Healthcare is rapidly growing industry in the United States among young working families. With versatile working hours, competitive pricing and an ever growing market there are few reasons to not consider getting an education in healthcare. There are many fields out there where by the time you get your degree, there may not be any jobs available to you. Because of its growing market, healthcare is not one of those. On a healthcare career path you can expect to have a fair amount of job security and satisfaction with an array of paths to take leading to a wide range salaries.
Job Security
According to the Department of Labor Employment Projections, healthcare occupations are expected to have the fastest employment growth and to add the most jobs between 2014 and 2024. With the work force continuing to age, healthcare and social assistance sectors are expected to become the largest employing sectors during these years. Besides, there is always a need for more nurses, doctors, and various kinds of medical technicians. There will always be someone out there that gets sick or needs some sort of medical attention. This makes the field of health care a secure career choice as there will always be a need for these positions.
Job Satisfaction
Forbes.com lists pharmaceuticals and biotech as the two happiest jobs for working mothers. Jobs in healthcare provide the flexibility that parents of young children need combined with the benefits they want. According to one study, 77.2% of healthcare professionals surveyed were satisfied with their careers, with the age group of 20 to 30 year olds showing even higher levels of satisfaction in their jobs.
Family Conducive
Depending on what kind of career you pursue in health care, you should have plenty of time at home to take care of your growing family as well. While many doctors and nurses are on call, you still have the opportunity to be at home and be there for your spouse and kids. It also provides a stable income to be able to provide for your family making sure that they are happy and are able to live the lifestyle they want within reason.
Career Income versus Education
Income for professions in the healthcare industry can vary widely and can be correlated with both experience and education. To become a registered nurse, for example, requires a two to four year degree and passing an exam called the NCLEX. The median salary for an RN is $66,640. Whereas with a master’s in healthcare as a nurse practitioner you can expect to earn something around $95,350 annually. The highest paying non-physician career in healthcare is a pharmacist. Pharmacists receive a minimum of a doctoral or a professional degree and can expect to earn approximately $116,670 on average in 2016.
In brief, healthcare is expected to go through a robust growth within the next decade and there will be no shortage of jobs in the healthcare industry. There is a vastly high rate of job satisfaction among certain healthcare careers, which is compatible with the lifestyle of young families. There are a wide variety of career paths to choose from with differing salaries and educational requirements to meet any family’s needs.
