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Top Healthcare Careers: 2012 Recap and 2013 Projections
In an ever-changing job market, the healthcare industry is a good place to be. The year 2012 showed job growth for healthcare professions across the board – according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment in healthcare rose by 295,000 jobs from October 2011 to October 2012.
Some professions within the field showed more growth than others. Similarly, certain work environments have a higher demand for new employees. If you are looking for a job in the healthcare field, here are some key trends to look out for in 2013.
Best healthcare careers: 2012 and beyond
Accoding to the BLS 2012-2013 Occupational Outlook Handbook, two of the top healthcare careers, 2012 and beyond, are in nursing and emergency medical services. The projected growth for nursing employment is 26 percent (from 2010 to 2020), which is well above the average of 14 percent growth for all occupations. Likewise, employment for emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics is expected to grow by a whopping 33 percent.
Nurses are expected to be in higher demand for employment in privately owned, medical surgical hospitals, including local medical surgical hospitals, physicians’ offices, nursing homes and home healthcare agencies.
The projected growth in jobs for EMTs and paramedics is largely attributed to the aging baby boomer population, which will increase the number of age-related health emergencies (e.g. heart attack and stroke). There has also been an increase in the development of specialized medical facilities, which will require more EMTs and paramedics to transport patients in need of specialty treatment. The aging population will also contribute to the rise in nursing jobs in residential care facilities and in-home care programs.
As for projected salaries, according to BLS data, nurses can expect a median salary of $64,690 per year. Meanwhile, EMTs can expect a median salary of $30,360
Healthcare careers in demand: 2012 showed more training leads to more opportunities
Although there is a significant projected growth in these top healthcare careers, 2012 showed high competition for these positions, and that trend will continue to grow in 2013, depending on where you want to work. For example, nursing jobs in physicians’ offices are much more competitive, as the job offers more friendly hours and a lower stress environment.
According to the BLS, nurses with at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing will have the best job prospects in 2013. Advanced practice registered nurses, including nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives and registered nurse practitioners are expected to be in higher demand in coming years.
Similarly, EMTs and paramedics can benefit from more training. Positions within emergency care are among the top healthcare careers for ACLS, PALS, BLS certification. The more training you have, the better your jobs prospects will be.
Individuals in need of healthcare education solutions can visit HealthEdSolutions.com for resources and information on online training courses. Health Ed Solutions’ course offerings include basic life support (BLS), advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) and pediatric life support (PALS) certification courses, as well as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid courses. Health Ed Solutions also offers a resource library for healthcare professionals, first responders and anyone else who would like to learn more about health trends and emergency medical care.
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