Health care is one of the fastest-growing industries in New Jersey and the nation.
With continuing advances in health care technology and a current health care worker shortage, NJ county vocational-technical schools are responding with a wide range of programs that give students real-world, hands-on learning experiences and opportunities to explore the many career options in this important field.
An increasing number of vocational-technical school districts offer students opportunities to rotate through hospitals and other medical centers as part of a health care career pathway. These students are exposed to different specialties as they begin to plan for the future.
Students graduate from these programs prepared for jobs or further study in college. In many cases, students can earn industry credentials – such as an Emergency Medical Technician certification – and college credits as part of their high school course work. Adult programs also allow students to obtain additional certifications, such as Licensed Practical Nursing or Dental Hygienist.
Why Health Sciences?
- Projected to add 2.4 million new jobs by 2029, faster growth than other occupational groups
- 6 of the 10 fastest-growing occupations are in health care
- Nurse practitioner positions expected to grow 52% by 2029, with strong growth also among home health and personal aides, medical and health services managers, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapy assistants, and physician assistants
- Accounts for 17.7% of U.S. GDP
- Employs 16 million people
Take a closer look at Health Sciences:
Career pathways in this area include:
Anesthesiologist
Biomedical researcher
Chiropractor
Dentist or dental assistant
Emergency medical technician
Mechanical, electrical, and industrial technician
Home health aide
Lab or medical technician
Medical or hospital administrator
Nurse
Nursing assistant
Personal trainer
Pharmacist
Physician
Physical therapist
For Students And Parents:
To see what health sciences programs your county vocational-technical school offers, find your school.
For Adult Students:
To find health sciences programs at county vocational-technical schools near you, use the “Find Adult Career Programs” tool.
For More Information About Careers In Health Sciences:
O*Net OnLine has comprehensive information on all types of jobs, including surveys that help people find careers they might enjoy.
Access ExploreHealthCareers.org, which is designed to help identify career options and the skills, education, and certifications needed to launch careers in health care.
View videos on career pathways in the health sciences industry:
From US Department of Labor Career One-Stop:
https://www.careeronestop.org/Videos/IndustryVideos/health-science-overview.aspx
https://www.careeronestop.org/Videos/IndustryVideos/health-science-occupations.aspx
https://www.careeronestop.org/Videos/CareerVideos/career-videos.aspx
From Working Nation, learn about some specialized careers in health sciences:
Nutrition – https://workingnation.com/i-want-that-job-dietitian/
Physical Therapy Assistant – https://workingnation.com/i-want-that-job-physical-therapist-assistant/
Health Sciences News
‘We need nurses’: High schoolers train for nursing careers at Ocean County College (Asbury Park Press)
Ocean County’s next generation of nurses surrounded a hospital bed at Ocean County College to explore what will be their new classroom for the coming school year. These high school students, enrolled in a pre-nursing program at Ocean County Vocational Technical School, are completing a two-year program that aims to prepare them for careers in health care. They recently celebrated the opening of the program’s new training classrooms on the college’s Toms River campus.
Career Classroom: Corporate contributions total $90K in scholarships to keep career-minded students in the Garden State (ROI-NJ)
Funding from Amazon, AT&T, NJM Insurance Group, PKA Technologies, PSEG, SHI International Corporation, South Jersey Industries (SJI) and VMWARE totaled $90,250 to the New Jersey Association of Counties (NJAC) Foundation this year to distribute as scholarships to county vocational-technical school graduates.
U.S. News & World Report Best Public High Schools Ranked
New rankings from U.S. News & World Report put 13 county vocational-technical high schools in the top 25 New Jersey high schools and two of those schools place in the top 50 high schools nationally.
Read more news about Health Sciences