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Growing Federal Jobs: Health Care

Government health care jobs are incredibly varied, and anyone considering this field has a vast array of positions to select from. But so many jobs can make it tough to decide which position best matches your interests and aptitude.

Many health care positions serve patients directly, working with individuals, their illness or problem and their family. Yet, taking a job in health care does not automatically mean that you will work one on one with sick people or that you must be able to stand the sight of blood. Take, for example, the position of clinical laboratory technician or medical records specialist. Much of their work occurs away from the patient.

In Demand Occupations

Medical Assistants
Projected Salary: $29,000
Employees Needed: 199,000
Projected Growth: 27+%
Average Education Level: Some College or Higher
Who’s Hiring: Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services

Pharmacy Technicians
Projected Salary: $81,000
Employees Needed: 178,000
Projected Growth: 27+%
Average Education Level: Some College or Higher
Who’s Hiring: Air Force, Department of Veterans Affairs

Dental Hygienists
Projected Salary: $48,000
Employees Needed: 82,000
Projected Growth: 27%
Average Education Level: Some College or Higher
Who’s Hiring: Army, Air Force, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services

Mental Health Counselors
Projected Salary: $33,000
Employees Needed: 50,000
Projected Growth: 27%
Average Education Level: College or Higher
Who’s Hiring: Navy, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security

Surgical Technologists
Projected Salary: $48,000
Employees Needed: 47,000
Projected Growth: 18% – 26%
Average Education Level: Some College or Higher
Who’s Hiring: Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services

How to Prepare

Because health care is so diverse, colleges and universities often divide their programs into individual schools. These include schools of medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, public health, veterinary medicine, and science and engineering. Expertise in biomedicine and health sciences might be combined with computer science and electrical engineering.

A high school diploma is needed to become a dental assistant; completion of a technical program is required to become a medical laboratory technician; a two-year associate degree is needed to become a forensic science technician; and a bachelor’s degree is a must for a medical technologist.

Whatever schooling you need, financial assistance is a very real possibility. Individual schools and programs can help determine what funds are available.

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Information Compiled from CareerVoyages.gov and 2006-16 BLS Projections.

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