The Fastest Growing Health Care Occupations in 2021 and Beyond

The Healthcare industry is continuously growing and is expected to expand as we head into 2021. Primarily because of our aging population, the need for healthcare services has increased as well. Besides, the demand for healthcare workers also increased over the past year due to the pandemic.

According to BLS (The Bureau of Labor Statistics), healthcare careers will continue to grow approximately 15%, relatively faster than average. Because of this exceptionally high growth rate, almost 2.4 million new healthcare jobs are expected to open up between 2019 and 2029. 

Fastest-Growing Healthcare Professions

In this article, we’ll discuss the leading and fastest-growing healthcare jobs in 2021 that you may want to pursue. This healthcare career list will help you choose the fastest growing healthcare profession for a successful future. 

Nurse Practitioners

If you are already a nurse and want to boost your career, completing a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) is something you can consider. As a nurse, your job is to provide advanced care to the patients, like diagnosing the problem, treating the illnesses, applying different treatment practices, and prescribing the medicines accordingly. 

Job opportunities for registered nurses are among the highest growing careers of any industry nationwide. They can also pursue non-nursing jobs if they like. By 2029, the need for nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, and nurse midwives is expected to grow by 45%. The average salary of a registered nurse is almost $111,840 per year, making it nearly $53.77 per hour – this shows that it is among the highest-paid and fastest-growing jobs in any industry. 

Occupational Therapy Assistants

Occupational Therapy Assistants have a significant role in helping occupational therapists to ensure that the treatment strategies function smoothly. Occupational Therapist Assistants support the occupational therapists to provide treatments to help progress, recover and maintain daily-life skills necessary for life and work. Their task is to handle the documentation and assist in routine functions.

To become an occupational therapy assistant, you have to get an associate degree from an accredited occupational therapy program. The average salary of an occupational therapist is almost $61,800 annually. Along with this, employment growth is estimated to increase by 32% by the year 2029. As an occupational therapy assistant, you’ll probably have to work in clinics, hospitals, healthcare facilities, and home care settings.

Physical Therapist Assistants

If you are willing to work in hospitals, physical therapy offices, and care facilities, then this job is perfect for you. The annual median wage for physical therapy assistants is $60,000, which is expected to increase 29% by 2029.

Physical Therapy Assistants deal with patients who have injuries or health conditions that reduce their ability to move or perform daily life activities efficiently. As a PTA, your job will provide hands-on therapy and document every patient’s professed performance in daily life activities. 

To work as a physical therapy assistant, you need to get an associate degree which can be finished in almost 20 months. Other than this, it would help if you also took the NPTE (National Examination for Physical Therapy Assistants) to work as a licensed PTA.

Medical and Health Services Managers

This is also among the fastest-growing and highly-paying healthcare fields. The job of a medical and health services manager is to plan, direct, and manage activities in the different healthcare setups. The average salary of a health services manager is $104,000, with a chance to increase to about 32% by the year 2029. For this, you need a bachelor’s degree; however, some organizations prefer a Master’s degree.

Health services managers are responsible for all the amendments that need to occur in the industry. Besides, they also need to communicate and implement these changes to facilitate the business smoothly. You are mainly employed in nursing care facilities, physician offices, and hospitals as a healthcare manager.

Medical Assistants

Being a medical assistant is one of the fastest ways to begin a successful career in healthcare. You can start with a post-secondary degree like an associate degree or a diploma and then apply for certifications to further upgrade your career.

The average salary of an assistant is approximately $35,700 annually, with an expected increase of 19% from 2019-2029. As a medical assistant, your duty can be challenging since you have to work directly with the doctors. Medical assistants are responsible for administrative tasks and communicative tasks like recording patients’ history, scheduling appointments, and help patients with their tests and examinations. 

Bottom-Line

The demand for healthcare professionals is increasing with time. With the ongoing pandemic and shocking increase in the hospitals’ patients over the past year, the profession up-surged rapidly. 

Suppose you want to pursue a healthcare profession with a fantastic job outlook. Then the occupations we’ve suggested should be your priority. For more informative articles, stay connected.