Medical field jobs have been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic and are continuing to prove the importance of frontline workers. Though medical field jobs have always been necessary, the pandemic brought forth a new type of need. Certain medical careers are desperately hoping to grow after realizing the demand during the pandemic. Three medical field jobs continuously growing are mental health professionals, nurse practitioners and home health aids.
Why Medical Careers are Growing
Medical field jobs have been increasing at a faster pace than most occupations since 2019. The Bureau of Labor Statistics stated this growth is due to the care needed for the baby boomer generation as well as longer lifespans. Those with chronic medical diagnoses and conditions also continue to rise, further increasing the demand for healthcare workers.
Three Medical Field Jobs on the Rise
The pandemic was only the start of growth in medical field jobs. The below three medical careers are positions with a growing need for staff as the need for their services also rises.
Mental Health Specialists
It became clear early on during the pandemic that additional mental health support would be needed. With the changes coinciding with COVID, mental health professionals were overwhelmed with clientele and felt the need for more support. The Labor Department believes, due to urgency for behavioral disorder and substance abuse specialists, this field will increase by 25% before 2029. In 2020 alone, there was a 56% increase in professionals in the psychological field. Though lifestyle changes from the pandemic play a role in this growth, it also shows the ongoing need for mental health office spaces moving forward.
Nurse Practitioners
There has always been a need for licensed nurse practitioners and the urgency for more continues to rise. The Bureau of Labor lists nurse practitioners as being one of the most understaffed medical field positions. To avoid a shortage in the field, nearly 11 million nursing positions will be filled on top of the many nurse practitioner positions also opening. Visiting a nurse practitioner is typically the starting point when it comes to looking at symptoms, ordering tests or managing prescriptions. If there is a shortage in this position, fewer people will have their medical needs met in a timely fashion. Opening an office as a licensed nurse practitioner would not only be a financially smart move, but also help the many patients desperately searching for help.
Home Health Support Staff
Between the pandemic forcing patients to stay home and realizing that support can be given outside of the office, it’s no surprise the demand for home health workers is on the rise. Medical careers in this niche help the elderly, medically frail and those with disabilities or cognitive delays meet their daily, and medical, needs from their home. Research shows that growth for workers in the personal care field will jump 33% by 2030. Approximately 1,129,900 positions will open for home health support staff in the coming decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The increase in this field means a growing need to open more medical offices to support these workers.