Career Outlook in the Medical Field

---

There are few professions in the world that a computer or a machine cannot perform or initiate in some capacity. The one field perhaps that cannot be usurped totally by any machine, is that of the medical field. There are many machines and computers related to technology in this arena, but they are all run and managed by individuals who are highly trained to perform these certain skills.

Nursing

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Projections 2012-2022 released in December 2013, Registered Nursing is listed among the top occupations in job growth through 2022. The RN workforce is expected to grow from 2.71 million in 2012 to 3.24 million in 2022, an increase of 526,800 or 19%. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing projects the need for 525,000 replacement nurses in the workforce bringing the total number of job openings for nurses due to growth and replacements to 1.05 million by 2022.

Nurse Practitioners

Probably one of the most explosive occupations in the medical field is that of the nurse practitioner. Nurse practitioners are advanced practice nurses who have exceeded the knowledge base and skill level of the registered nurse. Some states require them to practice underneath the supervision of a physician, but many of them do not. Many nurse practitioners run their own clinics and have the ability to diagnose and treat certain diseases and conditions that are within their scope of practice. This profession is growing with an astounding rate and is popular in rural areas where there are fewer physicians available.

Nurse practitioners have the ability to specialize in areas such as geriatrics, cardiology, pain management, oncology, surgery, women’s health, and countless other areas of expertise.

Physical Therapy

With many people in need of rehabilitative services, different types of therapy will be essential. Occupational therapy for veterans, injured workers, and others who are injured in sporting events will always need physical therapy. This profession involves dedicated people who are an intrinsic part of the medical field workforce. Without them, there are much fewer chances of rehabilitating the injured back into the workforce, which always affects our economy. Public and private hospitals’ therapist employment will not expand as much as outpatient because of the extremely quick ambulation tactics now used. However, outpatient therapists should expect the highest increase in marketability in the next twenty years

Physician Assistants

Because of changes in healthcare and insurance payments due to more government regulation, many of the older physicians are fading out of healthcare and retiring or finding other professions. The physician assistant entity is attractive to many young people because of their ability to bill Medicare and many of them can work under one physician’s licensure. This is convenient for many free-standing clinics and the structure is used nationwide to cut medical costs to patients.

All in all, the medical field is wide open for advancement and increases in marketability with each advancing year. With the increase in baby boomers there is much needed assistance not only in preventive medicine, but also surgery of the hip and knee, and other special problems common to this population.