The document summarizes key information about the healthcare workforce from 2012 to 2020. It finds that demand for healthcare workers will increase substantially over the period, with over 30% more workers needed. Jobs in healthcare cover a wide range of roles from doctors and nurses to allied health professionals and support staff. While some roles pay well, many support jobs have low wages. Overall, the healthcare sector is projected to see much faster employment growth compared to the overall economy.

1. Healthcare Workforce 2012-2020
Carole Stacy MSN, MA, RN
National Consortium for Health Science Education

2. Healthcare is 18% of the US Economy
• Demand for healthcare workers will increase in
the next 10 years, twice as fast as the economy.
• Why?
We are living longer, the elderly use more
healthcare than younger and adults 75 to
84 use 3 times as much as all other age
groups put together. To meet the demand for
care the number of healthcare workers will
have to expand 30%.

3. Jobs in healthcare are diverse
• Doctors
• Nurses
• Allied Health: PT, OT, Clinical
Laboratory, Behavioral Health, Dieticians
• Healthcare Support: Nurse aids, home health
aides, medical assistants, community health
workers.
• Related jobs: Accountants, IT, medical
equipment, technicians.

4. Healthcare is economically polarized
• High-skill, high-wage professional and
technical
• Low-skill, low-wage support jobs
They share similar interests and values but very
different levels of knowledge, skills and abilities
required. As a result the transition from one
level to another is difficult and a career pathway
from one to the other is virtually nonexistent.

5. Professional and technical workers
• Earn good wages, 50% earn more than $60,000
• Less than 20% earn less than $38,000

6. Education
• Buy 2020 a bachelor’s degree will be required for a
quarter of healthcare jobs. (This demand trails only
STEM fields and education)
• A graduate degree will be required for at least a third
of healthcare jobs.
• By 2020 over 90% of healthcare jobs will require
postsecondary education and training.
• Doctorates are now required by
pharmacists, audiologists, PT, OT, Speech Language
Pathologists.

7. Upskilling in Nursing
• Trend to the BSN
• Trend away from LPNs
• ADN an acceptable place to start but not a
terminal degree
• BSN or MSN is required for management or
administration
• Nurse Practioners currently are masters
prepared but are moving to the Doctorate of
Nursing Practice (DNP)

8. Largest increase demand
• Nursing (direct care)
• Nurse Practioners (APRN)
• Physician Assistants
Why?
• Increase in the need for primary care, fewer
physicians choosing primary care…….
• Rural and underserved areas

9. Diversity is a big challenge in healthcare
Gender
• Nursing needs more men
• Physicians need more women
All professions need more Race/Ethnicity
• Hispanic most underrepresented (10%)
• African-American (20%)

10. What can we do in secondary education?
• Academic rigor (science and math, writing )
• Teamwork
• Cultural competence
• Reality check (the most difficult)
• Start early

11. cstacy@mhc.org
www.healthscienceconsortium.org
Healthcare
Georgetown University Center on
Education and Workforce

12. Bureau of Labor Statistics Overview
of Healthcare Projections
Erin Lane
Economist
Employment Projections Program
Bureau of Labor Statistics
7/17/2012

13. Overview
• Background information
• Industry employment
• Occupational employment
• Education and Training
• Resources for additional information
13

14. Employment Projections
Background
• 10-year projections made every 2 years
• 2010-20 projections cover over 700
occupations and 300 industries
• Projections are used to produce the
Occupational Outlook Handbook—which
has been published since 1949
14

15. Users of Employment Projections
Data
• Career counselors and students making career
choice decisions
• Mid-career jobseekers looking to switch
occupations
• Education and training officials to make decisions
on policy, funding, and program offerings
• Researchers interested in how the economy is
changing
15

16. Employment Projections Products
• Occupational Outlook Handbook
• Occupational Outlook Quarterly
• Long-term employment
projections by industry and
occupation
• Technical materials—
replacement rates, education
and training categories, and
more
16

