Job
Outlook
This information is provided by the
Bureau Of Labor Statistics publication "Occupational
Outlook Handbook"
Occupational
Therapy
Physical
Therapy
Speech
Language Pathology
Mental
Health Counselors
Mental
Health Nurse Aids
Psychologists
Social
Workers
Opportunities for job seekers should be favorable.
Employment of occupational therapy assistants
and aides is expected to grow much faster
than the average for all occupations through 2006.
Although the occupation is expected to be one of the
fastest growing in the economy, only a small number
of job openings will result, because the occupation
is small.
Growth will result from an aging population,
including the "baby-boom" cohort, which
will need more occupational therapy services. Demand
will also result from advances in medicine that allow
more people with critical problems to survive, who
then need rehabilitative therapy. Furthermore,
employers seeking to reduce health care costs are
expected to hire more occupational therapy assistants
and aides for tasks currently performed by more
highly paid occupational therapists.
Job opportunities for occupational
therapists are expected to continue to be
good. Employment of occupational therapists is
expected to increase much faster than the average for
all occupations through the year 2006, due to
anticipated growth in demand for rehabilitation and
long-term care services. The baby-boom generation's
move into middle age, a period during which the
incidence of heart attack and stroke increases, will
increase the demand for therapeutic services.
Additional services will also be demanded by the
population 75 years of age and above, a rapidly
growing age group that suffers from a very high
incidence of disabling conditions.
Medical advances are now making it possible for more
patients with critical problems to survive. These
patients, however, may need extensive therapy.
Finally, additional therapists will be needed to help
children with disabilities prepare to enter special
education programs, as required by Federal
legislation.
Due to industry growth and more intensive care,
hospitals will continue to employ a large number of
occupational therapists. Hospitals will also need
occupational therapists to staff their growing home
health-care and outpatient rehabilitation programs.
Fast employment growth in schools will result from
expansion of the school-age population and extended
services for disabled students. Employment of
occupational therapists in the home health field is
also expected to grow very fast. The rapidly growing
number of people age 75 and older who are more likely
to need home health care, and the greater use of
at-home follow-up care, will encourage this growth.
Physical therapist assistants and aides
are expected to be among the fastest growing
occupations through the year 2006. Demand for
physical therapist assistants and aides will continue
to rise with growth in the number of individuals with
disabilities or limited function. The rapidly growing
elderly population is particularly vulnerable to
chronic and debilitating conditions that require
therapeutic services. Also, the baby-boom generation
is entering the prime age for heart attacks and
strokes, increasing the demand for cardiac and
physical rehabilitation. Older patients often need
more assistance in their treatment, making the roles
of assistants and aides vital.
Licensed physical therapist assistants can enhance
the cost-effective provision of physical therapy
services. After a patient is evaluated and a
treatment plan is designed by the physical therapist,
the physical therapist assistant can provide many
aspects of treatment, as prescribed by the therapist.
Anecdotal reports about shortages of physical
therapists that existed in recent years are
no longer common. The number of physical therapist
educational programs has increased and more graduates
have moved into the labor force. Nevertheless, job
prospects are expected to continue to be very good.
Physical therapists are expected to be among the
fastest growing occupations through the year 2006 as
the demand for physical therapy services grows. The
rapidly growing elderly population is particularly
vulnerable to chronic and debilitating conditions
that require therapeutic services. Also, the
baby-boom generation is entering the prime age for
heart attacks and strokes, increasing the demand for
cardiac and physical rehabilitation. More young
people will need physical therapy as technological
advances save the lives of a larger proportion of
newborns with severe birth defects. Future medical
developments will also permit a higher percentage of
trauma victims to survive, creating additional demand
for rehabilitative care. Growth may also result from
advances in medical technology which permit treatment
of more disabling conditions.
Widespread interest in health promotion should also
increase demand for physical therapy services. A
growing number of employers are using physical
therapists to evaluate worksites, develop exercise
programs, and teach safe work habits to employees in
the hope of reducing injuries.
Employment of physical therapist would grow even
faster were it not for continued emphasis on
controlling health care costs by limiting the use of
therapeutic services in some instances.
