life.
But on the other hand, the demand for long-term care workers is increasing, and at the same time, the pool of qualified workforce is decreasing. This gap is most evident in the increasing average age of the population and the shift from acute to long-term and chronic care now that the baby boomers are retiring.
Opportunities in Long-Term Care
Thus, the ever-growing need for qualified workers trained to provide long-term care is a perfect time to join this field or progress. Long-term care offers job stability; the competencies needed include expertise in communications, interpersonal relationships, empathy and tolerance. If you have these qualities, long-term care can make a very satisfying career for you, enabling you to touch many lives positively.
Since the healthcare industry is leaning more towards home and long-term care, anybody specializing in this field will have job openings for promotion and enhancement. If properly driven and equipped, you can have a great job while being of tremendous importance to many people out there.
Conclusion
It must also be understood that there are progressive changes in healthcare; job openings in selected fields increase, and in some fields, they decrease due to scientific inventions and changes in patient care needs. There is no better way to ensure that you tap into these areas of practice than to ensure that you are informed on them to make appropriate career decisions. Roles like the Physician Assistant careers are growing massively, which means these are good opportunities for anyone interested in getting into healthcare. On the other hand, the need for long-term care workers remains high; this gives a stable market for people who want to work in the healthcare line but with a lot of compassion.
The emerging technical positions include Electronic Health Record Technicians and Coder Specialists while declining positions include Medical Records and Health Information Technicians. High-growth occupations and skills that can be attained guarantee success in a chosen healthcare profession and, thus, a successful and satisfying career.
Last but not least, there are vast career opportunities in the healthcare industry, and being mindful of these job trends will enable one to grow and develop a successful career in this kind of practice.
