Nurse NOT among the fastest growing jobs/careers

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

A friend emailed me this. It is not sited, but she said she got it from Monster.

It's the top 11 fastest growing jobs, nursing is not on the list!

Article from CareerBuilder.com/Karen

Get a Job With an Edge

By Laura Morsch, CareerBuilder.com

Finding a job can be tough - especially when you're not looking in the right place. Tight as the job market may seem, some jobs are so hot, and growing so quickly, that employers are itching to find qualified candidates to fill them.

As the American population grows older and more dependent on technology, the number of medical and computer-related jobs is escalating rapidly to keep pace with demand. According to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 15 of the 30 fastest-growing jobs in the United States are in healthcare, and another seven are computer-related.

Here is a list of some of the fastest-growing jobs in the United States, where qualified applicants, not the employers, have the edge - and the vital facts about each - from the BLS's Occupational Outlook Handbook:

Medical Assistants

What they do: Perform routine administrative and clinical tasks - from answering phones to explaining medications to patients - to help keep medical practitioners' offices running smoothly.

What you need: Most employers prefer graduates of a formal, one- to two-year medical assistant training program. A high school diploma is required, and some employers provide on-the-job training.

What it pays: Median annual pay was $24,610 in 2004.

Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts

What they do: Help keep your electronic communications - Internet, voice mail, e-mail and so on - up and running. They test and evaluate systems such as local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), intranets and other data communications systems.

What you need: Some employers require just an associate's degree. Other, more advanced jobs, require a bachelor's degree in a computer-related field.

What it pays: Median annual pay was $60,600 in 2004.

Environmental Engineers

What they do: In response to concerns about environmental damage, they conduct research and develop solutions to environmental problems including pollution control, ozone depletion and wildlife protection.

What you need: Usually at least a bachelor's degree.

What it pays: Median annual pay was $66,480 in 2004.

Physician Assistants

What they do: Provide diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive healthcare services - including examining and treating patients, making diagnoses and ordering prescriptions - under a doctor's supervision.

What you need: Graduation from a formal physician assistant education program. Most programs require applicants to have at least a bachelor's degree.

What it pays: Median annual pay was $68,410 in 2004.

Social and Human Service Assistants

What they do: Assess clients' needs and eligibility for services like food stamps, arrange for transportation and provide emotional support. They also monitor case records and report progress.

What you need: Usually an associate's degree or certificate, plus relevant work experience.

What it pays: Median annual pay was $24,270 in 2004.

Home Health Aides

What they do: Help elderly, disabled and convalescent people live at home instead of in a hospital or nursing home by assisting with housekeeping, bathing and other tasks.

What you need: Usually short-term, on-the-job training. Workers whose employers are covered by Medicare must complete 75 hours of training and pass a competency test.

What it pays: Median annual pay was $18,330 in 2004.

Postsecondary Teachers

What they do: Instruct students in a variety of academic and vocational subjects beyond the high school level to help them earn a degree or improve their knowledge or skills. They may prepare lessons or lectures, grade assignments and conduct extensive research in their fields. Most of these teachers work on college and university faculties, but others work as postsecondary vocational education teachers and graduate teaching assistants.

What you need: Depends on the employer and subject taught. At four-year research institutions, faculty usually hold a doctorate degree and some conduct post-doctoral research. At two-year colleges, a master's degree is standard.

What it pays: Median annual pay was $49,040, but varies widely depending on rank, subject taught and employer.

Medical Records and Health Information Technicians

What they do: Assemble and assess patients' medical charts, determine a facility's Medicare and other insurance reimbursements, and use computer software to help improve patient care and cut costs.

What you need: An associate's degree and a written examination.

What it pays: Median annual pay was $25,590 in 2004.

Computer Software Engineers

What they do: Design, develop, test and evaluate the software and systems computers need to perform their applications.

What you need: A bachelor's degree, relevant work experience and strong computer skills.

What it pays: Median annual pay was about $75,000 in 2004.

Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors

What they do: Amidst growing concerns about obesity, fitness instructors help their clients slim down and shape up by instructing them and physical and exercise activities like yoga, aerobics and weightlifting.

What you need: There are no specific educational requirements, but most jobs require certification including CPR and first aid training.

What it pays: Median annual pay was $25,470 in 2004.

Physical Therapist Assistants

What they do: Help provide treatment including exercises and ultrasounds, record the patient's responses to treatment, and report the outcome of each treatment to the physical therapist.

What you need: Usually an associate's degree and on-the-job training, and some states require a license.

What it pays: Median annual pay was $37,890 in 2004.

[HappyNurse2005, RN]

Medical Assistants

What they do: Perform routine administrative and clinical tasks - from answering phones to explaining medications to patients - to help keep medical practitioners' offices running smoothly.

ok, so explaining medications...is this REALLY done by MA's in the office? Really?

pt teaching should be done by the office nurse-not hte MA. and medication teaching? again, by hte nurse, not hte MA.

[RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN]

In my area there is no demand for Medical Assitants. There are so many going back to school for LPN or RN as they could not find a job.

There is a huge demand for nurses which are also BSN preferred, but needless to say, ADN are filling those spots as well. :)

So I guess it depends the area too.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Interesting. I just read in Time magazine that nursing will add more jobs than any other job in the coming years.

I guess it's how you define most in demand or "growing".

[Hodge]

No, nursing is not the one of the "fastest growing jobs". But nursing will create a large number of jobs due to its current size. Take a career that currently employs 50,000 people and say it is projected to grow at 50% over the next 6 years - that creates 25,000 new jobs. Take a career that currently employs 2.3 million (as nusring does) and is porjected to 21% to 35% ( http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos083.htm ) over that same time period, this creates 483,000 - 805,000 new positions. Also, the IT job projections are BS. I currently work in that industry and see the many IT people that are our of work.............

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

nursing not listed as "fastest growing" occupation cause it is already the largest healthcare career!

registered nurses constitute the largest healthcare occupation, with 2.3 million jobs.

http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos083.htm

fastest growing occupations

us gov dept of labor: http://www.bls.gov/emp/emptab3.htm

nursing not listed

however:

total job openings due to growth and net replacements

need 1,101,000 registered nurses by 2012

http://www.bls.gov/emp/emptab21.htm

jobs with largest total growth

"registered nurses are expected to have the greatest numeric increase over the next decade, creating approximately 623,000 new jobs."

http://www.salary.com/advice/layoutscripts/advl_display.asp?tab=adv&cat=nocat&ser=ser295&part=par438

http://www.collegeboard.com/article/0,3868,4-24-0-236,00.html

if you only look at "top career's for college graduates", many don't list nursing since many nurses are educated with the associate degree, which is not considered by many sources including the government, as completing college (that occurs with bachelors degree).

when you look at total numbers nursing far surpases other professions for growth and job replacement.

see:ten hottest careers for college graduates

under "10 fastest growing occupations for college grads" lists top occupation as network systems and data communications analysts with 57% change. under ocupations with the "most new jobs: associate's degrees or postsecondary vocational awards" registered nurses have 623% change.

no comparison which career has more opportunities!

health services

• as the largest industry in 2002, health services provided 12.9 million jobs-- 12.5 million jobs for wage and salary workers and about 382,000 jobs for the self-employed.
  
• ten out of 20 occupations projected to grow the fastest are concentrated in health services.
  
• about 16 percent of all new wage and salary jobs created between 2002 and 2012 will be in health services-- 3.5 million jobs, which is more than in any other industry.
  
