by Greg Winkler

Created on: January 19, 2009   Last Updated: January 27, 2009

Even in a down economy, healthcare industry employment is defying national trends. Despite the financial pressures on smaller hospitals and health systems, the industry as a whole has grown, thanks in large part to an aging and less health-conscious population. In fact, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that seven of the twenty fastest growing occupations are healthcare related. Through the year 2016, the Bureau estimates that 20% of all new jobs added in the country will occur in some aspect of the healthcare field.

So what types of jobs within healthcare are hottest in the short-term? While some occur in areas such as nursing that suffer from a chronic staffing shortage, others are related to the prospect of healthcare reform and the social trends resulting from graying baby-boomers.

*Healthcare reform is coming. With it will come an increased attention to home healthcare services, projected to be the fastest-growing segment in the healthcare industry. Home health care aides, personal therapists, and home visiting nurses are examples of jobs in this sector. Both the educational requirements and pay is modest in this segment, but employment is steady with regular working hours. With reform may also come a renewed emphasis on preventative and outpatient care, boosting employment prospects in the medical and diagnostic testing fields, and for dietary and nutritional services, and outpatient care facility staff.

*Nurses will continue to be in short supply, as well nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants. Nurse Practitioner is also a hot field, as family doctors increasingly hire them to help manage their workload in busy practices. Doctor's offices will require more medical records assistants and billing managers with the skill to manage the electronic and paper insurance and regulatory requirements.

*Elderly care services will continue to grow steadily, including a new emphasis on maintaining an aging workforce. Expect to see steady growth in occupational and vocational therapy, pharmacists, audiology, and speech therapy. Physical therapy for active seniors will also grow, as well medical social services and age-related counseling.

*Ambulatory services and medical transport has experienced steady growth recently, but expect the need for these services to grow as the healthcare system shifts more to an outpatient and home healthcare model.

These are the hottest trends in healthcare for the next two years, offering steady employment and reasonable wages in an industry that is proving itself to be recession-proof.

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