Health Care Offers Excellent Career Options
by L.L. Locker
Seeking job security? A career in health care might offer just that.
Health care is the largest and one of the fastest growing industries in the U.S., according the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Even since the beginning of the current recession (December 2007) approximately 559,000 jobs in health care have been added.
Health care as an industry is expected to continue on its fast paced growth adding three million new wage and salary jobs in ten years, more than any other industry. One reason for the robust growth is the aging Baby Boomers — the BLS predicts that the “senior” age groups will grow faster than the total population. Another reason for the increase in health care occupations may be a shift from inpatient treatment to less expensive outpatient and home health care.
For workers, the health care industry is appealing because it offers opportunities for all career stages. Three occupations that stand out for employment growth are nurse practitioner, health information technician and home health aide.
The November 2009 issue of Money Magazine ranked nurse practitioner as number 4 of the 50 Best Jobs to have in America. It’s a job that chooses you, according to Delores Woodard, a nurse practitioner at University of Kansas Physicians. “I have always been a nurse,” said Woodard, who has been in health care since 1973. “It really chose me. Once I was a nurse, I never thought of doing anything else. I love patient care.”
According to the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, a nurse practitioner provides health care services similar to those of a doctor; diagnosing and treating a wide range of health problems. A nurse practitioner since 2002, Woodard loves “being able to help a patient take care of their health.” She went on to note “what I like least about my job is the patients that fall through the cracks without follow up.”
A nurse practitioner’s “focus comes from the nursing model rather than the physician’s model,” said Mary Allen, Nursing Advisor at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. “The nursing model is more holistic rather than illness treatment.”
An advanced nursing degree is required for nurse practitioners, such as the Master of Science in Nursing offered by Washburn University. “It is a master’s degree program for both Family Nurse Practitioner and Adult Nurse Practitioner to practice the requirements to become a primary care provider” said Allen.
The position of nurse practitioner came into being in 1965 and today there are more than 125,000 practicing throughout the U.S. in clinics, hospitals, urgent care sites, doctor’s offices, nursing homes, schools, and public health departments, helping to maintain a standard of care in areas where there is a shortage of physicians.
Urgent care centers like those found in chain drug stores are one of the largest employers of nurse practitioners. One example: MinuteClinics located in CVS stores are staffed by nurse practitioners who specialize in family health care. In a recent release, Andrew Sussman, MD, president of MinuteClinic, said “Our [nurse] practitioners do a fantastic job with patient education which has allowed the MinuteClinic model to evolve beyond acute care to include wellness and prevention services.”
In February 2009 Congress passed the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act which will provide incentives for doctors and hospitals to move to electronic record keeping. Last month Dr. David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, announced plans for $80 million in grants to help develop and strengthen the health information technology (IT) workforce to aid the adoption and use of health IT nationwide.
Because of this shift to electronic records, the BLS projects an 18 percent growth in health information professions, faster than the average growth for most occupations. A health information technician is responsible for assembling, verifying and recording all of the patients’ health information using computer programs.
Also known as medical records technicians, health information technicians require an undergraduate degree, such as a two year program or associates degree. The Metropolitan Community College (MCC) offers an Associate in Applied Science Degree specializing in Health IT. The program helps students attain a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) certification.
“Our students earn their certification through our program,” said Jennifer Scott, Coordinator of Health Information Technology at MCC Penn Valley. “A lot of online schools or vocational schools are not accredited so their students do not have their certification.”
The certification helps students find employment with local companies. “[MCC] Health Information Technology program has a really good job placement record. We have students in almost every major hospital in town” said Scott.
A part of health IT is medical coding. Janus Love is a student earning her License in Medical Billing & Coding through Pinnacle Career Institute. A Certified Nurse’s Assistant (CNA) since she was 17, Love likes working in the health care industry but is tired of the physical demands of her current job. “I outgrew what I’ve been doing for years; I needed something more challenging,” said Love. “I did some research about coding and decided that was what I wanted to do.”
Scheduled to complete the two-year training program in March, Love went on to explain that medical codes change frequently and keeping up with the new information requires continual training programs and seminars. “It’s fascinating, I want to know as much [about the field] as I can,” said Love. “I’m learning and I love it.”
People who enter the health IT field have a high degree of job satisfaction, according to a recent survey conducted by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). The majority, 82 percent, were happy enough to stay in the field. According to the AHIMA “The high number of available jobs [in health information] means immediate opportunities for recent graduates, strong prospects for long term career advancement, and higher than average industry salaries.”
The fastest growing health care occupation according the BLS is home health aides. They perform health care in the patient’s home such as helping with prescribed exercises, and other treatment options. Home health aides are different from home aides who perform supportive care such as housekeeping and routine personal care services.
Requirements for home health aides are set by each State. In Kansas, a home health aide must be a Certified Nurse Aide; in Missouri, a Certified Nursing Assistant. Johnson County Community College offers a program for home health aides.
“Home Health Aid is a 21 hour course, 18 hours of lecture or lab and 3 hours in the home,” said Jane Zaccardi, Director of Practical Nursing & Health Occupations at JCCC. “It is taught by a registered nurse who is employed in home health. At the successful completion of the course, the student qualifies to test for certification from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.”
JCCC has seen the demand for the home health aide program grow. “Our classes always fill up; but we haven’t had the ability to increase our offering due to space and instructors,” said Zaccardi.
Home health aides can secure jobs with home health agencies such as CareGivers, Inc. located in Kansas City. Future Jackson, Executive Manager and CEO, stated that about half of the employees at CareGivers are CNAs and the remaining are personal care assistants. Both jobs help clients in their home, but CNAs are trained and certified to do advanced personal care such as ostomy hygiene, catheter hygiene, bowel program and help with transfer devises such as Hoyer lift (sling lift).
Jackson has observed an increase in the demand for home health care; she believes that growth will continue because more families are living in intergenerational homes where children or grandchildren are caring for elders. However, she is cautious about advising people to work in home health care if they are interested only in a job.
“I tell people the most important thing for anyone who is entering this field is ‘You’ve got to have the desire to do this type of work to be successful,’” said Jackson who has been working in home health care since 1995. “We can teach skills but we can’t teach heart. If you don’t have it, it’s not the field for you.”
Health care is and will continue to be in the forefront of American’s attention. With 81 job titles in the industry, according the American Medical Association, and with the BLS predicting that workers at all levels of education and training will continue to be in demand, the health industry offers caring people opportunities for building careers.
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