Industry Spotlight: Healthcare & Social Assistance
By Teri Bisceglia, GCDF, CPRW | Employment & Training Specialist
We've all seen the news about the growth of the healthcare industry. The job boards are filled with openings. We most likely know someone who works in the industry. And we can't open our emails or turn on our tvs without seeing ads for healthcare job training.
As you consider this career field, you may be thinking, "I like to help people" or "I want to make a difference." Perhaps you’ve noticed that people are getting healthcare jobs but you’re unsure if you have the skills to be a good candidate. You might prefer to work behind the scenes, using your customer service and/or administrative skills, but you’re not sure how to transfer into this field.
Deciding whether to look for a new job or proceed with a career change can be overwhelming. You ask yourself lots of questions, such as: Am I making the right decision for me? Do I have the skills to be successful in this new job or career? Where are the jobs and how much are they paying? It can become overwhelming and you may feel discouraged.
It’s okay. Frederick County Workforce Services is here to lend some help. I'm excited to share that we have added a new tool to our website that can help you explore the top growth industries in Frederick County, including the Healthcare and Social Assistance industry. Located in our Career Planning section, The Local Landscape includes labor market information snapshots of seven high-growth industries, featuring the industry's major employers, average salaries, in-demand skills, and more. There are many timely and useful details to help you answer your questions as you consider career change choices.
What is the Healthcare & Social Assistance Industry?
I often have clients who share that they want to work in the healthcare and social assistance industry but have challenges pinpointing what that means exactly. First, it’s helpful to understand what the Healthcare & Social Assistance industry actually represents. If we know how an industry is defined, we can then make informed choices. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, this industry "comprises establishments providing health care and social assistance for individuals....includes both health care and social assistance because it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the boundaries of these two activities.... establishments providing medical care exclusively, continuing with those providing health care and social assistance, and finally finishing with those providing only social assistance.”
This means that the industry is comprised of companies and organizations that are in the business to provide care. Often, when job seekers hear the words “Healthcare” and “Social Assistance” they associate these terms with direct care positions such as nurses in the hospital. While nurses are definitely a part of the healthcare and social assistance industry, there are a variety of other direct care positions like medical assistants, behavioral counselors, and social workers. And within the overall industry, there is much more than direct care positions. There are also care support teams that are involved in the administrative/paperwork side of healthcare; for example, medical coders and billers, schedulers, and health records specialists.
Bottom line: This is an industry where career and job opportunities are in great supply.
Who's Hiring in this industry?
As the third-largest industry in Frederick County, Healthcare and Social Assistance companies offer job seekers and career changers opportunities for a variety of jobs and careers. There over 1,000 industry employers just in our local area! Many of these employers offer both direct care and care support employment opportunities. The Local Landscape section on this website highlights industry employers with direct links to their websites for easy access. Many of these companies may be familiar, such as Frederick Regional Health System (which includes Frederick Health Hospital) while others may not. The Local Landscape will also introduce you to assisted living and care facilities, primary and specialty healthcare providers, behavioral services, and more.
“Knowledge is power. Knowing an industry’s labor market information gives you the knowledge to make informed career decisions. ”
What kind of Salary Can I Expect?
Salary ranges are influenced by a variety of factors including company size, number of employees, and the economy, as well as the candidate’s experience, education, and training. The Local Landscape provides you with average salaries and corresponding education/training levels for some of the typical occupations in the Healthcare and Social Assistance industry. For example:
Medical Secretary, High School Diploma, Average Salary: $17.47 per hour
Dental Assistant, Certification or Associate’s Degree, Average Salary: $21.01 per hour
Social Worker, Bachelor’s Degree or Above, Average Salary: $25.95 per hour
The image below represents a sample career pathway in this industry. An entry-level personal care aide with an average salary of $11-$12 per hour and a high school diploma can advance to a healthcare administrator with an average salary of $35-$38 per hour and a bachelor’s degree or above. This example demonstrates the potential of going from direct care to care support careers. A career pathway is just a glimpse into the possibilities within an industry. You can enter a pathway at any point based on your own experience and training.
What Are The Skills I Need To Be A Successful Candidate?
This is a good question and one over which many people worry. Keep in mind that you already possess a variety of skills that you’ve acquired throughout your work life. The good news is that many of these skills are transferrable and in demand! With that said, it’s vital to identify how your current skills will transfer to a new industry when you’re considering a new job or changing your career. The Local Landscape can help with that, too! The Top 10 Advertised In-Demand Skills for each industry are listed along with brief definitions and real-world examples.
How can labor market information help me to make a career decision?
The Maryland Workforce Exchange defines Labor Market Information as, "The body of information that deals with the functioning of labor markets and the determination of the demand for and supply of labor. It includes, but is not limited to, such key factors as changes in the level and/or composition of economic activity, the population, employment and unemployment, income and earnings, wage rates, and fringe benefits."
In other words, it's everything related to employment, including how the economy's going, where industries and jobs are located, what fields are growing or declining, which skills are most in-demand, and who's hiring and firing. People often don't think of jobs or career changes in terms of industries or labor market information. It's the more tangible things like commute, salary, benefits, workplace culture, and work-life balance that come to mind. But without knowing the labor market information, a job seeker’s ability to make an informed career decision is somewhat limited.
If you know…
what industries are high-growth, low-growth, or in decline;
what jobs and careers there are now and projected for the future;
what specific skills, education, and/or training is required for a particular industry…
Then, you’ll be able to make informed decisions based on your knowledge of what’s happening in that industry.
Knowledge is power. Knowing an industry's labor market information gives you the knowledge to make informed career decisions. So if you're thinking that a career in Healthcare or Social Assistance might be right for you, then check out The Local Landscape: Healthcare & Social Assistance page to learn more.
What’s next?
Over the coming weeks, we'll be featuring each Local Landscape high-growth industry in this blog. Be sure to check back for our next installment in this series, where we’ll focus on the BioHealth industry.
Sources:
Glossary: Labor Market Information - Maryland Workforce Exchange
Health Care & Social Assistance: NAICS 62 - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
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