The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is a valuable resource to use when considering different career paths, or searching for employment information. The BLS has industry information spanning across nearly any field. Whether you're seeking up-to-date salary information regarding a specific job title, or predicted growth for that job or industry, the BLS is an excellent resource. With information extracted from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we've written this article to serve as a guide containing the fastest growing medical careers.
Read on to learn more, or navigate here to find medical training in your area.
Medical Careers In Demand
Here are seven medical careers from the list of fastest growing occupations. We have included links to these excellent training programs from our national network of partner schools. It’s possible you have a school offering training right in your area!
1. Medical assistant | Projected increase in employment by 2033: 15%
Training time: as few as 10 months
Medical assistants work with doctors and nurses on clinical duties, such as gathering vitals from a patient or taking notes on the reasons for the visit. They may also perform admin responsibilities, like setting up appointments and greeting patients on arrival. Find local or online medical assistant training.
2. Physical therapist aide | Projected increase in employment by 2033: 19%
Training time: train on the job or in as few as 4 months
Physical therapist aides help physical therapists by cleaning treatment areas before and after each appointment, setting up equipment, and moving patients with a facility. They might answer phones and do other clerical work.
3. Phlebotomist | Projected increase in employment by 2033: 9%
Training time: as few at 4-8 months
Phlebotomists draw blood from patients, label samples, and send them to the lab for testing. They usually do that work in a medical office or hospital, but they also can take blood from donors at blood drives. Find phlebotomist training near you.
4. Physical therapist assistant | Projected increase in employment by 2033: 19%
Training time: approximately 2 years
Physical therapist (PT) assistants work alongside physical therapists, similar to how physical therapist aides do. However, PT assistants work directly with the patient as well, moving their limbs, observing the treatments, and teaching at-home care instructions. Find physical therapist assistant training near you.
5. Nurse practitioner | Projected increase in employment by 2033: 40% | Significantly higher growth expected
Training time: approximately 6-8 years
Nurse practitioners provide advanced nursing services to patients, typically in a certain niche, like pediatrics. They are able to prescribe medicines and perform other duties above and beyond those of registered nurses. Find nurse practitioner training near you.
6. Physician assistant | Projected increase in employment by 2033: 28%
Training time: approximately 4-6 years
Physician assistants work in many areas of medicine, and can examine and treat patients. Like nurse practitioners, physician assistants are not doctors, but can provide similar services.
7. Personal care/home health aides | Projected increase in employment by 2033: 21%
Training time: as few as 75 hours
Personal care/home health aides devote their time to caring for recovering, elderly, or disabled patients. Home health aides typically complete medical-based duties, such as helping patients bathe or dressing wounds, while personal care aides may help a patient with household tasks or grocery shopping. Find personal care/home health aide training near you.
Reference: Fastest Growing Occupations on BLS
