According to the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Bureau of LaborStatistics, the fastest growing occupations in 2009 are heath related becauseof the growing population of baby boomers needing health care.
When you think of professions in health care naturally the first thing thatcomes to mind are doctors and nurses, which require substantial education anddegrees. There are, however, many fields that have little to do with medicine,nursing or dentistry.These careers fall into the allied health care category and they work to makethe health care system function and thrive.
Currently, it is estimated by the Association of Allied Health Care Schoolsthat there are five million allied health care providers who work in more than80 different professions. This represents approximately 60 percent of allhealth care providers, only a fraction of how many allied health care workersare needed to meet current and future health care needs. The U.S. Bureau ofLabor Statistics stated that more than 36 percent more workers will be neededin the allied health fields in the next ten years.
Some of these professions include clinical psychology, dental assistants,technicians and hygienists, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, massagetherapy, medicalassistants, lab technicians, medical transcription, midwifery,nutritionists, optometry, orthotics, physiotherapy, podiatry, radiationtherapy, respiratory therapy, speech pathology and social work. There are hugevariations in salary based on a number of factors. For instance, while ananesthesiologist assistant can have a starting salary as high as $95,000 ayear, an art therapist can still earn as little as $32,000 a year with the sameamount of education.
Once you’ve chosen your desired allied health care job, you need toinvestigate the institution you plan to attend. It is crucial that the offeredallied health care program be accredited, as many employers will only hirethose who received their education from a program with a specificaccreditation.
If you’re looking for long term job security in a respected profession,you’re on the right track with allied health care. According the U.S. Bureau ofLabor, of the twenty fastest growing occupations,, eight of them are in healthcare. It is anticipated that 20 percent of new jobs created between now and2014 will be in the health care industry.
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