Thanks to a larger population of elderly, advances in technology, and a focus on preventative care, health care is the most rapidly expanding industry in the US. In fact, healthcare employment is expected to make up over a quarter of all new jobs created in the United States with 5.7 million new positions opening up before 2020.
Here is a projection of some the fastest-growing health care jobs between 2010 and 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Find out more about dental assistant employment.)
Occupation |
Percent Change in Jobs, |
Home Health Aides |
69.4%
|
Physical Therapist Assistants |
45.7%
|
Physical Therapist Assistants and Aides |
44.6%
|
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers |
43.5%
|
Occupational Therapy Assistants |
43.3%
|
Physical Therapist Aides |
43.1%
|
Physical Therapists |
39.0%
|
Dental Hygienists |
37.7%
|
Audiologists |
36.8%
|
Veterinarians |
35.9%
|
Occupational Therapists |
33.5%
|
EMTs and Paramedics |
33.3%
|
Optometrists |
33.1%
|
Occupational Therapy Aides |
33.0%
|
Pharmacy Technicians |
32.4%
|
Therapists |
30.9%
|
Medical Assistants |
30.9%
|
Dental Assistants |
30.8%
|
Athletic Trainers |
30.0%
|
Physician Assistants |
29.5%
|
Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians |
29.3%
|
Opticians, Dispensing |
28.9%
|
Pharmacy Aides |
28.6%
|
Chiropractors |
28.3%
|
Physicians and surgeons |
27.9%
|
Therapists, All Other |
27.8%
|
Radiologic Technologists and Technicians |
27.7%
|
Respiratory Therapists |
26.0%
|
Registered Nurses |
26.0%
|
Figures courtesy of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Employment & Wages database.