Future Medical Professional? Consider Outlooks for 5 Healthcare Occupations

People pursue careers in healthcare for a number of reasons. Whether it’s because  they excel at science, desire a stable career or have a deep passion for interacting with patients. One thing is certain: People will always need healthcare and, by extension, people and practices qualified to provide it.

Whether you’re a medical or allied health student or the owner of a medical practice looking  to expand your services over time, it’s always worthwhile to consider the career outlooks for various positions. In a hiring capacity, you’ll also need to cover all employees with various types of medical professional insurance (like workers’ compensation) and make sure candidates have the necessary training and experience to do the job well. 

Here’s a bit more about the job outlooks for five growing healthcare occupations.

Medical Assistant

Medical assistants serve as the right-hand helpers of doctors, nurses and others by accomplishing important administrative tasks. For instance, a doctor can’t treat a patient without an accurate record of their vital signs and a rundown of their medical history. That’s where medical assistants come in: to kick off appointments and help everyone get the information they need. Depending on the size and nature of an organization, medical assistants may tackle varying (but all important) tasks to keep appointments running and recordkeeping active.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the job outlook between 2016 and 2026 is “much faster than average” at 29 percent growth. The rationale here is that physicians can see more patients if they’re less bogged down with administrative work, so medical assistants are primed to offload these duties for them.

Nurse Practitioner

Being a nurse practitioner means taking registered nurse duties even further with training in diagnosing and treating conditions. Not only do candidates need a four-year degree in nursing plus experience in the field, they also need a master’s degree in their specialty. As Business Insider reports, there will be 44,700 new nurse practitioner positions by 2024, making it a worthwhile endeavor for nurses who want to boost their earnings and job responsibilities.

Dentist

According to U.S. News & World Report, dentists capture the number one spot on their “100 Best Jobs” list and currently face an unemployment rate of only .1 percent. Dentists also have some flexibility in how they structure their career—they can join an existing standalone practice, work for a franchise or start their own dental office.

Physical Therapist

Another career anticipating much faster than average growth according to the BLS, physical therapy has a projected 25 percent growth between 2016 and 2026. These professionals primarily help patients with pain relief and rehabilitation through specialized knowledge of human movement and activity.

Healthcare Administrator

Although healthcare administrators operate more behind-the-scenes than many front-line healthcare jobs, they play an important role in handling managerial duties. Duties include: hiring, payroll, recordkeeping, organizational communication, supervising personnel and more. The job outlook appears to be around 17 percent until 2024.

If you’re aiming for a career in healthcare, be sure to research educational and experiential requirements so you can achieve your career goals. If you’re staffing a practice or hospital, design your recruitment and interview process to narrow down the pool to the strongest candidates.

You also need to protect every staff member and your practice in general with insurance for medical professionals. CoverHound can help you here. Get a free quote today!