• the majority of jobs require less than 4 years of college education, but health diagnosing and treating practitioners are among the most educated workers.

about 518,000 establishments make up the health services industry; all vary greatly in terms of size, staffing patterns, and organizational structures. three-fourths of all health services establishments are offices of physicians, dentists, or other health practitioners. although hospitals constitute only 2 percent of all health services establishments, they employ 41 percent of all workers

http://stats.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs035.htm

home healthcare services. skilled nursing or medical care is sometimes provided in the home, under a physician's supervision. home healthcare services are provided mainly to the elderly. the development of in-home medical technologies, substantial cost savings, and patients' preference for care in the home have helped make this once-small segment of the industry into one of the fastest growing in the economy.

http://stats.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs035.htm

i've been involved in this "boom" for the past twenty years. will be even larger as we baby boomers develop illness + are now starting to retire.

karen

growth does not = high income

job projected growth

personal and home care aids 119%

systems analysts 92%

computer engineers 90%

physical therapy aides 83%

electronic pagination systems workers 83%

physical therapists 80%

residential counselors 76%

human-services workers 75%

occupational therapists 72%

manicurists 69%

median weekly earnings of select growing jobs

personal and home health care aides, $258

systems analysts, $845

computer engineers, $845

physical therapy aides, $296

http://www.pbs.org/livelyhood/shiftchange/jobtrends.html

our profession is in demand for at least the next twenty years.

[RC1]

I passed the NCLEX on a Wednesday the 28th of Sept. and had a job on Thursday, the fifth of October. It was exactly the job I wanted, it paid more than I was anticipating, and it was the only job I applied for. At the interview, I never got a chance to sell myself to them because they were too busy selling themselves to me. What's more, nursing may not be the fastest but it is the most dependable vehicle IMO. There's just no real way to outsource, downsize, or mechanize the nursing staff. I don't think you can say that about too many other jobs these days. That kind of job security in today's job market is worth thousands of dollars a year as far as I'm concerned. Nursing rules.

[a_clay]

I passed the NCLEX on a Wednesday the 28th of Sept. and had a job on Thursday, the fifth of October. It was exactly the job I wanted, it paid more than I was anticipating, and it was the only job I applied for. At the interview, I never got a chance to sell myself to them because they were too busy selling themselves to me. What's more, nursing may not be the fastest but it is the most dependable vehicle IMO. There's just no real way to outsource, downsize, or mechanize the nursing staff. I don't think you can say that about too many other jobs these days. That kind of job security in today's job market is worth thousands of dollars a year as far as I'm concerned. Nursing rules.

AMEN to that!!!

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

"Registered nurses are expected to have the greatest numeric increase over the next decade, creating approximately 623,000 new jobs."

I really hope this is true!

As some of you may know if you have read my posts, there are too many nurses where I live and no jobs. Nurses here are unemployed and working in other, non-nursing jobs.

I am feeling very discouraged, as the only way I can get work is being a traveler, and leaving my husband and home.

I love travel nursing, but it is very hard on a relationship, ver lonely. I get so homesick when I am on an assignment.

I wish so badly we could move.

I have 2 choices here- live at home and be unemployed, or travel to work and live away from my husband.

Both choices are very unappealing.

Also, one poster said "nursing can't be out-sourced" Yes, but we all know it can be insourced by importing foreign nurses.

It is very discouraging to see posts from so may foreigners coming here for jobs, when I LIVE here and there are none to be had.

Believe me, I am always looking and networking, but nothing turns up.

[fergus51]

Foreign nurses only move where there are jobs available. I find it unlikely that they would move to an area with few jobs to compete with Americans. In my area there are ALWAYS open nursing jobs.

[RC1]

This is the employment portal to one of the hospital partnerships in one Texas city, Austin Texas: http://www.hirebridge.com/jobseeker2/categorysearch.asp?cid=5291 There's no shortage of nursing jobs in Austin, Tx (or any of Texas for that matter). And, contrary to what you may have heard, Texas is a great state to live in. Austin is especially nice.

[HeartsOpenWide, RN]

Medical Assistants

What it pays: Median annual pay was $24,610 in 2004. :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Where did they get their info? I make $12,000 /year, before taxes, without benifits if I am working 40 hours (on the dot) a week all year long. (Of course now that I am in school I make near to nothing)