Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Emerging jobs poised for growth


As this country goes through major economic challenges, CNN/CareerBuilder has an article titled, "Seven emerging jobs poised for growth." Two of those seven jobs are in healthcare.

Let me focus on three of those jobs that are listed:
#2. Health informatics technician

Each time you go to the doctor, everything about the visit is added to your medical file. As health-care facilities everywhere make the change to electronic medical records, informatics technicians not only transition the files, but they use computer systems to help doctors analyze, diagnose and treat patients based on the information they are given. This computer data also improves care, controls costs and provides documentation for use in legal actions.

Industry umbrella: Health care
Job growth*: 18 percent
Salary**: $31,208

#6. Career counselor

Workers need jobs; employers need workers. With the present economy, career counselors are needed more than ever. They offer job seekers career guidance and job-hunting advice, and can to help them improve their well-being through their work.

Career counselors differ from a career coach in that not only will they help you in terms of your career, they will also seek to improve your overall mental health.

Industry umbrella: Human resources
Job growth: N/A
Salary: $47,074

#7. Patient advocate

Anyone who's ever had health issues knows that the health-care system is not the easiest thing to navigate, especially when you or a loved one is sick. That's what patient advocates are there for. As the population continues to age and health worsens, patient care advocates will become more important to the job market.

Advocates ensure that patients are informed, visiting with the right specialists and taking the right medicines, as well as educating family members on how to care for their sick relative. Perhaps most importantly, patient advocates will sort through medical bills and negotiate fees with health-care providers and insurance companies.

Industry umbrella: Health care
Job growth: 24 percent (for medical and public health social workers)
Salary: $47,560 (for medical and public health social workers), according to the BLS
So, do any of those sound interesting to you? I think the most potential lies in the health information technology (health IT) field. However, you have to be somewhat tech-savvy to really get into health IT. You don't necessarily need formal training in health IT or medical informatics, but such training would certainly be helpful.

You may also be wondering, why did I include "career counseling" in the list above? Well, the answer is because I see this area really growing within healthcare as physicians choose to pursue non-clinical jobs. If you're looking for career counseling services, please contact me because I may be able to help you. Otherwise, I encourage you to use this site as a resource and please tell others about it.

1 comment:

  1. My colleague Mike Bryan, Hudson IT Recruiter, just wrote a post on IT jobs in the medical simulation industry. Check it out: www.ithirewire.com

    ReplyDelete