The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be devastating to healthcare systems. As a result, healthcare providers are tired, and many are even quitting jobs they’ve had for decades to escape the overwhelming stress.
Despite this, healthcare will see a massive boom in employment opportunities by 2030. According to The Motley Fool, the most lucrative job of 2030 will be registered nursing (RNs). RNs have projected job growth of 15% over the next decade.
“Registered nurses (RNs) assess patients’ health problems and needs, develop care plans, and maintain patient medical records. In 2016 there were around 2.9 million registered nurse positions in the U.S. By 2030, there could be 3.5 million RN positions. The median wage for registered nurses last year was $68,450. This position requires an associate’s degree at minimum, although many registered nurses hold bachelor’s degrees,” according to the report.
In the same report, various healthcare occupations are mentioned:
- Physical Therapists: “The number of physical therapists could increase to 337,000 by 2030, up from nearly 217,000 last year.”
- Nurse Practitioners: “Employment for nurse practitioners is expected to grow from 150,000 last year to 205,000 by 2030.”
- Physician Assistant: “There were around 104,000 physician assistant positions in the U.S. last year. By 2030, that number could rise to more than 144,000.”
In each case, The Motley Fool determines the “lucrativeness” of each position not by its salary but by job growth. In each case, however, healthcare jobs are well-paying—in the positions mentioned above, salaries range from $80,000-$110,000.