Health Care Providers

The health care industry is a vital component of both the private and public sector, and there will continue to be many career opportunities. One of the fastest growing job categories in the industry is home health care. Home health care workers include nurses, physical therapists, and consultants, as well as lower paid workers who cook, clean, bathe, and dress homebound patients, such as the elderly and disabled.

Since managed-care programs are growing because of their cost efficiency, employment opportunities in hospitals will slow, and they may possibly decline for administrative and support jobs. Some observers expect that consolidations and closings will reduce the number of community hospitals by as much as 10 percent. Remaining hospitals are likely to cut costs, reduce staff, curb the use of advanced technologies, encourage outpatient care, and reduce paperwork. In the next decade, most health care workers will be employed in some kind of corporate, group, or network environment.

The passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), which President Obama signed into law in March 2010, has created many new job opportunities for health care professionals. The ACA, the first comprehensive health reform in the United States in decades, aims to make health care more affordable and has improved access for all Americans. One of its goals is to benefit those who lack health insurance through an employer or are pushed out of the health insurance market due to the high cost of buying private insurance or because of pre-existing medical conditions that leave them uninsurable by giving them access to insurance plans through federal- and state-backed health insurance marketplaces. Enrollment in those plans began on October 1, 2013, with the new insurance coverage taking effect on January 1, 2014. The rollout of the new law suffered online difficulties, delays, and other chronic problems, but the government reported meeting its initial goal of 7 million enrollees in the first year. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that, "based on 2023 and early 2024 enrollment data, more than 45 million people are currently enrolled in Marketplace or Medicaid expansion coverage under provisions of the ACA."

Employment of health care practitioners is projected to increase much faster than the average for all occupations from 2023 through 2033, adding about 2.2 million new jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The DOL also reports that seven of the top 20 fastest-growing occupations are concentrated in the health care industry. Six of the 20 occupations with the highest projected numeric change in employment through 2033 are in health care. There is a general perception that careers in health care require advanced education; however, most jobs require less than four years of college. For example, the following fast-growing careers only require an associate’s degree: physical therapist assistants and occupational therapy assistants. Home health aides only need a high school diploma or equivalent.

The following paragraphs provide information on the employment outlooks from 2023 through 2033 for various health care careers.

Employment growth for physicians and surgeons is expected to be as fast as the average, at 4 percent. More doctors will be needed because the population is both growing and aging and because government legislation may help millions in the United States obtain health insurance. Also, many new technological improvements require the expertise of greater numbers of medical specialists. However, the need for primary care providers will be far greater than the need for medical specialists. Faster-than-average employment growth is expected for neurologists, dermatologists, and psychiatrists.

The employment outlook for all kinds of nurses is very favorable. Many hospitals don't have enough nurses; the demand is bigger than the supply. Also, as health care services expand, even more nurses will be needed. Employment for registered nurses is expected to increase 6 percent (faster than average), with 197,200 new jobs expected through 2030. The DOL says that "job growth is expected across most types of health care settings, including hospitals and outpatient care centers that provide same-day services, such as chemotherapy, rehabilitation, and surgery. In addition, because many older people prefer to be treated at home or in residential care facilities, registered nurses will be in demand in those settings."

Opportunities are also excellent for nurse practitioners and physician assistants. They will continue to assume many of the functions of primary care physicians in the next few years, including taking patient histories and making preliminary diagnoses. The DOL included NPs (ranked 3rd) and PAs (ranked 7th) on its list of the 20 fastest-growing occupations through 2033. Nurse practitioners are in very high demand, with 46 percent employment growth projected. Physician assistants will experience growth of 28 percent. Job opportunities will also be excellent for other advanced practice nurses. Much-faster-than-average growth is expected for nurse anesthetists, and employment for nurse midwives will grow faster than the average.

Job prospects will be good for those working as nursing aides, medical assistants, home health aides, and orderlies and attendants. As the population continues to age, opportunities in gerontology, home health care, and nursing and residential care will increase due to families being less able to care for elderly relatives. Although job prospects are strong, it's important to note that these positions pay salaries that are lower than the average for all careers. Many people work in these positions while attending postsecondary training to prepare for better-paying health care occupations.

The employment outlook for physical therapists is also excellent, with expected growth of 14 percent. "Demand for physical therapy will come, in part, from the large number of aging baby boomers, who are staying more active later in life than their counterparts of previous generations," according to the DOL. "Older people are more likely to experience heart attacks, strokes, and mobility-related injuries that require physical therapy for rehabilitation." Job opportunities for physical therapist assistants are expected to increase by 25 percent. This career ranks amongst the top 10 fastest-growing careers through 2033.

Employment for consultants in the healthcare sector is expected to increase by nearly 7 percent (much faster than the average) from 2023 through 2033. Consulting jobs in the following healthcare sectors will experience much-faster-than-average growth: services for the elderly and persons with disabilities (+26.7 percent); home healthcare services (+20.6 percent); continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly (+12.9 percent); private psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals (+12.9 percent); and outpatient care centers (+11.7 percent).

Other health care careers that will experience strong employment growth include:

• occupational therapy assistants: +22 percent
• speech-language pathologists: +18 percent
• massage therapists: +18 percent
• genetic counselors: +16 percent
• health information technologists and medical registrars: +16 percent
• diagnostic medical sonographers: +15 percent
• orthotists and prosthetists: +15 percent
• respiratory therapists: +13 percent
• occupational therapists: +11 percent
• audiologists: +11 percent
• medical records specialists: +9 percent
• optometrists: +9 percent
• phlebotomists: +8 percent
• magnetic resonance imaging technologists: +8 percent
• dietitians and nutritionists: +7 percent
• emergency medical technicians: +6 percent
• radiologic technologists and technicians: +6 percent
• surgical technologists: +6 percent

Employment for two well-known health care careers will decline through 2033. Employment for medical transcriptionists is projected to decline 5 percent. "Technological advances in speech recognition and electronic health records software allow physicians to document some information in the moment, reducing the need for medical transcriptionists," according to the DOL. "In addition, these technologies increase medical transcriptionists' productivity, allowing more transcription by fewer workers." Job opportunities for nuclear medicine technologists are projected to decrease 1 percent as a result of the declining use of nuclear imaging and other factors.

The DOL reported that the median annual wage for healthcare practitioners and technical occupations (e.g., physicians and surgeons, registered nurses) was $80,820 in May 2023. The median salary for all workers was $48,060. On the other hand, workers in healthcare support careers (e.g., medical transcriptionists, occupational therapy assistants, home health aides) had a median annual wage of $36,140.