Future trends in the Healthcare Industry
In the health care industry, you can work directly in contact with patients or in support roles which help keep the services running.
There is a high demand for nurses and the number of new jobs in personal services (care) is growing year on year. For many jobs in medicine you will need a degree and sometimes a postgraduate qualification, however from September 2017 degree level apprenticeships became an option for getting into nursing. Degree apprenticeships have also become available since autumn 2018.
Apprenticeships at different levels are also available for roles such as healthcare assistant, care worker and therapy assistant.
New technologies are creating new jobs and changing working methods within healthcare. From 3D printing to telemedicine, healthcare is starting to look a lot like the tech industry.
Currently it is projected that in just over a decade we will face a shortage of more than 100,000 physicians. This means physicians are going to have to be in more than one place at a time. Telemedicine is looking like a viable way to get medical treatment to populations where doctors are lacking, and that means there will have to be technicians running the equipment to make it happen.
Telemedicine will help provide more convenient hours, ease of use when not feeling well and ability to see a doctor far from home or work. Virtual visits with doctors, nurses or other healthcare specialists through video conferencing, messaging and mobile apps will therefore be a future trend. Patients who use health monitors or wearable fitness trackers say they share data with their doctor, which can be communicated through technology.
In 5 years, the value of virtual reality in medicine will grow. Virtual reality is already being used to train medical professionals. There will also be a need for engineers and designers working with 3D printers to print artificial limbs and even artificial organoids that can take the place of failed organs.
Where we can expect to see growth in these areas:
Use of apps | Personal diagnostics| Advanced materials| Robotics| Bioscience | Assistive technology| Genomic medicine
These areas will need support roles such as administrative work as well as a demand for people with high level qualifications
Large companies in London include:
National Health Service | BMI Healthcare | Kings College London | Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust
Types of apprenticeships include:
Care worker | Pharmacy assistant | Healthcare Assistant| Paramedic (degree apprenticeship) | Nurse (degree apprenticeship) | Dental nurse | Health Science Assistant | Midwife (degree apprenticeship | Laboratory technician
Salaries can range from:
Care worker - £12,500 - £25,000 – Typical hours (a week) – 35 – 40
Pharmacy assistant - £17,250 - £21,000 – Typical hours (a week) – 37 – 39
Healthcare assistant - £15,000 - £20,000 – Typical hours (a week) – 37 – 40
Paramedic - £24,214 - £37,267 – Typical hours (a week) – 36 - 38
Nurse - £24, 214 - £37, 267 – Typical hours (a week) – 37 - 42
Dental nurse - £18,813 - £30,112 – Typical hours (a week) – 37 - 40
Health science assistant – £17,652 -- £23,761 – Typical hours (a week) – 40 - 42
Midwife - £24,214 - £43,772 – Typical hours (a week) – 35 – 40
Laboratory technician - £15,000 - £30,000 – Typical hours (a week) - 38 - 40
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