Employment of speech-language
pathologists and audiologists is expected to
increase much faster than the average for all
occupations through the year 2006. Employment in
health and rehabilitation services will increase as a
result of advances in medical technology and growth
in the elderly population. Because hearing loss is
strongly associated with aging, rapid growth in the
population age 55 and over will cause the number of
persons with hearing impairment to increase markedly.
In addition, baby boomers are now entering middle
age, when the possibility of neurological disorders
and associated speech, language, and hearing
impairments increases. Medical advances are also
improving the survival rate of premature infants and
trauma and stroke victims, who then need assessment
and possible treatment.
Employment in schools will increase along with growth
in elementary and secondary school enrollments,
including enrollment of special education students.
Federal law guarantees special education and related
services to all eligible children with disabilities.
Greater awareness of the importance of early
identification and diagnosis of speech, language, and
hearing disorders will also increase employment.
The number of speech-language pathologists and
audiologists in private practice, though small, is
likely to rise sharply due to the increasing use of
contract services by managed care, hospitals,
schools, and nursing homes. In addition to job
openings stemming from rapid job growth over the
1996-2006 period, some openings for speech-language
pathologists and audiologists will arise from the
need to replace those who leave the occupation.
Mental
Health Counselors Job Outlook
Overall employment of counselors
is expected to grow about as fast as the
average for all occupations through the year 2006. In
addition, replacement needs should increase
significantly as a large number of counselors reach
retirement age.
Employment of school and vocational
counselors is expected to grow as a result
of increasing enrollments, particularly in secondary
and postsecondary schools, State legislation
requiring counselors in elementary schools, and the
expanded responsibilities of counselors. Counselors
are becoming more involved in crisis and preventive
counseling, helping students deal with issues ranging
from drug and alcohol abuse to death and suicide.
Also, the growing diversity of student populations is
presenting challenges to counselors in dealing with
multicultural issues. Job growth among counselors,
however, may be dampened by budgetary constraints.
High student-to-counselor ratios in many schools
could increase even more as student enrollments grow.
When funding is tight, schools usually prefer to hire
new teachers before adding counselors in an effort to
keep classroom sizes at acceptable levels.
Rapid job growth is expected among rehabilitation
and mental health counselors. Under managed
care systems, insurance companies increasingly
provide for reimbursement of counselors, enabling
many counselors to move from schools and government
agencies to private practice. Counselors are also
forming group practices to receive expanded insurance
coverage. The number of people who need
rehabilitation services will rise as advances in
medical technology continue to save lives that only a
few years ago would have been lost. In addition,
legislation requiring equal employment rights for
people with disabilities will spur demand for
counselors. Counselors not only will help individuals
with disabilities with their transition into the work
force, but also will help companies comply with the
law. Employers are also increasingly offering
employee assistance programs which provide mental
health and alcohol and drug abuse services. A growing
number of people are expected to use these services
as the elderly population grows, and as society
focuses on ways of developing mental well-being, such
as controlling stress associated with job and family
responsibilities.
As with other government jobs, the number of
employment counselors, who work primarily for State
and local government, could be limited by budgetary
constraints. However, demand for government
employment counseling may grow as new welfare laws
require welfare recipients to find jobs.
Opportunities for employment counselors working in
private job training services should grow as
counselors provide skill training and other services
to laid-off workers, experienced workers seeking a
new or second career, full-time homemakers
Job prospects for nursing aides
should be good through the year 2006. Numerous
openings will arise from a combination of fast growth
and high turnover for this large occupation.
Employment of nursing aides is expected to grow
faster than the average for all occupations in
response to an emphasis on rehabilitation and the
long-term care needs of a rapidly aging population.
Employment will increase as a result of the expansion
of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
for people with chronic illnesses and disabling
conditions, many of whom are elderly. Financial
pressure on hospitals to release patients as soon as
possible should produce more nursing home admissions.
Modern medical technology will also increase the
employment of nursing aides. This technology, while
saving and extending more lives, increases the need
for long-term care provided by aides. As a result,
nursing and personal care facilities are expected to
grow very rapidly and to provide most of the new jobs
for nursing aides.
