The healthcare industry is in a very interesting and unique time period right now. While healthcare will always be around, there are certain social and now industrial trends that are making a better time than ever to pivot careers within the healthcare industry.
Generational Changes
The number of senior citizens that will soon be needing regular care is making it a much more viable period for career move in the healthcare industry. With that influx of population numbers means that there will be a consistently high demand for many more positions within the healthcare industry as a whole.
The healthcare industry is projected to have the highest levels of industrial growth — an average of 14%, almost 7% more than other sectors. As such all of the individual positions that make up the healthcare system as a whole will need to be staffed so the availability of new, and open positions all over the country will be easier to find.
Work-life Balance Changes
The pandemic did more than just disrupt human beings ability to connect face to face, the years of intense social isolation also created a unique gap in time where people began to rethink what was truly valuable in life. Many people ended up deciding that working a job they didn’t like, for little pay, and even less respect was a waste of time.
More people are vocal and looking for careers that will support a healthier work-lifestyle balance that allows for more freedom, flexibility, and even the removal of having to go into an office all together. While the healthcare industry will likely always maintain a heavy presence of traditional office spaces, there has also been a greater awareness and demand within healthcare workers for greater levels of respect, better pay, more vacation time, and a lower patient to worker ratio.
These things have always been of value to workers, but it was the intensity of the pandemic pushing people into shockingly high rates of burnout that really caused the industry standards to change. Ever since then, the constant demands among workers for more acceptable standards has moved healthcare providers to write those policies into contracts. So for anyone looking to make a change in careers, either vertically or horizontally, they are likely to find much better benefits now than in years past.
Schooling is More Flexible
Changes in the healthcare industry mean that there is more training necessitated for certain positions. The education industry has also been going through a lot of changes, most of this is due to the need and demand created by business professionals and parents who need more flexibility in their schedules to go back to school. This demand has created a myriad of ways and means by which someone can go back to school for advanced degrees or to work on an additional certification such as with technology enhanced learning.
Hybrid programs that allow for on campus and online forums create more opportunities and availability to tailor programs into the type of knowledge base that one may need to look good on a resume. Additionally, the number of schools that are offering these adjustable programs and classes means that there are plenty of universities and institutions to choose from so almost any budget can be accommodated.
Increased Availability of Jobs
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, ten of the top twenty jobs that are projected to be the fastest-growing jobs in America over the next decade or so are all in the healthcare industry. The projections? An expected 8 million more jobs in that industry alone. Much of this can be traced back to the quickly aging population of Baby Boomers who will be considered senior citizens in the coming decades. That higher demand means that there will be plenty of open positions.
Here are just a few of the jobs that are expected to garner great demand: Physicians, geriatric nurses, hospice care providers, retirement home workers, therapists, research assistants, hospital administrators, and of course nurses of all kinds. The doors are open and HR personnel are already looking to try and staff for the years to come.
It may be much easier and less competitive to look for jobs now rather than in a few years when things start to fill out.
Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
I am a retiring Dentist very interested in working to help seniors increase Healthspan. What direction should I look to get needed certifications. Able to work remotely.
Wow, it’s great to hear about your passion for enhancing the health of seniors! Your background suggests that you could explore a few different roles, like “Geriatric Care Consultant,” “Health Education Specialist,” or “Remote Patient Monitoring Coordinator.” These positions would allow you to use your dental expertise while making a real difference in senior healthcare – and the best part is that many of them offer the flexibility to work from home. Congrats on your retirement!