When asking children their career aspirations, health care-related answers tend to be “doctor” or “nurse.” However, health care job options are much more extensive and growing in demand. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects health care occupations to grow much faster than average from 2022 to 2032, with about 1.8 million openings each year.
As one of the largest program areas at the Wisconsin Technical College System, the health care field is a worthwhile pursuit with many unique roles at many different career stages, said Katy Pettersen, director of strategic advancement at WTCS.
“Nowadays, people have so many professions within their lifetimes,” Pettersen said. “It’s not like they get out of high school and do something for the next 30 years. It’s not forever, it’s what’s next.”
And what’s next may go far beyond what was initially imagined, said Kim Litwack, dean of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Health Professions & Sciences.
“These are roles people may not think of right off the bat,” Litwack said. “Eliminate the pre-conceived notions and everything you’ve seen on social media and television. You’ll learn that what you think you understand about a career are not necessarily the only options for that career.”
Another side of medical care
With wide-ranging respiratory issues, including those associated with COVID-19, respiratory therapists are greatly needed, said Mark Farrell, executive director of talent delivery at Wauwatosa-based Froedtert Health. These specialists provide focused care on varied breathing problems.
He also highlighted atypical occupations within the nursing realm. Nurse technicians provide inpatient care support, from hygiene upkeep to vital signs monitoring. Certified nurse anesthetists administer anesthesia and monitor anesthetized patients. Care managers work to improve health outcomes through care coordination as well as health advocacy.
Deb Dresen, vice president of specialty care at Madison-based UW Health, shared some roles the health system looked to fill as it prepared to open its new outpatient facility. Radiation therapists administer radiotherapy treatment to cancer patients in addition to managing the associated radiotherapy planning and coordination. Medical stenographers complete tasks such as transcribing health professionals’ reports and data to maintain patient records.
Technologist roles are increasing in necessity as well as variety. Radiologic technologists, for instance, perform a wide variety of medical imaging exams using specialized equipment, from x-rays to computed tomography (CT) scanners, said Chuck Klein, talent acquisition manager at UW Health. Farrell underscored surgical technologists, whose responsibilities include ensuring availability of proper instruments in surgeries as well as surgical closing procedures.
Pettersen observed demand for occupations serving other aspects of health visits. Medical assistants place patients in rooms for office appointments and collect vital initial information among other critical duties. Following appointments, medical coders categorize services rendered to process for insurance payment as well as patient billing. Farrell called attention to positions often less visible in care settings, such as sterile processing technicians who clean and sterilize procedure equipment.
“They’re definitely not seen by many of us when we’re there for care, but they are critical and essential to making sure that we’re all safe in our procedures,” Farrell said.
New approaches to health
Within UWM’s College of Health Professions & Sciences, Litwack discussed athletic-focused health occupations. Athletic trainers work with athletes, sports teams, gyms and more for illness and injury prevention, strength training and on-field support during sporting events.
Performance psychologists work on athletes’ mental preparation, with building confidence, concentration and motivation all part of performance optimization. These psychologists may also work with patients who are military personnel and firefighters.
Litwack spotlighted specialists in adaptive design and assistive technology as well. Such specialists identify ways to modify environments and/or equipment for disabled individuals to be most effective in daily activities.
Health care job seekers should not overlook this trusted and innovative field, says George Mackinnon, dean of the School of Pharmacy at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
“Pharmacy (has) the third-most populated number of health care providers in the United States, medicine is no. 2 and nursing is no. 1,” Mackinnon said. “If you look at the Gallup polls, all three of those disciplines are well-trusted by the public to deliver services to them.”
MacKinnon stated pharmacy school graduates are increasingly in demand as pharmacists become more and more embedded within physician practices. In addition to pharmacists, pharmacy technicians themselves are dispensing prescriptions to health professionals and patients.
The pharmacy field has even entered into the evolving genetic counseling arena. Genetic counselors help discover the health clues present in patients’ genes, said Jennifer Geurts, director of MCW’s genetic counseling master’s degree program.
In addition to prenatal and pediatric care, Geurts said genetic counseling is prominently used in cancer care for prevention, early detection as well as treatment. A newer frontier in genetic counseling is pharmacogenomics.
“Different medications are metabolized by the body differently. That can affect how a medication is effectively given or potential side effects patients might have from that medication,” Geurts said. “So, making sure that patients are given medications that are safe and effective is the role of pharmacogenomics.”
The more you know
Educational requirements for health care professions vary as widely as the occupations themselves, from high school diplomas and certificates to bachelor’s degrees and doctorates. Many health systems also offer internal training programs, job shadowing and apprenticeships.
Institutions and organizations often present career fairs for students as well as job seekers to explore the plethora of options. And the opportunities are truly there.
“When I joined health care, I had no idea how diverse and how many opportunities there were to grow and change,” Dresen said. “If you love to be a person that helps to serve, helps to solve, helps to be there for your fellow human beings, I think it’s an incredible place to work and the opportunities are endless.”
