If you’re looking for a long-term sustainable career, look no further than the healthcare industry. Employment in healthcare is expected to grow 15% by 2029, a much faster rate of growth than you’ll find in other fields. 

You can’t beat the variety, either. No matter what your professional interests are, there are growing healthcare careers that suit your needs. 

Like working directly with patients? There are plenty of medical assisting and technician positions. Prefer to work behind the scenes? There are many openings in those roles too – whether you're an office management type or technically inclined.

If this sounds intriguing, keep reading for more signs that one of the many growing healthcare careers could be the right direction for you.

Sign 1: You Want Career Advancement

Having a job is fine, but there comes a time when you want a career. The healthcare field is ideal for building a meaningful career with advancement potential. There are always more skills to develop to get better at your job and higher-level jobs you can train for, too.

Interested in dentistry? Train for a dental assisting position in as little as 18 weeks and start on the path toward becoming a Certified Dental Assistant. From there, you can keep building your dental assisting skills or develop more advanced skills and become a hygienist.

More of an office person? Train as a healthcare administration professional and one day, you could be managing your own team or overseeing the processing of medical records.

Sign 2: You Want to Make a Difference

Healthcare workers make an impact. You encounter people when they’re vulnerable and in need of help, and no matter what your role is, you get to assist them.

Maybe you’ll be doing hands-on work in care rooms, taking vital signs or drawing blood. Maybe you’ll be in the front office helping people to understand the intricacies of healthcare billing. Or you could be doing technical support, another highly in-demand skill in healthcare. In 2019, technical support and system design had among the most postings of any job in the health services field.

Sign 3: You’re Looking for a Competitive Salary

There’s a reason people look for jobs that are meaningful and lucrative. You want to help people, but you can’t pay the rent with good feelings, so you need a job that will pay you fairly for what you do.

You could make an estimated:

• $25,000 to $48,000 as a phlebotomy or EKG technician
• $26,000 to $37,000 as a medical assistant
• $21,000 to $63,000 as an electronic health records specialist

Jobs in the healthcare field pay fairly based on experience and training. You’ll find different pay grades in different career tracks and areas of the country.

The Jobs and How to Get Them

There are many growing healthcare careers that can provide you with the fulfilling, lucrative professional journey you’ve been dreaming about. A few more examples include:

• Patient Care Technician (estimated salary $21,000 to $67,000)
• Medical Billing Specialist (estimated salary $28,000 to $48,000)
• Medication Care Coordinator (estimated salary $19,000 to $70,000)

These are the kind of jobs that make an impact, pay competitively, and provide opportunities for professional growth. You don’t need a college degree to get started, either — a professional training program from MedCerts and a certification test can get you into the workplace.