Copyright (c) 2010 Trey Markel

If you were able to go back in time twenty years and ask a recruiter what the number one field to find a job in would be in 2010, you would hear the words “health care”. That’s how long the health care industry has been sitting at the top of the charts for job opportunities. Health care staffing agencies have sprung up all over the nation and they are staying busy with the ever-increasing demand for personnel. Despite that, the field is becoming less attractive to students entering college for the first time and administrators seeking long-term stability. The general consensus, as health insurance has now taken center stage in American politics, is that the bubble is about to burst.

For those in medical school right now or those already working in the health care field, please don’t up and quit your jobs or drop out. The health care industry will always have work available. People get sick and need caretakers. What is upside-down about it now is that specialists abound and primary care doctors are becoming more difficult to find. Students who are graduating from medical school are choosing to go into a specific type of medicine instead of starting as a general practitioner like they did in years past. Meanwhile, most health insurance policies require a referral from a PCP in order for a patient to book an appointment with a specialist. Something has to change.

» Read more: The Upside-Down World of Healthcare Staffing