Are you considering a career in healthcare?

In 2020, the employment market has been through significant changes, which has influenced which industries have the most demand for new workers. 

Huge strain on the healthcare system, during COVID-19, is the important element influencing Australia’s most-needed positions right now.

Before we get into why you could find a job in the Australian health industry to be steady, engaging, and satisfying, let’s take a look at what the sector actually entails. The Institute of Health and Welfare of the Australian Government defines the healthcare system as “all activities whose primary goal is to promote, restore, and/or preserve health.”

The healthcare system’s breadth has already made it the country’s largest employment (by sector), and future needs will further increase its importance. Here are five reasons why the health industry will be an excellent place to start if you’re searching for a profession that’s both fulfilling and socially important.

• The health-care industry offers attractive pay and benefits. 

  The healthcare sector in Australia offers a broad range of salaries. A graduate registered nurse, for example, makes an average of $56,000 per year, whereas a graduate doctor earns an average of $65,000 per year. Doctors make an average of $105,000 after ten years on the job, while nurses can earn up to $79,000. Indeed, statistics of lifetime income show that health professionals are among the highest-paid employees in Australia throughout the course of their careers. 

  Despite annual pay growth hitting historic lows in many Australian industries, salaries for healthcare workers have continued to rise at a rate of 2% to 3% per year.   This rate of growth was expected predicted back in 2020 that the demand would to accelerate  for some health professionals (such as nurses) begins to outstrip supply. Health workers frequently have access to excellent benefits packages in addition to attractive salaries. Employees in the public health sector, for example, can take advantage of salary packaging, which allows them to spend pre-tax money on authorised products.

• You’ll be able to learn on a constantly 

  Every day seems to bring new health discoveries, from novel therapies to better diagnostic tools. Most healthcare jobs need a commitment to continuous professional development in order to guarantee that patients receive the best care available. Doctors and nurses, for example, must earn a certain number of points each year by attending conferences, completing educational courses, publishing papers, and performing other tasks designed to keep them well-informed and ready to tackle any emerging challenges in order to maintain their accreditation. 

A profession in health care also provides several possibilities for on-the-job training. In a hospital, for example, no two days are same. Every day, whether you’re a nurse, a physical therapist, or a pharmacist, you’ll meet new patients, examine new situations, and make dramatic, often life-or-death decisions.

• The healthcare industry has grown rapidly of nearly doubling in size. 

  One in every eight Australians, or 1.5 million individuals, works in the healthcare industry, making it the country’s largest employer. Furthermore, the healthcare industry is extremely well-educated, with around three-quarters of its workers having a post-secondary education2. As a result, it’s no surprise that Australia’s healthcare system is recognized as one of the best in the world why is it now at risk of failing to meet future demand? Although this is a complex topic, the answers provided by industry professionals and observers tend to centre on three key aspects.

  First, according to research conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the proportion of older Australians (defined as those aged 65 and more) is projected to rise substantially over the next few decades as a result of low fertility and rising life expectancy. Older Australians accounted for 9% of the population in 1976. This percentage increased to 15% in 2016, and it is expected to reach 22% by 2056. Importantly, older populations3, who have greater rates of hospitalisation, primary care requirements, and secondary care needs, have the greatest average health cost.

  Second, smoking, alcohol, sedentary lifestyles, poor diets, and excessive sun exposure have all increased disease rates in Australia, as they have in many other developed countries. Obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer are among them. According to Ian Frazer, the 2006 Australian of the Year, “smoking, drinking, obesity, and sun exposure account for one-third of health-care expenses.” Regrettably, the rising incidence of these illnesses is not limited to any particular demographic.

  Third, new medical advances, ranging from innovative drugs to enhanced scanning methods, have led to rising health-care costs, imposing additional demands on private consumers and the public health system.

  Health care spending in Australia is expected to grow from 4% of GDP in 2016 to 7% of GDP in 2050, according to the Australian Treasury. The number of employees in the health industry is anticipated to grow at a rate of about 3% per year during the same time period.   In short, one of the biggest reasons to choose a career in health care is that work possibilities will be plentiful in the future decades.

• You have the opportunity to make a significant difference in your community. 

  When people are asked why they decided to work in the health sector, one of the first things they say is that they want to relieve pain, bring new life into the world, assist someone in departing it in peace, alleviate mental anguish, or create breakthroughs that affect entire communities. As a healthcare practitioner, you will have the chance to devote your time and effort to solving a variety of social and medical issues. You may possibly have a life-changing influence on your community by doing so. Indigenous Australians, for example, have a life expectancy of roughly 17 years less than non-Indigenous Australians. Any effective attempts to address such a problem will assist not just one patient, but tens of thousands of others all throughout the country.

• You’ll enjoy real career flexibility

  Graduate nurses devote themselves to areas such as paediatrics or geriatric care while interning doctors become neurosurgeons as a result of their specialisation. The industry has incorporated flexibility into its operations to foster specialisation. As a result, you’ll have a unique degree of control over where you finish up as a healthcare graduate, no matter where you start.

  Do you favour public-sector work or are you drawn to a private-sector healthcare career? Would you rather work at a crowded hospital, a small private practise, a community health centre, or somewhere else? Are you more fulfilled by fulfilling the needs of isolated communities in rural regions, or by the fast-paced delivery of healthcare in cities? You’ll be able to find answers to all of these concerns as a healthcare graduate, and then craft a profession that reflects your particular beliefs and interests.

Want to enter and pursue a career in Healthcare? The Institute of Health and Nursing Australia (IHNA) is the answer!
IHNA is a healthcare training provider born out of the desire to create jobs and improve people’s lives. Since 2007 we’ve been dedicated to giving the best learning experience to over 17,500 students for a satisfying career in nursing, health, and community services!