3 Healthcare Jobs in High Demand After COVID-19
The pandemic exposed weak structures in America’s healthcare system. However, it has created an incredibly high demand for specific jobs in the healthcare sector. As of December 2020, 1.4 million new jobs had already been created in healthcare. Moreover, it has sparked tremendous interest in healthcare careers, although people believe it might die down after COVID-19 is eradicated. Either way, you may look through this article if you wish to work in the health sector.
Nurses
In October 2019, there were 4,096,607 registered nurses across the United States. That aside, licensed vocational nurses and practical nurses numbered 920,655. However, when the pandemic struck, the number of nurses in the US became woefully inadequate to contain the droves of infected patients who needed timely care. Therefore, by June 2020, the country had already noticed the dire need for more nurses to come on board.
This compelled the nation to open up systems for more people to enroll in nursing programs. Moreover, nurses who already had their first degrees in the field were compelled to enroll in an online masters degree in nursing. This is because a professional upgrade in certification opens up opportunities to handle more responsibilities. Apart from the apparent salary upgrade, a master’s degree provides a convenient platform to work in several places.
Paramedics
According to the federal government, paramedics have been in high demand since 2019. Demand for them is expected to grow at a steady rate of 6% from now to 2029. The report also stated that the demand for paramedics continues to grow faster than one would have expected. Previously, the following states were known as places with the highest mean salaries for paramedics.
- Hawaii – $56,610
- Alaska – $50,640
- Washington – $56,140
Today, these states no longer hold that status, mainly because the pandemic caused a massive demand for paramedics. As a result, American states which usually paid less are now paying more than the average to attract interest for this field.
Medical lab technicians
Indeed, the pandemic and its ripple effects landed lots of praise for doctors and heroes. However, one of the unsung healthcare heroes is the medical lab technician, and thankfully, they are also in high demand now. Due to record high numbers recorded for COVID cases daily, it became imperative for the country to have more lab technicians. These are trained persons who test samples in the laboratory to determine whether or not people are infected with the virus.
Indeed, it is logical for medical lab workers to be in demand, mainly because more COVID tests are done daily. For example, on March 7, 2021, alone, the US conducted 1,170,059 COVID tests, and even this was lower than what was recorded just the previous day (March 06, 2021).
Other healthcare jobs in demand are medical assistants, physical therapy assistants, anesthesiologists, pharmacists, etc. Therefore, if you are interested in healthcare jobs, you can do your research to decide which area suits you best. But, of course, you must possess the necessary qualifications to practice.
