A Look at Medical Jobs of the Future

September 4, 2019AGNES JOSEPHUncategorized

Recently, Mashable published a list of future careers entitled “10 Crazy Jobs That Will Exist in the Future.” It makes sense that several of the careers included on the list are in the healthcare field. After all, the need for healthcare isn’t going to go away. People will always need medical treatment.

Here are the three “future” medical careers identified by Mashable, which are actually emerging careers, as well as other emerging and fast-growing healthcare careers.

Telesurgeon

Telesurgeons, second on Mashable’s list, will operate on patients with operating equipment that controls robotic arms to conduct surgery remotely. While the remote part is not currently in practice, robotic surgery is already a very common technique used by a variety of specialists such as urologists, neurosurgeons, and obstetricians and gynecologists (OB/GYNs) for gynecologic surgery.

Healthcare Navigator

Healthcare navigators were sixth on the list of crazy future careers. However, this career is not that “crazy” or “futuristic” as it is already in practice. Healthcare navigators are a close cousin of case managers and patient advocates. They help patients and their families navigate the healthcare process and layers of bureaucracy, including health insurance companies and government agencies.

End-of-Life Therapist

End-of-life therapists were seventh on Mashable’s list. Again, while there are probably not many healthcare professionals who are called “end-of-life therapists,” there are many who provide end-of-life counseling and guidance. Healthcare workers in palliative care, hospice care, psychology, case management, estate planning, and social work are all involved in the provision of end-of-life care and therapy.

End-of-life therapists will manage the entire process of financial affairs, family communication, and the psychological health of the patient in the final weeks, months, or years of the patient’s life in a “straightforward but sensitive manner,” according to Mashable.

Integrative Medicine

Another emerging field of medicine is integrative medicine, which involves traditional treatment methods with less traditional ones, such as acupuncture, herbal supplements, and massage. Integrative medicine seeks to treat the patient as a whole being, taking into account one’s mental, physical, and spiritual well-being, and treating the person as a whole.

Medical Scribes

Medical scribes are becoming increasingly common members of medical care teams as physicians become more and more bogged down with administrative tasks such as paperwork and computer data entry. A job that’s in high demand, medical scribes gather information and documentation for physicians, working one-on-one with them. Many students who plan to go to medical school are becoming scribes and making decent salaries.

Fastest Growing Health Occupations

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 10 of the 20 fastest growing occupations between 2016-2026 are predicted to be in the healthcare field. These occupations and their growth rates include:

1. Home health aides (47 percent)
2. Physician assistants (37 percent)
3. Nurse practitioners (36 percent)
4. Physical therapist assistants (31 percent)
5. Physical therapist aides (29 percent)
6. Medical assistants (29 percent)
7. Genetic counselors (29 percent)
8. Occupational therapy assistants (29 percent)
9. Physical therapists (28 percent)
10. Massage therapists (26 percent)

Article Sources

• Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fastest Growing Occupations. Occupational Outlook Handbook. United States Department of Labor. Updated January 30, 2018.
• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.  Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In a Name? U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. National Institutes of Health. Updated September 24, 2017.
• ScribeAmerica. What is a Medical Scribe?