Healthcare is one of the fastest-growing professions across the globe. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world and affected many lives, it urged the need for enough healthcare workers.

According to the report of the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS), the healthcare-related profession is expected to grow 16 per cent across the healthcare sector, faster than the national average of the US. This massive surge in this sector will result in the addition of approximately 2.6 million healthcare jobs between 2020-2030. Such a situation is solely responsible for many international students to get a US study visa and hence study in the US.

Healthcare, being the most in-demand profession, attracts healthcare workers to explore more opportunities. Other reasons that gravitate healthcare workers to study in the US are the job security and pay potential of this profession.

Keeping the rising demand for healthcare workers in mind, we have brought you a detailed list of the six most rewarding career options for healthcare professionals.

Let’s get started!

Healthcare workers can choose among these six career options in the US

• Nurse Practitioners

The Expected Growth: 52%

Nurse Practitioners, also known as Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs), hold the most in-demand healthcare career that students may opt to pursue in the healthcare sector. Aspirants who wish to study in the US must consider this profession and shall start applying to get a student visa application.

Another reason to take up the Nurse Practitioner as a career is that it is the fastest-growing profession in the healthcare career, these professionals have also ranked the fourth, fastest-growing job among all occupations in the United States. 

The Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) has predicted that employment of Nurse Practitioners will witness an incredible surge of 52 per cent between the years 2020 and 2030— by offering 114,900 job openings nationwide.

If you choose to study in the US and start your career as a Nurse Practitioner, you will be responsible for undertaking various similar services such as physicians and have great autonomy in their work. 

Following this, nursing professionals will be required to meet the increasing demand for primary, preventive, and ambulatory care. 

Upon getting a US student visa, and having completed your study in the US, your major role as a nurse practitioner will be to work as a primary care provider in private practices.

You will also get the chance to work in hospital and outpatient settings with a proficient team of doctors, nurses, and surgeons. In the near future, with the ageing population, more nurse practitioners will be needed to provide care for the growing number of older adults, who inherently are more prone to ailments and chronic conditions. But due to the wide range of work and responsibilities carried by Nurse Practitioners, the profession is incomplete without a master’s degree in this healthcare profession.

• Occupational Therapy Assistants

The Expected Growth: 36%

Occupational Therapy Assistants (OTA), is also listed as the fastest-growing career in the United States. If you are motivated to start your career in the healthcare sector, you will be glad to learn that the employment of Occupational Therapy Assistants in the US is expected to grow 36 per cent between 2020 and 2030, with about 15,600 job openings expected for OTAs. OTAs with practical experience e.g. in a clinical setting will have ample job opportunities.

The ageing baby boomer population is another reason that this is the most in-demand occupation. With the changing lifestyle, adults in their early 30s are more susceptible to health-related issues such as arthritis and strokes, which can affect their ability to fulfil day-to-day activities. Here comes your role as OTAs to help these patients improve and develop the skills necessary to perform and live without being dependent on others.

As per the BLS report, Occupational Therapy Assistants will also be needed to help treat children and young adults with developmental disabilities, such as autism. 

Occupational therapy is a fast-growing career, and you must plan to study in the US so that you can become an OTA, as it is a relatively fast-growing career option. As an OTA aspirant, you will be required to get an associate degree in Occupational Therapy Assisting, which may take a total of 16 months only.

• Medical Health and Services Managers

The Expected Growth: 32%

Medical and Health Services Managers make up another exponentially growing profession in the healthcare industry. The career bucket offers employment which is expected to surge nearly 32 per cent between the years 2020 and 2030. 

Aspirants shall get a US student visa and plan to study in the US to start a bright career in this field. Seeing the demand for professionals in the healthcare sector, it is believed that to manage the whole functioning and operations, managers will be needed, hence it is worth investing your time to become a Medical and Health Services Manager. 

You will also be responsible for managing healthcare staff, facilities, departments, records, and/or other medical information.

You will be surprised to know that the expected growth of these managers implies more than 139,600 jobs which will be offered to qualifying individuals. 

By Qualified Individuals we mean these are the professionals who have at least a bachelor’s degree in a healthcare field, a master’s degree is also asked for by many employers today. To understand it better, suppose a master’s in Nursing (MSN) is an essential requirement for a nurse management position. 

If you already are in the US holding a primary degree but want to advance your career and do better in this field, you must get a higher degree that can help you move into this in-demand occupation.

• Personal Care and Home Health Aides

The Expected Growth: 33%

Keen to get a student visa to study in the US? Want to serve humanity in a better way? Then you will be amazed to know that employment of personal care and home health aides in the US is predicted to grow around 33 per cent by the year 2030. The worth noticing thing about this growth is the expected number of jobs being added to the field. 

For 2020-2030, the BLS predicted that 1,129,900 job openings will become available to aspiring healthcare workers.

With the surge in healthcare jobs, the need for home health and personal care aides will also increase because of the ageing elderly population. 

As a Personal Care and Home Health Aides professional you will be responsible for providing home aides and personal care aides. You will also be working directly with older adults who need help with their day-to-day activities. You will have to deal with patients who are weakened by age, illness, disability, cognitive impairment, or other combinations of factors. The patients in this case are dependent on someone who can assist them with personal care aides to carry out tasks, monitor their health, and ensure the clients that they are properly taking care of themselves. 

As a Home health aide and personal care aide, you may have to work in a patient’s home, or a long-term care facility.

• Medical Assistants

The Expected Growth: 18%

Pursuing a career as a Medical Assistant can also fetch you a good salary. This profession is also in high demand among patients and practitioners. According to the BLS, there will be an 18 per cent growth in medical assisting jobs between the year 2020-2030.

With the growing need for preventative healthcare services, there will be an impressive job offering of nearly 132,600 in this field of healthcare by the year 2030. The Medical Assistants help the doctors to perform routine administrative and clinical duties, which include:

• Measuring vital signs
• Assisting with patient exams
• Collecting samples for lab tests 

This in turn helps the physicians to check more patients and look after the growing need for their services. 

As reported by the BLS, many Medical Assistants work in primary care practices, which is a continuously growing sector of the healthcare industry.

Therefore, you must avail of a US student visa and study in the US to become a Medical Assistant. It is a great career option, as it is the fastest-growing protection in the healthcare sector.  

Medical Association is also one of the top healthcare careers you can get into very easily. The profession takes minimum time to finish the course and gets you a postsecondary certificate program. The time period to complete the course for becoming a medical assistant is just 18 months.

• Dental Hygienists

The Expected Growth: 11%

Dental Hygienists are healthcare professionals that help patients to prevent any kind of oral disease and are qualified to provide dental care to patients on a regular basis. 

The employment of Dental Hygienists is expected to grow in the years to come post-COVID-19 recession that began in 2020. The BLS expects an 11% growth rate for employment, and nearly 15,600 job openings for Dental Hygienists seeking opportunities, every year.

The demand for Dental Hygienists is attributed to an ageing baby boomer population and an increased focus on preventive dental services. 

More and more people are prioritising their teeth cleanings and eventually oral hygiene—acknowledging the direct relationship between oral health and overall health. 

If you wish to study in the US and build a career as a Dental Hygienist, all you need to do is to get a US student visa and get a degree in Dental Hygienist to be able to qualify for holding the licence.