Employment of psychiatric aides is
expected to grow slower than the average for all
occupations. Employment will rise in response to the
sharp increase in the number of older persons many of
whom will require mental health services. Employment
of aides in outpatient community mental health
centers is likely to grow because of increasing
public acceptance of formal treatment for drug abuse
and alcoholism, and a lessening of the stigma
attached to those receiving mental health care.
However, employment in hospitals3/4where one-half of
psychiatric aides work3/4is likely to decline due to
attempts to contain costs by limiting inpatient
psychiatric treatment.
Replacement needs will constitute the major source of
openings for aides. Turnover is high, a reflection of
modest entry requirements, low pay, and lack of
advancement opportunities.
Employment of psychologists is
expected to grow more slowly than the average for all
occupations through the year 2006. Job opportunities
in health care should increase slightly in health
care provider networks, such as health maintenance
and preferred provider organizations, and in nursing
homes and alcohol and drug abuse programs. More job
opportunities will arise in businesses, nonprofit
organizations, and research and computer firms for
psychologists working as consultants. Companies will
use psychologists' expertise in survey design,
analysis, and research to provide marketing
evaluation and statistical analysis. The increase in
employee assistance programs, which offer employees
help with personal problems, should also spur job
growth.
Opportunities for people holding doctorates from
leading universities in areas with an applied
emphasis, such as clinical, counseling, health, and
educational psychology, should have particularly good
prospects. Psychologists with extensive training in
quantitative research methods and computer science
may have a competitive edge over applicants without
this background.
Graduates with a master's degree in psychology are
qualified for positions in school and
industrial-organizational psychology. Graduates of
master's degree programs in school psychology should
have the best job prospects, as schools are expected
to increase student counseling and mental health
services. Masters' degree holders with several years
of industrial experience can obtain jobs in
consulting and marketing research. Other master's
degree holders may find jobs as psychological
assistants in the community mental health field,
which often requires direct supervision by a licensed
psychologist. Still others may find jobs involving
research and data collection and analysis in
universities, government, or private companies.
Bachelor's degree holders can expect very few
opportunities directly related to psychology. Some
may find jobs as assistants in rehabilitation
centers, or in other jobs involving data collection
and analysis. Those who meet State certification
requirements may become high school psychology
teachers.
Employment of social workers is
expected to increase faster than the average for all
occupations through the year 2006. The number of
older people, who are more likely to need social
services, is increasing rapidly. In addition, growing
concern about crime, juvenile delinquency, and
services for the mentally ill, the mentally retarded,
AIDS patients, and individuals and families in crisis
will spur demand for social workers. Many job
openings will also stem from the need to replace
social workers who leave the occupation.
As hospitals increasingly emphasize early discharge
of patients in an effort to control costs, more
social workers will be needed to ensure that the
necessary medical and social services are in place
when individuals leave the hospital. Social worker
employment in home health care services is growing,
not only because hospitals are releasing patients
earlier, but because a large and growing number of
people have impairments or disabilities that make it
difficult to live at home without some form of
assistance.
Employment of social workers in private social
service agencies will grow, but not as rapidly as
demand for their services. Agencies will increasingly
restructure services and hire more lower-paid human
services workers instead of social workers.
Employment in government may grow in response to
increasing needs for public welfare and family
services; however, many of these jobs will be
contracted out to private agencies. Additionally,
employment levels will depend on government funding
for various social service programs.
Employment of school social workers is expected to
grow, due to expanded efforts to respond to rising
rates of teen pregnancy and to the adjustment
problems of immigrants and children from
single-parent families. Moreover, continued emphasis
on integrating disabled children into the general
school population will lead to more jobs.
Availability of State and local funding will dictate
the actual job growth in schools, however.
Opportunities for social workers in private practice
will expand because of the anticipated availability
of funding from health insurance and public-sector
contracts. Also, with increasing affluence, people
will be better able to pay for professional help to
deal with personal problems. The growing popularity
of employee assistance programs is also expected to
spur demand for private practitioners, some of whom
provide social work services to corporations on a
contractual basis.
Competition for social worker jobs is stronger in
cities where training programs for social workers are
prevalent; rural areas often find it difficult to
attract and retain qualified staff.
Webmaster@RehabWorld.Com
RehabWorld ©
1999
Best
viewed With Internet Explorer
|
RehabWorld.com