Health

16 HE ALTH • Winter 2019 • By Livia Gershon PHOTO/UMASS MEDICAL SCHOOL T hink about the jobs of the future, and you might picture robotics engineers or biochemists working on the latest advances in pharmaceuticals. But Massachusetts labor projections suggest, from 2016 to 2026, six of the 10 fastest-growing jobs will be in health care. With the population in Massachusetts, and across the country, aging, the demand is growing for all sorts of health services, and as is the From home care to high-level health educators, there's a huge need for workers in the sector Healthcare jobs just keep growing need to find people for these jobs. The issue is particularly pronounced in home care. The fastest-growing job category over the decade is home health aides who care for disabled, ill, and injured people. Those positions are expected to grow by 38%, or 9,810 jobs. Meanwhile, personal care aides, a similar position involving help with daily tasks but not direct medical care, have the largest growth in total jobs, more than 20,000, a gain of 27%. Elaine Fluet, president of Gardner- based GVNA Healthcare Inc., said these jobs are hard to fill. "We have a shortage of individuals willing and able to work as home care aides, and the need is just growing," Fluet said. "It's one of the fastest growing areas and one of the most difficult areas to recruit." That's partly because these jobs aren't highly paid. Home health aides made an average of $30,830 in 2018, and for personal care aides it was $29,080. Fluet said people may choose retail jobs instead just to make enough money to support their families. And, she said, not everyone is cut out for care work. "They have to be gifted in being able to care for people at the most volatile time of their life," she said. "The people who work as home health aides are angels day in and day out doing the hard work, really helping people stay in their homes." Fluet said GVNA's wages are largely determined by reimbursement rates set by payers like Medicare, and even clients who pay privately often simply can't afford to pay more. As medical technology has advanced, Fluet said, people are more likely to be sent home from the hospital very soon after having a procedure. Meanwhile, many older people prefer to get day-to- day help in their own homes rather than a nursing home. These trends can improve people's quality of life and reduce overall costs to the health system, but only if enough caregivers are available. So far, Fluet said, GVNA has filled the needs of its clients, but the growing need raises concerns. "Sometimes there might be a wait time to get care from a home health aide," she said. "You sort of hold your breath. If you're somebody who needs it, are you going to stay on your feet, not fall? It is dangerous." Practitioners & assistants Two other professions growing just as fast are nurse practitioners and physician assistants, both projected to increase by more than 27% for a total Elaine Fluet, president of GVNA Healthcare Inc. Students in a lab at the UMass Medical School Graduate School of Nursing work on insulin injections.

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