subject: Where Are All The Healthcare Jobs? [print this page] So you've decided that a career in healthcare is the right decision. Either you want to find success in a quickly-growing field, or you just want to do everything you can to help other people.
The United States is seeing huge growth in the healthcare field as a percentage of total GDP. This presents an excellent opportunity for making a great living in the field.
However, not all cities and states are equal. If you're considering a healthcare career, and are willing to work away from where you grew up, or if you're already an established healthcare professional looking to relocate, this article will do its best to send you on the surest path of success. Alternatively, you can see what Healthcare Jobs are available in your city by using this Healthcare Jobs site.
The Best Places for Healthcare Jobs
The best place to work in the Healthcare field right now, based on job demand, job growth, and expected pay, is the great state of Texas.
There are three main reasons that Texas is such a healthcare growth zone:
* The nation's aging baby boomer generation tends to migrate south for retirement, making Texas one of their popular settling locations. Retirement-aged individuals require much more medical care than the average citizen. Texas has a 28% boomer population, higher than the national average, and has a greater number of boomers than 48 out of 49 other states. (Source: Texas Government Study, American Boomer Study)
* The influx of immigration from Mexico puts further demand on the healthcare system, creating the need for more government spending in the health sector. Texas has had the fastest growing immigrant population of any other state (source: dallasnews.com.)
* On average, there are far less doctors and health professionals in Texas than other states, (source: statemaster.com) and the state ranks 49th out of 50 for overall performance of its healthcare system (source: dallasnews.com).
Each of these facts alone would present a high demand for experienced healthcare professionals, but all three at ounce creates a perfect storm. Texans are in dire need of medical professionals in all fields.
Not all parts of Texas are created equally, though. The state's healthcare hotbed stretches for central Texas to Houston, on the southeastern coast.
The Best Places to be a Dentist
Cleveland, Ohio has the highest demand for dentists in the U.S, as of 2010. In 1999, it was named as an "emerging global city." Cleveland is currently experiencing a shrinkage in its professional work force, making demand very high for white collar jobs, especially dentists.
San Antonio, Texas is in central Texas, previously revealed as the hottest healthcare spot in the nation. It's Texas' 2nd biggest city, and the demand for qualified dentists there is reaching desperate levels, meaning practitioners can charge more for their valuable time.
The Best Places to be a Veterinarian
Not all doctors are people doctors. The veterinary field has been growing for a very long time, due to a higher amount of discretionary income Americans are willing to spend on sick pets.
Washington DC, our nation's capital, has a high proportion of pets, and a low proportion of pet doctors. This wealthy, beautiful city is the perfect place to open a veterinary practice, or find a job in an existing one.
Amarillo, Texas is the growing population center for the northern Texas "panhandle." It's main economic activity involves cattle, which is perhaps why veterinary jobs are in such high demand there.
The Best Places to be a Massage Therapist
Another quickly expanding field, massage therapy is scientifically proven to provide a multitude of health benefits.
Houston, Texas has its share of stressed out people, which is part of why it has such high demand for expert massage therapists. The demand has risen the median income of a massage therapist to over $60,000 per year.
Chicago, Illinois, on the banks of the Great Lakes, has approximately the same demand for qualified massage therapists as Houston. So pick your city, they both offer a lot of opportunity.
The Best Places to be a Home Health Aide
A relatively new occupation, home health aides make house calls to the elderly, sick and infirm, assisting them with their health, mobility, and offering them company. The best places to be a home health aide are often in wealthy communities with a high proportion of elderly people.
Albany, New York has a proportion of those aged 65+ of 13.4%. Fully 86% of these elderly people live alone, as of the 2000 census. This has translated to a very high demand of Home Health Aides in the city.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has an even greater proportion of residents aged 65+ than Albany, and a similar ratio of them live by themselves. While these conditions are favorable for Home Health Aides, Philadelphia is a much larger city than Albany, and competition for jobs is greater.
