Hello Infopros
The statistics of the current employment situation in this answer have
been gathered from the Occupational Outlook Handbook. This can be
accessed online at: http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm
From this site: "The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a nationally
recognized source of career information, designed to provide valuable
assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work
lives. Revised every two years, the Handbook describes what workers do
on the job, working conditions, the training and education needed,
earnings, and expected job prospects in a wide range of occupations."
The guide is broken down into a number of sections on each profession:
· Nature of the Work
· Working Conditions
· Employment
· Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement
· Job Outlook
· Earnings
· Related Occupations
· Sources of Additional Information
I would highly recommend that you have a search through this site for
further information on the jobs I have highlighted below and for other
possibilities.
The future needs of the population in the medical profession is
expected to continue rising because of the aging population. This is
the case for anyone in the medical profession as the demand for
medical care as people get older will only increase.
Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics
============================================
EMT's and paramedics on average work a 45-60 hour week depending on
their job location. In 2002, there were approximately 179,000 people
employed in this profession.
40% of these employees were employed by private ambulance services,
30% worked for local governments, 20% were located in hospitals or
emergency call centers and the remainder worked in other industries
providing emergency cover.
With such a wide coverage of businesses that require EMT/Paramedics
the future employability of a person with these skills is high.
Employment in this section of society is expected to grown faster than
average through 2012.
The average salary is approximately $25,000.
Medical Assistants
==================
The average working week for a medical assistant is 40 hours and there
are approximately 365,000 people working in this profession.
60% of these people work in physician's offices, 14% work in private
and public hospitals, 10% in alternative health practicioner's offices
(for example chiropractors).
The average wage is $24,000.
Radiologic Technologists and Technicians
========================================
The average working week is 40 hours long but this frequently includes
weekend, evening and shift work.
In 2002, there were 174,000 technicians in employment.
20% worked part-time, 50% were in hospitals with the remainder in
offices and laboratories.
Some employers have reported difficulty in locating good qualified
staff in this area which of course is good news for the job seeker as
he/she can demand better working conditions and pay.
The average salary is $39,000.
Dental Assistants
=================
On average they work a 35-40 hour week including Saturday and evening work.
There were 266,000 Dental Assistants in the USA in 2002 of which the
majority worked in dental offices. Some Dental Assistants worked
part-time over a number of offices.
This area of employment is expected to be one of the fastest growing
occupations through 2012.
The average earnings are $13 per hour.
Dental Hygienists
=================
One of the most desireable features of this job is its flexible
working hours, frequently Dental Hygienists work in a number of
practices as they are usually only required 2-3 days per week per
dentist office.
In 2002, there were 148,000 Dental Hygienists in the USA. There are
more jobs than Dental Hygienists in this area (because each Dental
Hygienists tends to hold more than one position).
Over 50% worked part-time and less than 35 hours per week.
Population growth and better dental care has meant the demand for
dentists has increased. Dentists are off-loading some of their work
onto Dental Hygienists and this is expected to increase.
Average earnings are $27 per hour.
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
===============================
Most Sonographers work a 40-hour week with possible weekend, evening and call work.
There were about 37,000 Sonographers working in the USA in 2002 with
the majority in hospitals. 75% worked in urban areas.
Sonography as a technique has become more popular as medical science
has become more aware of the dangers of radiography, therefore the
demand for workers in this area is increasing.
The average Sonographer earns $49,000 per year.
Nuclear Medicine Technologists
==============================
This job typically is a 40-hour week with shift-work often available.
There are about 17,000 Nuclear Medicine Technologists working in this
area, 67% were in hospitals with the rest in offices and laboratories.
A typical salary is $49,000.
Science Technicians
===================
As a profession this is the most general of jobs, hours vary as does
the location of the work.
There are approximately 208,000 people working as generic Science
Technicians in 2002.
Because of this generality it would be best for you to consult this
page for further breakdowns of the information:
http://bls.gov/oco/ocos115.htm
I have only highlighted a few of the "medical technician"-type
vocations here as there are many different flavors of this profession.
In general the outlook for most jobs in this area is excellent with
the population aging. The advances in technology shows little signs
of slowing and this increases the needs for people to work in medical
areas as advances are made. Many areas of these professions are
already under-subscribed with not enough qualified people to take up
the available positions.
I hope this answer has addressed your initial queries, should you
require any further information please ask for clarification and I
will do all I can to help. |
