The medical field is one of those blessed fields where you never really need to worry about trends or the caprices of “demand.” People are always going to get sick and hurt, and there will always be a need for medical professionals that can help them.
Some careers in the medical field are growing faster than others, however. If you know you want the security and fulfillment that comes from a medical career but don’t know which one to pick, consider this list of the fastest-growing career tracks in the medical field as your starting point.
Imaging Specialists and Diagnostic Sonographers
Utilizing the highly sophisticated imaging technology sold by companies like Maven Imagingis always going to be a standard part of quality care in virtually every line of medicine, from internal to dental to vision.
According to sources like CNBC, Indeed, and the Ultimate Medical Academy, the imaging specialists and diagnostic sonographers who use this technology are among the fastest-growing medical professions today.
Jobs like these require advanced degrees, and the starting pay reflects that expertise requirement.
Occupational Therapy Assistants
Occupational therapists help those injured to get back into shape. They receive special training to be able to diagnose and treat those suffering from acute or chronic injuries, and understand a wide variety of exercises and movements that can be done to help kick off the healing process.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the average salary for this line of work at around $127,000 per year.
Home Health Aides
Home health aides don’t make near what occupational therapists make. But these hard-working individuals that provide palliative, end-of-life, or other forms of care for those who are incapacitated at home enjoy a ton of other perks.
First of all, you don’t need as much schooling to become a home health aide. You also don’t have to work grueling hospital hours, and the fulfillment that comes from making deep bonds with your patients is valuable.
Medical Assistant
“Medical assistant” could mean just about anything, and that’s why it’s such an in-demand job. Medical assistants’ tasks in your average hospital or doctor’s office can range from filing paperwork and working out billing to assisting in surgery and administering anesthesia.
Most of the time, medical assistants handle communication at medical offices. If you’ve ever sat in the waiting room of an emergency room or even a boutique medical group, you know the absolute avalanche that is daily communications. Make sure if you pursue this line of work you’re okay with making around 100 phone calls an hour.
Phlebotomist
Phlebotomist is the technical term for the kind of medical specialist who comes into the room to see you between the intake nurse and the doctor to draw your blood. RNs are trained on drawing blood, but phlebotomists make careers out of it. These careers not only pay well, but they’re in constant demand.
Job Security = Happiness
Medical professions tend to be secure, but these five are extra secure. And when you feel good in your job, you feel good in all areas of your life.
