If you want to work in a field that’s poised to grow and gives people outstanding earning potential, you’re going to want to get into health care.
It’s estimated that employment in health care occupations will grow by a whopping 18% by 2026. That means that there’s going to be ample opportunities for people with the right skills.
If you’re ready to start in a field that could help secure your financial future, you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to let you know which health care jobs will be the most popular in the coming years. Here are the 7 medical careers in demand for the future.
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7 Top Medical Careers in Demand for the Future
Doctors and nurses will be around for a long time, but the roles they take on are going to change. You’re going to see jobs become more specialized, require more skills, and eventually see the merging of health care and tech.
When people are looking for health care careers in the coming years, they can expect to see the following job titles and specialties.
Personal Care Aide
The number of Americans aged 65 and older is projected to more than double from 46 million to over 98 million by 2060. By that time, people over the age of 65 will make up nearly a quarter of the entire population.
People are going to need care, whether that’s in the privacy of their own homes or in a facility where they can receive care around the clock.
Personal care aids can take the form of skilled nurses or people that are simply able to make sure patients have food, clean living accommodations, and are taking their medicine on time.
Pharmacy Technician
There are new and exciting developments happening in medicine every day. A pharmacy technician can helpful in a research lab or a drug store
A pharmacy tech isn’t a pharmacist. But they do work alongside them to help prepare and dispense prescription medications.
One of the best things about this career path is that you can become a pharmacy technician with just a high school diploma. You can also use the job as a stepping stone to going to school and becoming a pharmacist.
The field of genetics will influence the health care practices of the future. Even now genetics are being used to formulate medications, create treatment plans, and help parents conceive.
These medical professionals can help study how disease and conditions can affect patients because of their genes. They can also study how family histories can impact the chance of patients contracting certain diseases.
A genetic counselor can work in almost any medical field, but many will find themselves working obstetrics, oncology, and hematology.
Addiction Specialists
Plenty of people are talking about the opioid epidemic hurting countless cities and towns in the U.S., but that’s only a small part of the picture.
More people are reporting Xanax and Valium abuse. Record numbers of adults are dying from complications related to alcoholism and substance abuse. Addiction, in general, is on the rise in this country and people need help.
An addiction specialist can specialize in both the physical and mental aspects of addiction.
Hospitals and treatment centers need plenty of doctors and nurses that understand how to properly treat withdrawal with medications. They also need to closely monitor patients for signs of substance abuse.
You could go in a different direction and focus on counseling. You could provide one-on-one counseling, help facilitate group therapy, or focus on helping families with addicted loved ones.
Reconstructive Surgery 3D Printing Specialist
If you want a career that’s the perfect intersection of health care and tech, you’ll want to spend time learning about 3D printing.
3D printing could change the way we handle health care. People are already using 3D printed prosthetics and it’s only the beginning.
It’s possible that in the future, we could use 3D printed organic tissue to help burn victims and help create medicine. 3D printed tissue could also help with reconstructive surgery and physical rehabilitation.
Phlebotomist
Doctors aren’t the only people that deal with blood. You can visit this website if you want to learn more about how many different industries work with blood and need to be protected against blood-borne pathogens.
Your blood can tell doctors a lot about the current state of your health. It can be tested for disease, studied for genetic markers, and be used to learn more about other problems you could be experiencing.
Being a phlebotomist is more than just drawing blood. You’ll also need to sterilize and organize lab equipment, work with laboratories to ensure testing gets done, and manage important patient paperwork. Visit https://phlebotomynearyou.com/ to know more about phlebotomists.
Physical Therapist
Do you love fitness and wellness? Would you consider yourself a people person? Are you the kind of person that loves to help others and watch them succeed?
If you answered yes to any of the previous questions, you may want to consider a career in physical therapy.
Being a physical therapist involves a mix of medical knowledge, fitness expertise, and excellent people skills. You’ll be able to help people recover from surgeries, heal after accidents, and much more.
Physical therapists can have niche specialties that help make them valuable employees to certain hospitals and organizations.
Some may focus on therapy for the elderly and others may specialize in helping people after strokes and heart attacks. Many find work in rehab facilities, but some specialized therapists may consider working in specialized gyms or in homes.
Focusing on the Present
We only covered 7 medical careers in demand for the future, but there are far more than 7 career paths you can take if you’re interested in health care.
Focusing on the future can be helpful, but you don’t want to forget about the present. There are a lot of jobs you can take now that can be even more lucrative in the future.
Have you considered having a career as a traveling nurse? Imagine being able to earn a nurse’s income, and also having the flexibility to travel!
Read our post on cities with the highest pay for traveling nurses so you can see what you could be earning.
