Do people still want to work in healthcare? That depends on who you talk to. It’s no secret that the US healthcare system is stretched to its limits, understaffed, and under pressure. Still, the love for the job is what keeps people coming back. Below, we’ll see if and why people still want to work in healthcare.
The Never-Ending Call for Healthcare Workers
The demand for medical staff has gone up due to aging populations worldwide coupled with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is still cropping up now and then. Positive COVID tests rose to 9% at the end of July thanks to a new variant.
Still, there’s more to it than people getting old and the virus. It’s burnout, generally low staffing levels, a lack of college and university places for new doctors and nurses, poor funding…the list could go on.
According to the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), healthcare employment occupation numbers are projected to grow by 15% between 2019 and 2029, which is much faster than the average for all jobs, with hospitals turning to physician staffing companies to put staff on the hospital floor.
And yes, people are answering the never-ending call to work in healthcare, the desire is still there. It’s more organizational failings that are socio economic issues leading to staffing issues.
Challenges and Joys in Medical Field Work
We won’t make this article too negative, but we have to talk about the challenges of working in healthcare – it has to be one of the most challenging careers. Although these may seem insurmountable at times, you do realize the benefits and rewards outweigh them.
Shifts involve working long hours under tremendous emotional stress while dealing with life-threatening conditions and emergencies where somebody’s life is literally in the hands of the hospital worker. There’s no denying there’s pressure there. But flip that, and look at the reward.
There’s such a sense of pride and relief when people recover. Still, every difficulty encountered along this path strengthens character development – there are few professions so rewarding as a nurse or doctor. There’s a deep sense of purpose that you won’t find with other careers.
Seeking Different Healthcare Jobs in Diverse Settings
Another thing that makes people want to work in the medical field is the fact that there are so many different places to work. It’s easy to hop around from specialty to specialty until finding the perfect one. For example, you don’t have to limit yourself to hospitals or clinics. People work in other areas like telemedicine, public health, research, and education.
Telehealth, for example, has seen tremendous growth, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are tons of jobs available. Or there’s home health, on the other hand, allowing professionals to provide personalized care at patients’ homes instead of visiting hospitals now and then. Workers in this setting usually have fixed hours and better scheduling.
So, do people still want to work in healthcare? Definitely yes! Despite all these challenges, there is no other job where you get such an opportunity to change lives while helping others as healthcare does. But perhaps there could be a few changes to the system to make it easier.
