2014 Hot Jobs: Physicians

The healthcare industry landscape in 2014 is poised for continued growth, yet coupled with big change. It’s expected to be a year of large-scale, strategic action plans and implementation, all anchored around the Affordable Care Act. While change is inevitable, the field is positioned to offer many exciting career opportunities.



Not only does this sector face change in the way it’s regulated, due to the impending healthcare reform, but it is also experiencing substantial change in the demographics of patients served. According to the World Health Organization, the number of people in the U.S. over the age of 65 is expected to increase from 13 percent of the U.S. population to 19 percent by 2030. Their regular, complex care needs will contribute to the overall need for healthcare professionals – specifically physicians – for the foreseeable future.

Moreover, with the ACA on the doorsteps of America's healthcare facilities, there is projected to be a substantial increase in the number of non-elderly insured patients as well. The Congressional Budget Office anticipates the total number of insured people under 65 years old will increase from 215 million, as reported in 2012, to 245 million in 2016.



With all of these exciting changes on the horizon – all of which are expected to fuel employment and growth – this is the year to be in healthcare. High demand and accelerated career paths are what make 2014’s physician jobs among the hottest job titles in the U.S.





#1 Hospitalist jobs

Hospitalist is a fast-growing hot job, earning it the top seat in our hot jobs list for physicians.Coming into popularity in the 1990s, hospitalists specialize in the care of patients and include acute patient care, teaching, research and executive leadership as it relates to the delivery of hospital-based care. They are usually board certified internists (internal medicine physicians) and undergo the same career path as other internal medicine doctors including medical school, residency training and board certification examination.According to a recent supply and demand report from CareerBuilder, there were more than 14,000 active job openings with an extremely small, active candidate pool of only 39 candidates

The average salary range for hospitalists is around $175,000, with top earners making as much as $250,000 a year. The most desired trait by most employers seeking hospitalists is recent acute care clinical experience, such as ICU or LTAC experience. Many hospitals use hospitalists in place of internists when shortages take place, and some even offer additional training and certification in order to fill this void.



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#2 Primary Care Physician jobs

Primary Care Physicians – encompassing general internists, family doctors, geriatricians and general pediatricians – is another hot job. These physicians lead the charge in diagnosing illness, helping manage chronic conditions and advocating general wellness. In recent years, there is a growing shortage of primary care physicians in the US.This year, the shortage of primary care physicians has reached staggering highs. According to a recent CareerBuilder supply and demand report, there were more than 20,000 open positions with less than 2,000 active candidates for primary care physician openings.

The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts this trend to cause profound strain on our healthcare system over the next 15 years with a shortfall of more than 65,000 doctors.



According to Forbes, the median salary for primary care physicians is about $221,000, almost 10,000 more than it was just a couple of years ago. Primary care physicians with geriatrics experience are in considerably short supply with the aging US populations, and those looking for government work continue to find employment.



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#3 Emergency Medicine Physician

Emergency medicine physicians specialize in treating acute illnesses or injuries with immediate medical attention by diagnosing problems and undertaking interventions to resuscitate and stabilize patients.Emergency medicine physicians generally practice in hospital emergencydepartments. Like hospitalists and primary care physicians, there is a concerning shortage of emergency medicine physicians.

According to our findings, there are over 16,000 more job openings for emergency medicine physicians then there are candidates. "



There's a shortage of all types of doctors now, and it will only get worse with many Baby Boomer doctors retiring as the Baby Boomers age," said Darria Long Gillespie, a doctor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, speaking toBloomberg.



The median salary for emergency medicine physicians is more than $300,000. The most-hard-to-find Emergency Medicine Physicians are those willing to work the Emergency Room based on need, days and nights.



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How to be successful in 2014 as a physician:

“With the expected physician shortage, the anticipated increase in patients with access to health insurance and the growing population of the elderly, it’s no surprise that primary care physicians continue to be the most in demand physician specialty in the United States,” said Steve McMahan, President of Randstad Healthcare. “The need for physicians in the hospitalist and emergency medicine specialties continues to be very strong. Also, demand for nurse practitioners is on the rise and is seen by many as a cost effective solution to augment the shortage of primary care physicians.”

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