Health Careers
Fastest Growing Health Careers
The five fastest growing careers for people with an associate's degree are all health careers, although one does relate to animals rather than humans. These careers are:- Veterinary technologists and technicians
- Physical therapist assistant
- Dental hygienists
- Environmental science and protection technicians, including health
- Cardiovascular technologists and technicians
In addition, registered nurses are expected to have the largest numerical job growth of the careers requiring an associate's degree. And many of the fastest growing occupations in the entire U.S. are health careers:- Home health aides (49%)
- Medical assistants (35%)
- Physician assistants (27%)
You can get most of these jobs without a 4-year degree.
What Education Do I Need?
Requirements among the health careers vary greatly. Registered nurses often need a bachelor's degree, although you can enter the profession with an associate's degree. Home health aides, by contrast, aren't even required to have a high school diploma, instead getting their training on the job.
Most of the rapidly growing health careers, like dental hygienists, physical therapist assistants, and cardiovascular technologists, require an associate's degree, which typically takes 2-years to earn.
Medical assistants can get a 2-year associate's degree, but they can also start their careers after completing a 1-year certificate or diploma program. Courses typically include:- Accounting
- Anatomy
- Insurance processing
- Medical terminology
- Physiology
- Recordkeeping
- Transcription
- Typing
While medical assistants perform mostly clerical tasks, physicians assistants practice medicine under the supervision of a physician, thus they must complete two years of college before they can even enter a physician assistant program.
The Following Schools Provide Educational Programs For Health Careers:
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