Top 5 Emerging Careers in Healthcare

An aging population, deteriorating environmental conditions, and the government’s push for making sure everyone has medical insurance all contribute to enormous job growth in the healthcare field. Even some careers you may never have heard of are well on their way to becoming common in medical facilities. Here are the top five emerging careers in healthcare.

Wellness Coach

Doctors want their patients to be well, but they are often so busy that they lack the time to have deep conversations with patients that help their patients change habits and strive for overall wellness. A wellness coach specializes in giving personal attention to people to help them lead healthy lifestyles, preventing major health problems down the road. Experts expect wellness coach job opportunities in hospitals to boom in coming years. How much wellness coaches make depends on experience and education, the national average is around $42,000, while salaries for experienced wellness coaches can reach north of $70,000 and rising.

Healthcare Informatics

Those who choose to pursue a degree in healthcare informatics will develop a strong knowledge of healthcare, information technology, and computer science. Health informatics specialists help develop systems that keep track of patient information, such as diagnoses, billing, prescriptions, etc. The unprecedented volume of information streaming through medical offices means that expected growth in this field is huge. The average starting annual salary is around $44,000 with the potential of more than doubling to over $100,000 with gained experience.

Speech Pathologist

Speech pathologists help patients with communication and swallowing disorders. The Bureau of Labor Statistics points out that about half of speech pathologists, often called speech therapists, work in schools. However, many of them treat problems that stem from stroke and hearing loss, problems that are common among elderly people, which means that as the population ages, the need for speech pathologists grows. The median annual salary is about $73,000.

Holistic Nurse Practitioner

 

The American Holistic Nurses Association says that “This practice recognizes the totality of the human being – the interconnectedness of body, mind, emotion, spirit, social/cultural, relationship, context, and environment.” They focus on an entire person, and they use their nursing knowledge along with alternative treatments to help patients become healthier.

Because they work by a philosophy that does not rely solely on western medicine and drugs, holistic nurses appeal to people who want to use natural healing methods. As with any field of nursing, pay varies depending on education and experience. A nurse practitioner with a certification in holistic nursing can make around $79,050 annually.

 

Biomedical Engineer

As described at one expert job blog, “Biomedical engineers focus on biology and medicine with primary responsibilities of analyzing and designing quality and effective solutions for patient care.” A biomedical engineer works along with doctors and other health professionals to carry out a variety of tasks, including designing new instruments, developing software, and performing research. As demands on healthcare systems become heavier, the need for innovative solutions grows, which is why this career has a very high expected job growth of 62%. The median annual salary is $79.500 and is rated one of the best jobs in America.

Healthcare is a broad field, and within it are many exciting career opportunities. As the demands on the nation’s healthcare system grow heavier, more specialties will emerge that will enable the healthcare workforce to meet patients’ needs.

 

About the Author

JT Ripton is a business consultant and a freelance writer who enjoys writing about a myriad of topics, business, careers and technology being a few of them.

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