Nursing Programs and Healthcare Education: Finding the Right Career Path
The Healthcare industry is expected to generate 3.2 million new jobs between 2008 and 2018. This will largely benefit students of health care and nursing programs. Half of the twenty fastest growing occupations in America are associated with healthcare. Students of nursing programs and healthcare education are preparing themselves to enter the fastest growing job industry in America.
Nursing programs and healthcare education are a viable option for future students due to the expected growth in the health care industry, an industry that will be creating more jobs than any other in the near future. Salary and wage employment in healthcare is expected to increase approximately 22 percent through 2018. All other industries combined are expected to grow 11 percent through this same time period. Individuals who take part in nursing programs or healthcare education will be more likely to find a wage and salary job than individuals who receive an education in any other field.
Employment in the healthcare industry will continue to grow due to a number of contributing factors. The proportion of the elder population will grow faster relative to the total population between the years 2008 and 2018. Also, the older population has a higher incidence of illness and injury and take longer to heal from maladies. This will cause the demand for healthcare to increase dramatically, especially in employment settings that specialize in care for the elderly. Employment in healthcare, nursing and residential care are also expected to rapidly increase as life expectancy rises and families are less capable of caring for their older family members and need to rely on long-term care facilities. Those educated in nursing programs and healthcare programs will be entering a field that is growing faster than any other industry.
Technological advances in the medical industry are expected to continue to improve and will increase the survival rate of patients that are severely injured and ill. These patients, in turn, will need extensive care and therapy. Students of nursing programs and healthcare programs will be providing this care. These technologies will allow for earlier diagnoses of diseases, which will increase the ability for doctors to treat these conditions that were previously untreatable. The shift from inpatient to more affordable outpatient and home healthcare will cause the industry to grow due to improvements in surgical procedures and diagnostic tests and patients' desires to be cared for at home.
Many of the occupations that are projected to grow the fastest in the United States economy are concentrated in health care. Total employment of home health aides is expected to increase by approximately 50 percent, physical therapist assistants is expected to increase by 33 percent, medical assistants is expected to grow by 34 percent and physician assistants is expected to grow by 39 percent over the 2008-2018 period. These positions will be filled mostly by students of healthcare and nursing programs.
Students who choose an education in healthcare are preparing themselves for the future. Healthcare is one of the few industries that are rapidly growing in today's economy and those who are educated in healthcare are at a huge advantage over students of any other field of study.
About the Author:
Bill Jenkins is the Executive Director of the Office of Institutional Advancement at Grand Canyon University, College of Nursing and Health Science. For more information about our nursing programs, visit our website.
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