17. Employment by Industry Sector:
2010
Thousands of wage and salary jobs
State and local government 19,513.1
Professional and business services 16,688.0
Health care and social assistance 16,414.5
Retail trade 14,413.7
Leisure and hospitality 13,019.6
Manufacturing 11,524.0
Financial activities 7,630.2
Other services 6,031.3
Construction 5,525.6
Wholesale trade 5,456.1
Transportation and warehousing 4,183.3
Educational services 3,149.6
Federal government 2,968.0
Information 2,710.9
Service providing
Mining 655.9 Goods producing
Utilities 551.8 17

18. Employment Change by Industry Sector:
Projected 2010-20
Thousands of wage and salary jobs
Health care and social assistance 5,639.4
Professional and business services 3,809.0
Construction 1,839.5
Retail trade 1,768.5
State and local government 1,641.7
Leisure and hospitality 1,342.7
Service providing
Transportation and warehousing 852.9
Goods producing
Other services 819.4
Educational services 819.2
Financial activities 780.4
Wholesale trade 744.1
Information 140.3
Mining 24.8
Utilities -35.7
Manufacturing -73.1
Federal government -372.0
18

19. Percent Change in Employment by Industry
Sector: Projected 2010-20
Annual rate of change for wage and salary employment
Health care and social assistance 3.0%
Construction 2.9%
Educational services 2.3%
Professional and business services 2.1%
Transportation and warehousing 1.9%
Wholesale trade 1.3%
Other services 1.3%
Retail trade 1.2%
Total
Financial activities 1.0% nonagricultural
Leisure and hospitality 1.0% wage and
salary growth=
State and local government 0.8% 1.4%
Information 0.5%
Mining 0.4% Service providing
Manufacturing -0.1% Goods producing
Utilities -0.7%
Federal government -1.3% 19

20. Employment by Major
Occupational Group: 2010
Thousands of jobs
Office and administrative support 22,602.5
Sales and related 14,915.6
Food preparation and serving related 11,150.3
Education, training, and library 9,193.6
Transportation and material moving 9,004.8
Management 8,776.1
Production 8,594.4
Healthcare practitioners and technical 7,799.3
Business and financial operations 6,789.2
Construction and extraction 6,328.0
Building and grounds cleaning and… 5,498.5
20

21. Percent Change in Employment
by Major Occupational Group
Projected 2010-20 Average, all occupations = 14.3%
Healthcare support 34.5%
Personal care and service 26.8%
Healthcare practitioners and technical 25.9%
Community and social service 24.2%
Construction and extraction 22.2%
Computer and mathematical 22.0%
Business and financial operations 17.3%
Life, physical, and social science 15.5%
Education, training, and library 15.3%
Transportation and material moving 14.8%
Installation, maintenance, and repair 14.7%
21

22. Employment Change by Major
Occupational Group
Thousands of jobs, projected 2010-20
Office and administrative support 2,335.7
Healthcare practitioners and technical 2,019.7
Sales and related 1,869.1
Healthcare support 1,443.7
Construction and extraction 1,407.2
Education, training, and library 1,403.7
Personal care and service 1,336.6
Transportation and material moving 1,328.7
Business and financial operations 1,172.5
Food preparation and serving related 1,092.5
Installation, maintenance, and repair 800.2
22

23. Employment Trends for Occupational Groups whose
Employment Increased 2006-10
Percent of 2006
employment
155
150
145
140 Healthcare Support Occupations
135
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
130 Occupations
Computer and Mathematical
125
Occupations
120 Personal Care and Service Occupations
115
Life, Physical, and Social Science
110 Occupations
Protective Service Occupations
105
100
95
2006 2010 Projected
2020
NOTE: BLS does not project specific data for years to 2020. The interim years between 2010 and the 2020 projection 23
point are expressed by a straight dashed line only.

24. Fastest Growing Occupations
Percent change, projected 2010-20
Personal care aides 70.5%
Home health aides 69.4%
Biomedical engineers 61.7%
Helpers--
60.1%
brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons,…
Helpers--carpenters 55.7%
Veterinary technologists and technicians 52.0%
Reinforcing iron and rebar workers 48.6%
Physical therapist assistants 45.7%
Helpers--
45.4%
pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and…
Meeting, convention, and event planners 43.7%
24

25. Occupations with the
Largest Job Growth
Thousands of jobs, projected 2010-20
Registered nurses 711.9
Retail salespersons 706.8
Home health aides 706.3
Personal care aides 607.0
Office clerks, general 489.5
Combined food preparation and… 398.0
Customer service representatives 338.4
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers 330.1
Laborers and freight, stock, and… 319.1
Postsecondary teachers 305.7
25

26. Fastest Growing Healthcare
Occupations
Percent change, projected 2010-20
Personal Care Aides 70.5%
Home Health Aides 69.4%
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians 52.0%
Physical Therapist Assistants 45.7%
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers 43.5%
Occupational Therapy Assistants 43.3%
Physical Therapist Aides 43.1%
Physical Therapists 39.0%
Dental Hygienists 37.7%
Audiologists 36.8%
26

27. Healthcare Occupations with the
Largest Job Growth
Thousands of jobs, projected 2010-20
Registered Nurses 711.9
Home Health Aides 706.3
Personal Care Aides 607.0
Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and… 302.0
Therapists 190.4
Health Practitioner Support… 183.7
Licensed Practical and Licensed… 168.5
Physicians and Surgeons 168.3
Medical Assistants 162.9
Pharmacy Technicians 108.3
27

28. Education and Training
Classification
 New classification system introduced with
2010-20 projections
 Consists of three categories of information
for each occupation:
Typical education needed for entry
Work experience in a related occupation
Typical on-the-job training needed to
attain competency in the occupation
28

29. Employment by Typical Entry-level Education
Category: 2010
Median annual
Thousands of jobs Wages, May 2010
Doctoral or professional degree 4,409.7 $87,500
Master's degree 1,986.0 $60,240
Bachelor's degree 22,171.1 $63,430
Associate's degree 7,994.6 $61,590
Postsecondary non-degree award 6,524.0 $34,220
Some college, no degree 811.6 $44,350
High school diploma or equivalent 62,089.6 $34,180
Less than high school 37,081.7 $20,070
29

30. Percent Change in Employment by Typical Entry-
level Education Category
Average, all occupations = 14.3%
Percent change, projected 2010-20
Doctoral or professional degree 19.9%
Master's degree 21.7%
Bachelor's degree 16.5%
Associate's degree 18.0%
Postsecondary non-degree
16.9%
award
Some college, no degree 17.5%
High school diploma or
12.2%
equivalent
Less than high school 14.1%
30

31. Employment Change by Typical Entry-
level Education Category
Thousands of jobs, projected 2010-20
Doctoral or professional degree 876.6
Master's degree 431.2
Bachelor's degree 3,651.6
Associate's degree 1,440.0
Postsecondary non-degree award 1,100.9
Some college, no degree 142.2
High school diploma or equivalent 7,576.1
Less than high school 5,245.7
31

32. Education pays…
Unemployment rate, 2011 Median weekly earnings, 2011
2.5 Doctoral degree $1,551
2.4 Professional degree $1,665
3.6 Master's degree $1,263
4.9 Bachelor's degree $1,053
6.8 Associate degree $768
Some College, no
8.7 $719
degree
9.4 High school diploma $638
Less than high school
14.1 $451
diploma
NOTE: Data for persons aged
Average, all occupations = 7.6 25 and over. Average, all occupations = $797 32

33. Resources For Additional
Information
• Occupational Employment Statistics
– www.bls.gov/oes
• Occupational Outlook Handbook
– www.bls.gov/ooh
• Employment Projections Program
– www.bls.gov/emp
• Occupational Outlook Quarterly
– www.bls.gov/ooq
33

34. Contact Information
Erin Lane
Economist
Employment Projections Program
Bureau of Labor Statistics
www.bls.gov/emp
202-691-5703
lane.erin@bls.gov