All About Health Careers: Job Opportunities

Right now, nearly 3,000 mostly minority or rural communities throughout the United States do not have enough health care providers to meet basic medical, dental, and mental health needs.  If that is startling, consider these projections for the future:

• Only 2,755 physicians are trained in public health and the number of public health residents is declining while an estimated 5,000 dentists are needed to meet public health needs.
  
• A recent HRSA Bureau of Health Professions study revealed that California will require 43,000 new nurses by 2010 and 74,000 by 2020.
  
• Support personnel, including epidemiologists, biostatisticians, environmental health  professionals, toxicologists, public health nurses, public health nutritionists, preventive medicine specialists, and behavioral and mental health professionals are also in short supply.

What these numbers add up to is a great need for health care professionals and also a great opportunity for young people who may not know it exists. In addition, there is something for every one in the health care field. Physicians, dentists, and nurses are only three of more than 300 different health care professions available. From athletic trainer to nurse-midwife to pharmacy technician, health care careers run the gamut of interests, abilities, and educational levels.