Degrees In Health Care

Healthcare degrees are the way to go these days. With the healthcare industry on the rise and graduates being snatched up twice, sometimes even thrice as fast as other degree options, prospective college students are attracted to an exciting field that yields both a rewarding job experience and that much-desired job security coveted due to the current economy.

But if you had to narrow down one healthcare degree that just might outshine the others, it’s physical therapy.

Physical therapy–sometimes referred to as “physical and occupational therapy” when it comes to campus and online college degrees, though physical and occupational therapists are actually quite different–is a very hands-on profession that involves lots of patient involvement and interaction.

Physical and occupational therapy is a booming field in the healthcare industry. Physical and occupation therapy degrees are on the top of the popularity charts when it comes to prospective college students looking for a lucrative and rewarding career. What is the difference between physical and occupational therapy? Why does physical therapy and occupational therapy often get presented hand-in-hand?

Graduate students are faced with limited time due to a variety of responsibilities like studying, carrying out research, earning money to pay for school, and finding time for a social life. Adding additional tasks (like industry certifications) to an already overbearing work schedule is a daunting challenge at which most students balk, but it is one of the best ways for a newly graduated student to make themselves more competitive in their field.

An especially competitive industry is that of medical professionals, including demanding professions like nursing informatics, health systems management, and other health care related business fields. While the industry continues to grow, the best and the brightest are also attracted to these positions, where competition is often fierce for promotions, and even entry level positions.

The population is rising, the amount of elderly is increasing, and healthcare feels an increasing strain each and every year. As numbers grow, more people demand healthcare, and the employee base is not there to accommodate their needs.

In CNN’s article, “How to get help in a hurry in the ER,” reporter Elizabeth Cohen discusses how the wait time in emergency rooms have risen in the past half a decade. “According to a report out this week, the average total waiting time in a U.S. emergency room in 2008 was four hours and three minutes, a 27-minute increase in nationwide average wait times since 2002,” she writes.

The physical and occupational therapist is one of the fastest growing positions in the healthcare industry. This position typically requires a master’s degree, a lengthy college commitment that several prospective college students cannot afford.

Did you know though, that by merely studying for 2 years and obtaining an associate’s degree, you can secure a position as a certified physical therapist assistant? This is one of the jobs listed in the U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics’ November 2007 assessment of the job market as “the fastest growing occupations.”

Saint Leo University is a military-friendly school that has been providing degrees to students since 1889. The university offers 41 different programs, including sought-after healthcare degrees.

Saint Leo University provides quality education through both campus-based and distance learning (their online programs are provided by their Center for Online Learning). The prospective healthcare student will be delighted by their two prestigious healthcare programs.

The first program offered is their School of Psychology. Psychology students are encouraged to complete an internship while studying their field, helping them apply it to either a healthcare career or in law, personnel, or sales. Mental Health Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists, two of the “hot jobs” discussed in Fastest Growing Occupations in the Healthcare Industry, are pursued through a psychology degree.

In the U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics’ November 2007 assessment of the job market, they compiled a list of the “Fastest growing occupations” in today’s job market. These occupations are expected to receive steady growth until 2016.