Benefits of working in healthcare field, NYC-area colleges to help pursue your dream

After everything New York City — and the nation — has experienced over the last seven months, appreciation for those working in healthcare has only grown.

Whether it’s as a medical assistant, physician, or home health aide, a healthcare career is just as rewarding as it is vital to the community.

With it comes a litany of benefits for those thinking about jumping into such a line of work, but it’s important to do your research. When it comes to searching for careers in the field, healthcare is the general, vague term painted over the innumerable varieties of jobs and responsibilities available.

Here, we’ll take a look at the benefits of pursuing a career in healthcare and what New York City-area colleges those looking to begin their pursuit can look into:

Benefits of working in the healthcare field

Countless career options

As mentioned earlier, saying you work in the healthcare field is a broad description of many different jobs. With so many positions available, those looking to make a difference can find their perfect match — whether it’s hands-on, high-intensity work as an Emergency Medical Technician or the meticulous role as a pharmacist, there are options for all.

Job stability and growth

As there will always be a need for those in the medical field, there will always be jobs available for healthcare professionals to transition into should they ever want a new opportunity or challenge. Especially in a city of 8 million people, 62 hospitals, 2,600 pharmacies, and thousands of doctor’s offices and rehab centers.

There will only be more jobs available as time goes on, too. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment in healthcare occupations is projected to grow 15% from now until 2029, adding 2.4 million jobs around the country.

Unpredictable work environment

Working in the medical field, there will never be the worry of falling into a rut like many can at a desk job. Responsibilities and daily scheduling are as unpredictable as the patients and cases you run into.

Flexible schedules

Considering many healthcare institutions are open or on-call on a 24-hour basis, the right work schedule can be found for almost any situation to ensure a prospective employee can properly balance their individual personal, at-home life with their career.

Better pay

With a constant need for healthcare workers, compensation is always better than other professional fields of work. Per the BLS, the median annual wage for healthcare practitioners and technical occupations in May 2019 was $68,190. That’s nearly $30,000 more than the median annual wage for all other occupations in the economy at $39,810.