CHP offers six programs among the fastest growing healthcare professions
The College of Health Professions (CHP) at Wichita State University offers six healthcare programs that are projected to have significant employment growth from 2022 to 2032, based on estimates from The Bureau of Labor Statistics. These programs, along with their projected employment growth rates, are as follows:
- Nurse Practitioner: This occupation is expected to experience a 44.5% growth in employment.
- Medical and health services managers: The projected employment growth for medical and health services managers is 28.4%.
- Physician Assistant: Employment in the physician assistant field is projected to grow by 26.5%.
- Speech-Language Pathology: The field of speech-language pathology is estimated to see a 19.3% increase in employment.
- Physical Therapy: Employment in the physical therapy profession is expected to grow by 15.1%.
- Audiology: The audiology field is projected to experience a 10.6% growth in employment.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics also anticipates significant overall growth in the healthcare and social assistance sector, with a 9.7% increase in employment. This growth is attributed to factors such as the aging population and the rising prevalence of chronic medical conditions. Notably, this sector is expected to grow three times faster than the average job growth rate for the entire U.S. economy during the same period.
The healthcare and social assistance sector is projected to add approximately 2.1 million jobs over the next decade, which is the largest job growth in any sector and accounts for around 45% of all the anticipated job gains during that period. This data reflects the increasing demand for healthcare professionals due to demographic and healthcare trends.