Expected Openings: 61,000
Veterinary Technologist & Technician
Expected Openings: 41,700
[See: The 100 Best Jobs.]
In the Trenches
If doctors are the industry's healers, then the professionals who fill these seven gigs are the industry's heroes. They're intrinsic to patient, pain, and symptom management; they examine patients, draw blood, provide emergency/first-response care, perform tests, assist in surgeries, monitor healing, change dressings, and more. They might also educate: For instance, a dental hygienist doesn't just clean a patient's teeth; he or she might also instruct the patient on proper oral care. A respiratory therapist might teach a parent how to administer a breathing treatment to their child, or a smoker on ways to kick their habit.
These workers also represent a sect of healthcare that will see some of the most substantial growth by 2020, due to the large and aging baby-boomer population but also thanks to our society's growing interest in preventative medicine. Some pockets within these fields will experience tremendous hiring opportunity. For example, the BLS reports that advanced practice registered nurses (nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists) should especially see a hiring boom, as should nurses willing to work in residential care facilities.
Expected Openings: 91,600
Expected Openings: 68,500
Expected Openings: 162,900
Expected Openings: 302,000
Expected Openings: 75,400
Expected Openings: 711,900
Expected Openings: 31,200
Health & Wellness
It's no longer sufficient to treat medical problems when they happen. We now want to ward them off before they can occur. And as "preventative care" becomes more buzzy, it also becomes more available and affordable. Five positions that facilitate this branch of healthcare made our list of Best Jobs for 2013.
As with other healthcare professions, growth in the fields of physical therapy, occupational therapy, massage therapy, and epidemiology can also be traced back to baby boomers: This generation is aging but active, and boomers desire and require more rehabilitative and/or preventative care than previous generations.
Expected Openings: 77,400
Expected Openings: 30,800
Expected Openings: 36,400
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