Stats on Healthcare Jobs
- Eight out of 20 occupations projected to grow the fastest are in healthcare.
- About 19 percent—or 36 million—new wage and salary jobs will be created in healthcare by 2014.
- Most healthcare jobs require less than four years of college education, although health diagnosing and treating practitioners are among the most educated workers.
Healthcare offers three things you might look for in a career:
- The chance to help people;
- Interesting technical work; and
- Relatively high salaries.
In addition, healthcare is a field that’s growing. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects a 22 percent growth in jobs between 2006 and 2016—nearly 3 million new jobs. In addition, the BLS says that many healthcare careers are stepping stones, with additional training, to other specialties.
You don’t have to aspire to becoming a doctor, nurse, dentist, or physical therapist to work in a healthcare occupation. There are dozens of different healthcare occupations including three profiled in the Summer 2008 Occupational Outlook Quarterly: biostatisticians, cytotechnologists, and surgical technologists. Following are brief profiles of several lesser known healthcare careers:
Biostatistician
Job duties:
Biostatisticians apply statistics to medical and public health research. They design statistical studies, gather data, and analyze data, working with experts, such as medical professionals or health policy analysts.
Employment and earnings:
Biostatisticians are employed, primarily, by colleges, universities, and professional schools, the federal government, and in scientific research and development in private industry. Median annual wages for biostatisticians were $69,900 in May 2007, according to the BLS.
Qualifications:
Biostatisticians need a strong background in science, mathematics, statistics, and computer science; the ability to think logically; and the patience and determination to track a problem. They need effective speaking and writing skills, the ability to work with a team. A bachelor’s degree in biostatistics, statistics, or mathematics is required for entry-level positions. Most jobs require a master’s or doctoral degree.
Where Are the Jobs?
Hospitals
Physicians’ and dentists’ offices
Home health care services
Offices of other health practitioners
Outpatient care centers
Ambulatory healthcare services
Medical and diagnostic laboratories
Cytotechnologist
Job duties:
Cytotechnologists study cells for patterns and abnormalities that may be evidence of medical conditions, such as viral or bacterial infections, or cancer. They work closely with pathologists, preparing slides of cells for examinations, scrutinizing the cells through a microscope, and identifying cell variations that are normal or diseased.
Employment and earnings:
More than half of these jobs—grouped under the broader occupational group of medical and clinical laboratory technologists—are in hospitals. The remaining tend to be in physicians’ offices and in medical and diagnostic laboratories. A few are in college, universities, professional schools, and ambulatory healthcare services. Median annual wages were $51,720 in May 2007.
Qualifications:
Cytotechnologists need a strong background in mathematics and science. Entry-level jobs require a bachelor’s degree in cytotechnology or a related subject. Some states require licensure. Many employers prefer certification by the American Society of Clinical Pathology. Colleges, universities, and hospitals offer one- to two-year certificate programs.
Surgical technologist
Job duties:
Surgical technologists assist in surgery under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, anesthesiologists, or other surgical personnel. They prepare the operating room, gather equipment and ensure that it is working properly, transport patients to the operating room and prepare them for surgery. During surgery they pass instruments and sterile supplies to surgeons, count pieces of equipment, prepare specimens for laboratory analysis, apply dressings, and assist with specialized tasks such as controlling blood flow. After surgery, they take the patients to the recovery room and clean and restock the operating room.
Employment and earnings:
Almost three-quarters of these jobs are in hospitals. Others are in outpatient care centers, ambulatory surgical centers, and physicians’ or dentists’ offices. Median wages were $37,540 in May 2007.
Qualifications:
A surgical technologist requires a background in health and science, volunteer experience in a hospital, plus training in vocational and technical schools, hospitals, or community colleges. Formal training includes classroom and supervised clinical experience and it takes nine months to two years to earn a certificate or degree. Two organizations, the Liaison Council on Certification for Surgical Technologist and the National Center for Competency Testing offer optional certification.
You can read the full description of these careers and get a list of associations that provide information on careers, jobs, and scholarships for many healthcare careers. The Occupational Outlook Quarterly has profiled other healthcare careers, including: