Healthcare and Nursing Degrees

Healthcare and Nursing Degrees are safe and reliable career choices because they are in demand and also pay well! What’s perhaps even more important is that the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicted a rise of 6% in the employment of registered nurses between 2021 and 2031. With medical careers in demand for the future, and nurses being the most trusted professionals, careers in healthcare and nursing are the best possible paths to take.

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Why Should I Go Into Healthcare or Nursing?

The many benefits of nursing career opportunities include:

Jobs security. Opportunities in nursing are on the rise. The positive employment outlook is partially due to the increase in the population (baby boomers) who will need a higher level of medical treatment.

Education Opportunities. If you’re wondering why nurses need higher education, that’s because training is one way to ensure high-quality and patient-centered healthcare.

Earning Potential. With the high demand, there’s a greater number of career paths for nurses, which is also associated with higher earning potential.

Career Mobility. Nurses are able to move between hospitals, as well as across many locations. With that mobility, there’s also flexibility in work schedules and on-demand positions.

Nursing Specialties. There are more than 200 possibilities for areas of specialization. That also means that if a nurse gets tired of one specialization, he or she can easily jump into a different one.

Patient Populations. A nurse can also pick the patient population to work with, whether it be in Pediatrics, Psychiatric, or Gerontology.

With all the benefits, the high pay options, and job security, the Nursing profession continues to be a popular career choice.

What Kind of Job Can I Get with a Healthcare or Nursing Degree?

A healthcare or nursing degree offers a great deal of flexibility for future job and career opportunities. As just one example, a Healthcare Management job could fall under the title of a Clinical Director, a Medical Records Manager, a Practice Administrator, or a Health and Social Services Manager.

Similarly, under the auspices of the Health Science career cluster is a focus on the ever-popular Biotechnology Research, Health Informatics, as well as Therapeutic and Diagnostic services. The Health Sciences umbrella can also include Cytology, Histological Technology, Phlebotomy (lab techs), as well as Communications, Counseling, and Dentistry.

Under a general Health Science job description, there’s a range of clinical and diagnostic requirements for opportunities in clinical and non-clinical settings. There are comparative data analytics skillsets, with requirements that range from problem-solving and critical thinking to informatics and information literacy.

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How Much Can You Make with a Nursing Degree?

A degree in Healthcare or Nursing presents a lucrative career path. Of course, in the realm of Nursing, opportunities vary based on the types of nurses and salaries. There are four core levels of nursing:

Nurse Assistants, also known as Nursing Aides or Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA): ~$10-$16/hr (BLS)
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN): ~$16-$30/hr (BLS)
Registered Nurse (RN): ~$28-$57/hr (BLS)
Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs): ~$78,000-$200,000 (BLS)

The different levels of nursing and salaries can have ripple effects across the healthcare management framework. The nursing levels are designated to indicate a level of knowledge and experience, but they can be competitive and contentious. Within each level of Nursing, additional certifications and specialization options are available, which can help to give nurses a competitive advantage in the job market while also making them more highly trained and effective in service to their patients. For example, an LPN can be certified in developmental disabilities, IV therapy, and childbirth.

Other nursing levels, like the RN, can become Hospital Administrators, Public Policy Advisors, Consultants, or even Sales representatives for medical supply or Pharmaceutical companies. Nursing offers flexibility in job mobility into areas of Midwifery, Clinical Nurse Specialists or Certified Nurse Practioner (CNP) work for APRNs. More than most other careers, a Nursing background can be the platform for the candidate with passion and experience to delve into virtually any field or area of specialization.

Healthcare Management Jobs

Healthcare Management jobs can incorporate health and management skills into positions that include: Management Department Manager, Health Insurance Manager, Quality and Improvement Manager, Practice Manager, etc. Depending on the skillset required and the education achieved, the candidate may be prepared for roles such as Healthcare Administrator, Program Director, or even Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operations Officer (COO), or Development Director.

A Healthcare Administration salary can earn an average income of $96,030, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hospital Administration salaries can average around $113,730 per year. The median pay for a Health Administration salary is $99,730 with a bachelor’s degree as the entry-level education. Of course, the CEO of a privately owned hospital can make an average salary of $199,890 in pay every year. The next rung down, with CEOs at local hospitals, an average of $183,280 every year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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