The Future of Jobs in Health Care
Health care has, for decades, been a stable and profitable career choice. But
health care reform, changes in reimbursement methods, government cuts and
hospital debt are predicted to upend the health care economy. Hospitals are
cutting costs and shrinking their workforce. Meanwhile, certain fields — such as
primary care and nursing — face significant staffing shortages. How will this era
of accelerating change impact hiring and career planning? How can someone
planning a career in health care anticipate and adapt to these rapid changes?
To further the conversation and offer a consumers' guide to these issues, U.S.
News Health partnered with U.S. News Careers to hold a live Twitter chat about
careers in medicine. The chat included Peter McMenamin, senior policy fellow
for the American Nurses Association; Lindsey Dunn, editor in chief for Becker's
Hospital Review; Adriane Willig, a consultant for Witt/Kieffer, an executive
search firm and John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, an
outplacement consulting firm.
Experts discussed the rewards of a medical career, trends in health care
employment, why the health field is changing, how it will change and which jobs
have the greatest potential for growth. The chat's participants sent 778 tweets
during the course of the discussion.
Why people choose a career in medicine
U.S. News ranked jobs in medicine among four of the top five careers in its 100
Best Jobs ranking. These jobs meet criteria that includes employment
opportunity, good salary, manageable work-life balance and job security. Experts
in the chat said most people who choose to go into medicine do so because of
their desire to help others and to have an impact. "Most people see [health care]
as a calling and because of their desire to help patients," Dunn tweeted.
The money also serves as an impetus. A doctor's average salary is $183,000 a
year, and for nurses it is $71,968, according to McMenamin. .
Willig summed it up: "A passion for the mission, desire to make a difference, plus
strong job outlook and good salaries."
Factors contributing to changes in health care
The Affordable Care Act, cuts to Medicare, lack of Medicaid expansion in some
states and hospital debts are contributing to transformations in hospitals and in
the health care delivery model. "Beyond traditional employment," tweeted the
American Hospital Association, "hospitals support an additional 10 milllion jobs
elsewhere in the economy." Other changes include advances in technology, such
as the conversion to electronic health records, and the rise of alternative
provider settings, Challenger said. This will require other health care workers,
such as nurses, to do more, he said.
Willig added that industry consolidation, executive turnover and retirement also
are forcing changes.
How health care delivery will change
To adapt to the changes, health care workers will become more accessible in
clinics and alternate settings from a hospital, including schools, retail clinics,
workplaces and private homes. Care will increasingly focus on prevention and
wellness. "Roles are changing in health care delivery and therefore expectations
from patients are being reformed," tweeted Kelly Fernandez, director of social
media for the Healthcare Leadership Council.
"Expect to see more team-based care models, which will definitely change job
responsibilities," Dunn tweeted.
Experts agreed that health care industry will rely on health providers other than
physicians. "The use of mid-level providers such as nurse practitioners and
physician assistants is expected to substantially increase," Mount Sinai Careers
tweeted. Dunn predicted that the doctor shortage would be 92,000 by 2020, and
that layoffs would continue in the near term. McMenamin tweeted that there
would be a "tsunami of RN retirements." The demand for health care would
increase, however. McMenamin said hospitals could expect 4 million more
patients per year during the next decade.
The outlook for jobs in health care
Hospital layoffs are predicted to continue, and a career in health care is not as
secure as it once was, experts agreed.
Farther down the road, however, baby boomers are going to flood the system,
and more workers will be needed, Dunn tweeted. The American Academy of
Physician Assistants noted that more than 7,000 PAs enter the workforce each
year from 181 programs, and that 63 more programs are being developed. A
median pay for a midcareer PA who can practice both medicine and surgery is
$98,800, AAPA added. Dunn also predicted that salaries for health care workers
will increase year after year. Workers who operate health IT will represent a
hugely growing area as well, she added.
What specialties should current job-seekers consider? "Health job shortages are
in primary care, behavioral health, long-term care and public health."
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