General Career Information: Medical Jobs
Medical Job Prospects
If you're interested in pursuing an education in the medical field, there are dozens of viable options. With the need for qualified doctors, nurses, and other professionals on the rise, health care jobs offer the opportunity for career stability and financial prosperity. Medical studies serve as a springboard into a meaningful career that improves the quality of patients' lives while challenging and rewarding those who provide care.
Medical Careers in the Past Decade
While the strained economy has forced other industries to restructure and cut back in recent years, the need for medical care has continued to grow. This is largely due to the increased medical demands of the aging baby boomer generation, which is gradually joining America's middle-aged and elderly populations.
What's more, despite continuing advancements in medical technology, there's only so much that can be automated in the health field. Real people will always be required for case-by-case assessments, studies, diagnoses, and hands-on treatment. No machine can compare to the effectiveness of the human touch and personal compassion when it comes to restoring health, morale, and well-being.
Trends and Changes in Medical Jobs
In spite of the economic uncertainty of the past few years and recent health care changes in the U.S., changes within medical field jobs have been subtle rather than drastic. Some of the main shifts have included:
New drugs and more advanced treatment options
Increasing popularity of alternative medicine and preventive health care
Aging baby boomer population placing increasing demands on the medical system
National health care changes gradually creating increased demand for services
The combined effect of these trends remains to be seen, but experts predict a slow, steady rise in demand for medical professionals over the next few years and well into the next two decades.
Medical Jobs on the Rise
Industry trends show that medical hiring is on the rise, suggesting there will be jobs available in a number of areas in upcoming years:
Doctors and surgeons: At the top of the medical "ladder", doctors and surgeons are highly educated and have the most visible of medical careers, though they are by no means the only options for those pursuing a profession in the health care field.
Specialists: Experts and specialists like endocrinologists, cardiologists, gynecologists, audiologists, nutritionists, and even psychiatrists are universally needed and respected.
Nurses, nurse practitioners, and nursing assistants: Every type of nursing profession is in demand right now, and analysts predict this trend will continue into the foreseeable future.
Hospice care, geriatrics, and palliative care: With an aging baby boomer population, assisted living care and hospice facilities are hiring in droves.
Medical translators: Freelance medical writers, written translators, and on-site medical interpreters are highly in demand in clinics and hospitals throughout multicultural metropolises.
Medical research: There has been ongoing growth in medical labs, where researchers are working on finding cures for common diseases and disorders like cancer, MS, and diabetes.
Given the bright outlook for virtually every health care job, pursuing a medical education and career is a practical and fulfilling choice for dozens of aspiring doctors, nurses, and specialists entering schools and the workforce today.
Melissa Rudy
Healthcare • Bureau of Labor Statistics
Healthy Aging • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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