What an Aging Population Means for Careers in Healthcare

The New Face of Public Health: American Demographics in the Next Four Decades
The baby boomer generation is quite different than the "silent generation" that came before. They're more diverse, so caregivers will need to be sensitive to the diversity of their patient population. They are more highly educated than the previous generation, so they will want to be more hands-on with their healthcare decisions and treatment options. They also live in different places than the generation that retired before them, so certain states, including Arizona, California, Florida, North Carolina, and Texas, will see more new facilities and jobs related to long-term care.
Some careers in allied health that are not necessarily geared towards older populations will also see growth, namely in the fields related to the most common diseases that the baby boomers are fighting. Cardiovascular technicians, radiographers, and diagnostic medical sonographers will help diagnose and treat heart and other internal conditions. The demand for registered nurses will increase across the board, with and without geriatric specialization. It's likely that in many instances, advanced practice nurses will be able to provide basic primary care, and doctors will take on more of a secondary, supervisory and specialist role in some instances.

Jobs that don't focus on direct medical care but also serve the aging population will be in demand as well, including social workers, administrators, customer service specialists, medical billing and coding specialists, medical receptionists, and health educators, as well as the entire support staff of hospitals and extended care facilities. The next generation of retirees is also more likely to want mobile health solutions, so home health will become a more popular choice.

What will be the new face of Healthcare?

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At present, there are over 34 million Americans over the age of 65. In 2011, the first set of baby boomers began to reach that age, and each year many more join them. In 2010, this generation made up 26% of the national population. As baby boomers retire, they will not only become more frequent users of the healthcare system, they will also be leaving vacant the positions that they have worked in healthcare. The nursing field, for example, has a significant number of baby boomers working in it. For a system that's already showing signs of wear and tear, this will pose specific challenges for the US down the road.

A group of Baby Boomers starts their career in Nursing (ADN Class of 1977)

timefornurses / flickr / CC BY-ND

The Average person over 65 has at least one chronic health problem. The Baby Boomer generation similarly suffers from chronic ailments, many of whom have multiple conditions. Some of the most common issues include hypertension, arthritis, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Citizens over the age of 65, on average, spend over $1,000 more out of pocket on health expenditures than the total population.

Taking Care of the Aging Population: Job Market Growth

Healthcare employment has been growing steadily in recent years; as the next generation ages it will no doubt need to grow even more. By 2020, certain projections suggest that there will beover 5 million new healthcare jobs. Naturally, a wide range of positions will grow, but certain fields are expected to change more than others. There are a number of careers that either specialize in geriatric care, or that deal directly with geriatrics. These careers include:

1. Gerontologist: from a sociological, psychological, and public management perspective, gerontologists have nuanced knowledge about the aging process and will play a key role in healthcare policy and implementation as the next generation retires.
2. Geriatric Nurse Assistant/ Health Aid: Perform duties to help patients and have some training in advanced age.
3. Recreational Therapists & Aids: Many patients suffering from joint and muscle conditions and other movement-impeding illnesses require particular types of physical activity to ensure their ability to keep functioning on a day to day basis. Recreational Therapists and their aids will oversee this process.
4. Dental Hygienists, Dentists, Dietitians, Pharmacists, Psychologists, and other health workers can also specialize in gerontology.

How will we meet the need of the next generation?

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There doesn't seem to be a better time to start a career in allied health, given the trends that many healthcare administrators and policymakers are currently observing. It's best to get trained and started in a career now, instead of waiting until the demand is at its peak and the educational opportunities are the most competitive.