Medical technologists, occupational therapists, allied health professionals always needed

It's no secret that there's a shortage of qualified employees in health care.

"They're all in demand," said Michele Monsrud, employment manager with DeKalb Medical Center. "From pharmacists and respiratory therapists to medical technologists and physical therapists, there are always jobs for good employees."

The hottest areas for allied health professionals in the hospital setting are medical technologists and physical therapists, in part because of the changes in education for those entering these fields.

"There's only one school in Georgia that I know of now offering medical technology," Monsrud said. "We also have a new challenge in the physical therapy arena because it's now a doctoral program. Health care recruiters are concerned that enrollment may decrease because of the longer time commitment to become a physical therapist."

Monsrud said that some of the work being done by medical technologists can be handled by medical laboratory techs, but hospitals still need employees with med tech training. "Med techs with blood bank experience are especially in demand, and they're very hard to find these days."

As for physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech language pathologists, jobs are available in many settings.

"The job outlook is good for these disciplines," said Chris Bosonetto-Doane, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA, past president of the Georgia Society of Allied Health Professionals. "As the baby boomers get older, more and more professionals are needed to deliver care for everything from strokes and arthritis to self-care and cognitive help for patients. New practice areas are opening up all the time."

For example, the majority of care provided by these professionals used to be delivered in a hospital setting. With the advent of home care, independent and assisted living facilities, more patient care is being provided away from the hospital.

"Therapists are going to schools, nursing homes and workplaces," Bosonetto-Doane said. "In some cases, they're going into the workplace to help set up work stations and modify the environment to help prevent injuries."

With the changes in managed care, paperwork and administrative duties have increased, and this sometimes makes it less appealing to enter into these fields.

"There's a lot more administrative work with everything these days," she said. "The therapists must keep the records and it's easy to become bogged down in paperwork. I've seen some people choose to be physical therapy assistants because they are doing the treatments but don't have the paperwork demands. For some people, that's the best job."

Physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech language pathologists of all levels can expect to find success in the job market. She said that outlook for pharmacists, radiation technologists and respiratory therapists is also excellent.

"People in these professions should have no problem finding jobs," Bosonetto-Doane said. "They should do well if they're good at problem solving and have a good outlook."