Outlook for Chicago Healthcare Jobs Bright
Posted on July 28, 2008
The outlook for Chicago healthcare jobs is bright.
According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Chicago-Naperville-Joliet area employed 509,000 people in June 2008 in the education and health services industry, an increase of 1.6 percent over the previous year.
The Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council states healthcare in Chicago and throughout the country is expected to grow throughout the near future.
“The reason for the present expansion in health care services is primarily a result of the aging population,” the Council notes. “Today, people are living longer than ever before and as a result of this increase in the aging population, people are much sicker and recuperate at a much slower pace. Advancements in medical technology have also created a need for additional skilled allied health personnel.
“As medical research continues to develop new and specialized techniques and procedures for diagnosing, treating, and preventing diseases, illnesses, and injuries, the demand for health care professionals will only increase,” the Council continues. “Though certain careers in allied health have been traditionally held solely by either men or women in the past, that trend is now changing. Both men and women have equal opportunities for admittance into all training programs, for receiving financial aid, and for job placement.”
According to the Illinois Department of Employment Security Guide to Career Choices, overall employment growth in the health services industry in Illinois is expected to increase faster than the statewide average through 2014.
“As the overall population ages, there will be an increasing demand for health services, especially home healthcare, nursing and residential care,” the report states. “Advances in medical technology will continue to improve the survival rate of severely ill and injured patients, who will then need extensive therapy and care. Also contributing to industry growth will be the shift from inpatient to less expensive outpatient care.”
Chicago is home to the Illinois Medical District, located on the Near West Side. The district includes Rush University Medical Center, the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago and the John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, the largest trauma center in the city.
The University of Chicago Medical Center, operated by the University of Chicago, was ranked the 14th best hospital in the country by U.S. News & World Report. The University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago is the largest medical school in the nation, with 1,300 students.
The city also is home to Rush Medical College, the Pritzker School of Medicine and the Feinberg School of Medicine. Chicago Medical School, Loyola University of Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine and the Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine are all located in Chicago suburbs.
Also, The American Medical Association, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, American Osteopathic Association, American Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry, American Dietetic Association, American College of Surgeons, American Society for Clinical Pathology, American College of Healthcare Executives and the American Hospital Association are all based in Chicago.