Week 3: What will the
job market look like in 5 or 10 years?
While the US healthcare system represents around $3 trillion
in annual spending and is the largest single sector of the overall economy, it
also sits inside larger “macro trends” that help define the landscape
of jobs.
For example, such factors as globalization, the frantic pace
of innovative handhold and genomic technology (like the iphone 6 and mapping
the human genome project), 78 million Americans all hitting old age (and higher
healthcare utilization) at the same time, and radically changing values and
beliefs are all working together to create a larger “context” for new
jobs in the healthcare system.
So what difference do all these big changes mean to us?
The answer is both obvious and complicated. I will answer
the obvious part and leave the complicated part to you to discuss.
The obvious answer is that these big changes are changing
the way we live our lives. Just think that it wasn’t that long ago that classes
on the internet like ours didn’t exist. And now, we just sort of assume,
without even thinking about it, that such classes are perfectly normal.
So the obvious part is that such factors as globalization,
technology, the aging of our society, and changing cultural values are all
working together to change pretty well everything that used to be – into
something else.
The hard part – and the part you need to think about – is
what do all the changes really mean to the careers of healthcare professionals?
If we think that healthcare professionals will continue to
do exactly what they are doing now over the next ten years then we are not
paying attention to how much the work world has already changed from the way it
worked ten years ago.
How will smart phone create new jobs in healthcare?
Will genomic research eliminate certain diseases by
modifying DNA?
How will the massive chronic care needs of a ton of old
people create new careers opportunities?
How will healthcare systems evolve to best leverage a global
market for their services?
What new jobs may be created to best meet new consumer
demands for more patient-focused care? Less institutionalization of the
elderly? And better access to culturally appropriate care givers?
So what do you think? What’s the job market likely to look
like for you in ten or so years?
