Job Opportunities for Health Care Managers in 2020

Job Opportunities for Health Care Managers in 2020

The health care industry is in the United States is on the poise of burgeoning more than it ever has before. There are several factors that directly contribute to this situation that span diverse areas of economics, demographics, technology and behavior and personal lifestyle choices. Virtually all of these facets of contemporary health care result in the fact that people are living longer now than they ever have before. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2010), "As the large baby-boom population ages and people remain active later in life, the health care industry as a whole will see an increase in the demand for medical services." Much of that demand will be in gerontology, as the previous allusion to the baby-boomer generation indicates. There are several advances in technology that are also contributing to people maintaining their health longer than usual. Additionally, governmental intervention, primarily in the form of the Affordable Care Act, has enacted legislation that will also increase numbers of people obtaining health care. The result is that the best job opportunities for health care managers in 2020 will be those involved with the geriatric population in a variety of settings and focuses such as nursing, hospitals, and other facilities, especially with "over 76 million baby boomers reaching retirement age over the next decade" (Coombs, 2013).

The aging baby-boomer generation will largely account for the increasing need in geriatric care. This particular demographic is one of the first in the history of the world to grow up and live in a time in which competent health care is available in a comprehensive manner to facilitate longer living. A large factor abetting this trend is personal and lifestyle behaviors. During previous generations in the 20th century and prior, civilization and technology as it is known today was still developing, and people in the developed world had to contend with harsher conditions related to just living. Technological advancements have largely eradicated such basic survival concerns in contemporary times, leaving individuals with substantially more time to dedicate to living in a salutary fashion. People are more cognizant of the requirements for longer living, and have the time and all of the conveniences of technology to help them adhere to them. Specific aspects of personal lifestyles and behaviors include regularly exercising, eating healthy foods and preparing them accordingly, and interacting with health care practitioners at regular intervals. This final facet of healthy living is where health care managers and other personnel directly affect the increasing average age of people in the U.S. As such, there are good opportunities for these professionals in the field of geriatrics.

It is difficult to distinguish the advancements in modern technology with those from lifestyle and behavioral choices when discussing the increasing number of older people needing health care today, for the simple fact that the former largely facilitates the latter. Technology plays a vast role in virtually every aspect of life today, from basic socialization to crucial functions of education and industry. Within the field of healthcare, not only are there increasingly sophisticated machines and tools to detect and treat potential maladies which assists today's aging population, but also there advancements for simple tools for the average laymen to use to monitor and reinforce healthy living. There are several applications for smart phones, for instance, which can monitor factor's related to people's hearts and exercise, count calories, and otherwise assist in salutary living. Increasing sophistication in biotechnology applications also contribute to the fact that people are living longer than they have before, which is why there will be excellent job opportunities in geriatrics.