The Healthcare Jobs Skills Gap Means Opportunity

The Skills Gap isn’t only standing between workers and open jobs in the hands-on trades and auto/diesel industries.  It’s also impacting the healthcare industry in a big way: across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, for example, more than 90,000 healthcare jobs will need to be filled by 2022 in fields like Medical Assisting, Pharmacy Technician, Medical Coding and Billing, Practical Nursing and more*.

Overall, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said earlier this year that healthcare and related support fields will represent 1 in 4 new jobs over the next nine years – an increase of 2.3 million opportunities nationwide for people with the right skills.  These skills include taking and processing blood samples, reading and recording patient vitals like blood pressure and pulse, operating EKG equipment and many others.

As America’s population ages, the need for healthcare workers will continue increasing.  At the same time, the technology driving the industry is growing more complex – and so are the skills needed to succeed.  Many career training schools offer programs specifically designed to help candidates build those skills and catch the attention of hiring managers.  If you’re considering investing in healthcare jobs career training to get started in an exciting, rewarding new profession, look for an established school with a proven track record of success.  Lincoln Tech, for example, offers healthcare jobs training in eight states where demand for medical professionals is high.

Healthcare Jobs in New Jersey, New York

“There is a strong demand for appropriately trained and certified professionals in the healthcare arena,” says Laurie Pringle, President of Lincoln Tech in Paramus, which services students and employers from northern New Jersey and upstate New York.  “The combination of our country’s growing elderly population, and evolving regulations that now limit Medicare and other insurance reimbursements for healthcare providers unless they use certified staff are two key drivers to the growing demand.”

“Those entrusted with direct patient care, whether in a doctor’s office, a hospital, a long term care facility, or the exceptionally fast-growing area of visiting nurses and home health providers, must demonstrate their competency through certification and/or licensure,” she adds.  “These certifications and licenses are directly tied to not only the type of care that individual is authorized to offer, but the level of reimbursement the provider will receive from insurance.”

Starting a Healthcare Career in Pennsylvania

Demand for trained healthcare professionals is also high in Pennsylvania – where Lincoln Tech’s Allentown campus offers hands-on training for four distinct career paths, and the convenience of a Blended Learning curriculum to make training easier to manage for busy students.  “Our graduates can find career opportunities in these middle-skill healthcare jobs in the Lehigh Valley and other parts of northern Pennsylvania,” says Campus President Lisa Kuntz.  (Lincoln Tech’s campuses in Center City Philadelphia and Northeast Philadelphia provide career training for opportunities across other parts of the state.)  “For example, our campus added an additional cohort of Practical Nursing students last year to meet the demands in our community for healthcare workers.  We take pride in being part of the solution by providing a quality, student focused education that will help prepare them to reach their highest potential.”

Across the country, Lincoln Tech is helping to launch healthcare careers where providers are hiring.  States where Lincoln Tech provides training, along with growth projections for the next seven years, include:

• Connecticut: Nearly 5,000 openings in medical assisting and practical nursing
• Florida: More than 40,000 openings for Registered Nurses, along with more than 20,000 in medical assisting, medical office management, and dental assisting
• Georgia: More than 12,000 openings in medical assisting and Medical Assistant Technology
• Illinois: Nearly 5,000 medical assisting openings
• Massachusetts: More than 12,000 openings for medical office assistants, dental assistants, pharmacy technicians and more
• New Jersey: More than 20,000 openings in practical nursing, medical assisting, nurse aides and medical billing
• Pennsylvania: More than 20,000 openings in practical nursing, medical assisting, pharmacy technician, and medical office assisting
• Rhode Island: More than 1,000 openings for Licensed Practical Nurses, Pharmacy Technicians, Medical Assistants, Dental Assistants, and Massage Therapists

Are you looking for a career path where you can have a direct impact on the health and well-being of others?  That path is right in front of you, and it starts with the right training.  Find a way over the Skills Gap, and you’ll soon be on your way to a brighter professional future!

* Career projections for 2012-2022, along with state-specific salary information, can be found at careeronestop.org.