Chapter 7: Health Career Planning

Chapter 7: Health Career Planning

Categories of Health Professions Classified by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

  • Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

    • Includes professionals such as physicians, dentists, registered nurses, etc.

    • Role: Provide direct clinical care, diagnosis, or treatment.

    • Educational Requirements:

    • Higher education standard than health technologists and technicians.

    • Requires a graduate degree and a license to practice.

  • Healthcare Support Occupations

    • Largest number of workers in the healthcare field.

    • Focus on home health and personal care.

    • Frequently includes assistants (e.g., dental assistants, nursing assistants).

    • Role: Work under the supervision of clinical practitioners such as Physician Assistants (PAs).

    • Educational Requirements:

    • Generally low education requirements, leading to low salary potential.

    • Inversely related: higher education correlates with higher salaries.

  • Community and Social Services Occupations

    • Professionals in healthcare settings providing support to individuals or communities (e.g., social security workers, mental health counselors).

Opportunities in Healthcare Professions

  • Types of Services Offered:

    • Curative, supportive, diagnostic, treatment, and other related types of services.

  • Diversity Issues in Healthcare:

    • Refers to lack of diversity within the healthcare field.

    • The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) monitors diversity in healthcare professions.

    • Benefits of Diversity:

    • Improved communication.

    • Increased representation leading to potential grants and scholarships.

  • Demographics:

    • Issues with sex, race, and ethnic diversity exist.

    • Males dominate diagnostic and treating categories.

    • Greater diversity is observed in Healthcare Support Occupations.

Healthcare Industry Growth

  • General Outlook:

    • Healthcare is one of the fastest-growing industries.

    • Currently provides approximately 18 million jobs.

    • Demand is projected to grow by 15% between 2019 to 2029.

    • Elderly Population Impact:

    • Increased elderly demographics drive demand for healthcare practitioners focused on geriatric care.

  • Fastest Growing Occupations:

    • 8 out of the 20 fastest-growing occupations are related to healthcare.

  • Projected Growth Across All Occupation Types:

    • Growth is expected in all three categories: practitioners, support staff, and community services.

  • High Demand Occupations:

    • Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs), and Registered Nurses (RNs) are notable in non-support categories.

    • Significant demand exists for healthcare educators.

Major Industries Employing Healthcare Workers

  • Top Five Industries:

    • Hospitals

    • Offices of Health Practitioners

    • Nursing and Residential Facilities

    • Home Health Services

    • Outpatient Laboratories

1. Hospitals

  • Role: Largest employer of health workers, accommodating a diverse range of educational backgrounds.

  • Focus: Diagnosing and treating medical conditions.

  • Patient Care: Typically involves short-term stays for treatment, lasting a few nights.

  • Types of Hospitals:

    • Specialty hospitals cater specifically to certain illnesses or conditions (e.g., pulmonary care hospitals).

  • Work Environment:

    • Operate 24/7; staff generally work in shifts, often requiring nurses to undertake 12-hour shifts.

2. Offices of Health Practitioners

  • Outlook: Second highest employment zone for healthcare workers; expected to surpass hospital employment in a decade.

  • Staff Composition:

    • Employs highly educated diagnosing or treating practitioners (e.g., physicians, surgeons, dentists, therapists).

  • Technologists and Technicians:

    • Group practice settings often include health technologists such as dental hygienists and licensed practical nurses, collaborating with healthcare support personnel (e.g., dental and medical assistants).

3. Nursing & Residential Care Facilities

  • Objective: Provide continuous care for individuals needing long-term assistance without surgical or advanced medical treatment.

  • Services: Basic nursing and assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs).

4. Home Healthcare Services

  • Growth Potential: Anticipated to grow faster than other healthcare sectors due to increasing patient preference for in-home care and advancements in home medical technology.

  • Function: Monitors recovery from operations and chronic issues requiring ongoing nursing care.

    • Staff structure similar to nursing and residential care facilities.

5. Outpatient, Lab, and Ambulatory Care Services

  • Trend: Growing trend for outpatient surgeries leading to increased employment in outpatient settings.

Employment Opportunities in Healthcare

  • Settings:

    • Considerable employment opportunities available in rural and underserved areas.

    • Recent movement towards increasing diversity in healthcare creates openings for diverse backgrounds.

  • Issue: Maldistribution among health personnel; some new healthcare workers face difficulty in finding jobs while others experience shortages.

Loan Programs for Healthcare Workers

  • Available Loans:

    • State Loan Repayment Program

    • National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program (NHSC LRP)

    • Student to Service Loan Repayment Program

Licensing, Certification, and Registration in Healthcare

  • Licensure:

    • A state-regulated method of ensuring public safety from unqualified practitioners.

  • Certification:

    • A voluntary measure confirming employee performance meets the established standards; while not mandatory, it is highly advised.

  • Registration:

    • Involves listing certified healthcare professionals in a state agency or organization’s roster; may sometimes be used interchangeably with certification.