10 of the Most Popular Health-Related Degrees to Explore this Year

Introduction

Students today seek careers that provide both monetary relaxation and emotional satisfaction. They need an opportunity to influence society and simultaneously receive some financial gains positively.

The healthcare industry has observed a boost in its popularity after the coronavirus pandemic handicapped global health. The world’s clinics, hospitals, and classrooms always search for fresh talent.

Online degrees allow employees to enhance their academic qualities and become eligible for better-praying jobs. Quality education makes you more qualified for positions with more flexibility and higher chances to bring much-needed changes in the healthcare industry.

Let’s take a look at and discuss some of these programs…

Healthcare Administration

You can acquire a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration to become eligible for hospital management jobs. This field has an 18% projected job growth with a salary between $110-120 thousand per annum. The healthcare industry needs qualified leaders to run a health center’s operations and manage the staff. That’s why healthcare administration students study public relations, financial management, human resources, and related issues.

Physical Therapy

Acquire a doctor degree to practice physical therapy in the United States. These programs take three years to finish, but licensed physical therapists make between $80-90 thousand annually. This industry expects a 22% boost in the current decade.

Individuals who specialize in sports or cardio have more expectancy of earning desirably. Courses offered in such degrees include human anatomy, therapeutic exercises, health & fitness, and physiology subjects.

Health Information Management

A degree in health information management can take four years to complete. But it allows you to work as a research analyst, documentation specialist, medical coder, systems manager, and other positions.

These professionals make over $100 thousand on average. Your job responsibilities will chiefly include the protection and organization of medical records and a patient’s medical history. These tasks require people well-qualified in management systems and technologies.

Registered Nurse-BSN

Registered nurses (RNs) can acquire a bachelor’s degree in nursing science to become eligible for better industry positions. Though some degrees take 24 months to finish, accredited online RN to BSN programs typically last 18 months. Salaries for nurses with BSN range from state to state. With a 15% expected growth, this degree allows you to take positions such as nursing manager, RN supervisor, nursing director, and others.

A BSN degree is becoming demanding for different reasons. Today most hospitals and healthcare institutions increasingly prefer candidates with BSNs. Besides, research shows that organizations with a large number of BSN-educated nurses better serve their patients than nurses without this degree do. With the quality of care becoming increasingly important, earning a bachelor’s degree allows nurses to discover RN job opportunities with better working conditions, higher wages in hospitals and clinics with a higher reputation.

Food and Nutrition

This degree permits you to seek long-term careers in food & nutrition and dietetics. According to BLS, this job will grow by 11% in this decade. Dietitians can earn nearly $50,000 while a median salary of $40,000 lies for nutritionists.

Students can study vitamin metabolism, nutrition therapy, microbiology, and related subjects. As a profession, you’ll advise patients on nutrition issues and counsel them on ways to promote health.

Nuclear Medicine Technology

The profession of nuclear medicine technology is booming with a 7% job growth. The average annual salary of an NMT professional is $60,000+ while lead NMT experts make more.

The job responsibilities revolve around investigating the utilization of radioactive drugs. They also handle medical equipment doctors use to generate diagnostic images to treat cancer patients. That’s why students get trained in human anatomy, chemistry, nuclear medicine, and other subjects.

Public Health

Public health has become the main priority of many COVID-ridden states in the world. Public health experts ensure easy public access to healthcare facilities and elevate hygiene in the community. Salaries in this field vary and are different from each occupation. Public health directors can make around $80,000, while health policy analysts make over $60,000 on average. The scope of public health seems brighter after the manufacture of different vaccines for coronavirus.

Radiography

You can earn a radiography degree to become an MRI technologist. Average salaries for different professionals with a radiography degree/certificate lie between $60-90 thousand annually. They specialize in MRI scanners that produce images a physician can use to diagnose patients. BLS expects this field to grow by 9% in this decade. AI will reshape the scope of radiography in medical science. Further certifications in ultrasound/sonography can also benefit these technologists.

Occupational Therapy

An occupational therapist can make between $70-80 thousand every year. The OT field expects to grow by 18% and expand in this decade as mental health outbreaks will follow the pandemic. Psychological disorders have increased after the emergence of COVID-19, and OTs can help them get back on track. Students can also acquire a doctorate in therapy to become more qualified for treating patients who are struggling to control their emotions.

Social Work

Social workers have played an essential role in the development of health services. They have always contributed to medical workers to promote better hygiene among the masses. There are numerous employment opportunities for social workers in the healthcare industry, with salaries ranging between $50 and 90 per annum. Counselors and medical social workers can find multiple chances to benefit society by understanding diseases and pandemics.

Conclusion

The healthcare industry grew considerably in the 21^st century, while COVID-19 has exposed the need to hire more doctors and nurses.

We can conclude that this industry will become one of the significant employment sources in the United States this decade. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also projected a 15% growth (2019-29) in healthcare jobs.

The average annual earnings of these professionals lied around $68,190 in May. This promising job outlook makes health degrees more lucrative opportunities for prospective students.

For example, nurses can enroll in online programs to enhance their qualifications and apply for high-paying jobs and become more beneficial to society.

All in all, it’s an exciting but challenging time to be a healthcare practitioner, but the rewards to pursuing one of the above paths far outweigh the risks.

About Theresa Duncan

Originally from Detroit, MI, Theresa has been offering health and fitness advice for the last 30 years while working as an engineer. She decided to turn her passion into a profession, and finds nothing more satisfying than helping others reach their health and fitness goals.