4 emerging healthcare jobs

With the healthcare sector poised to add 5 million jobs by 2020--and demand already beginning to surge--healthcare reform created new and emerging jobs to the mix, according to a new report.

The demand for clinicians soared this year and has exceeded pre-recession levels, Susan Salka, president and CEO of AMN Healthcare, said in an announcement describing the report, "Emerging Roles in Healthcare 2014," from the company's Center for Professional Advancement. "The rapidity and magnitude of the demand surge this year have been much greater than expected," she said.

Healthcare job growth averaged 26,000 positions per month between March and September of this year, jumping significantly in the second quarter and continuing into the third quarter, according to the Altarum Institute's Center for Sustainable Health Spending. And the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistic shows continued growth. 

New and emerging roles highlighted in the report include:

  • Care coordinator, a registered nurse of advanced practice who uses evidence-based training to manage patient transitions along the care continuum
  • Navigator, a licensed clinical professional facilitating patient and family health and treatment in collaboration with a healthcare facility and payers
  • Clinical documentation specialist, an analyst using patient records, diagnostic results, insurance claims and other documents to maximize reimbursement for services provided
  • Chief population health officer, a hospital leader who develops and implements the organization's population health strategy

Factors driving development of the new roles include the growing base of insured patients through the Affordable Care Act, greater hospital revenue resulting from fewer charity and uninsured patients, new technology requiring more highly skilled operators and the move toward value-based care, according to the report.

Other experts point toward emerging roles including chief data officer and chief analytics officer to serve as C-suite champions for data analytics, which they say can give hospitals a competitive edge.

For more information:
- read the report (.pdf)
- here's the announcement
 
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