Consider the thought process of many millennials as they ponder the future. They want satisfying careers. Maybe something science- or tech-related, or maybe marketing, maybe working with artists and athletes, or something else entirely. They don’t want to pay off student loans for the rest of their lives. And they don’t want to struggle to get jobs – they watched too many people do that during the great recession.
So, what does a millennial trying to determine the right career path do? Well, one idea is to consult a recent report by the group Young Invincibles, which determined the top 25 careers for millennials through 2022, in terms of both job availability and compensation, through an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics information. And, many of the listed careers can be prepared for with study in Shenandoah University’s creatively engaged, intellectually challenging atmosphere.
According to the report, the number of physician assistants (PAs) will grow 38 percent by 2022 for millennials, with a median income of $90,930, making it the field most attractive to the current 18-to-34-year-old age group. U.S. News & World Report ranks Shenandoah’s Physician Assistant Studies graduate program 16th-best in the nation.
“Our PA program has continued to grow in popularity, and each year for the last several years the number of applicants applying has grown,” said Associate Professor and Director of the Division of Physician Assistant Studies Rachel A. Carlson, Ed.D., PA-C. “For the Class of 2017, there were 935 applications for 42 seats.” Dr. Carlson also noted that Glassdoor.com has also pegged physician assistants as having the best jobs in the United States for 2015.
“The demand for advanced practice clinicians is growing as the U.S. health care system looks to provide healthcare to a growing and aging population in a cost-effective manner,” Carlson said. “Their training is shorter than the traditional medical school model, which allows programs to respond quickly to provider-shortage demands. PAs are broadly trained to be versatile upon graduation and fill the needs of healthcare in a variety of settings. Graduates are prepared to practice in primary care medicine, as well as specialties, and practice in outpatient and inpatient settings. They also have the ability to change between specialties without going back to school or through residency programs as physicians do. All of these features of the profession are attractive as students look for ways to enter the health care field and maximize their potential as a provider.”
Other job titles noted in the report are pharmacists, marketers and public relations specialists, therapists, actuaries, statisticians, biomedical and petroleum engineers, financial analysts, credit analysts, managers/agents for performers and sports figures, logisticians, and medical scientists (the top 25 chart is on page four of the report). In general, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields are predominant. “. . . thirteen of the top twenty-five positions are STEM occupations, with another five in health care related fields (often requiring an educational background in the sciences). Together, these eighteen occupations make up almost three quarters of the list – something worth considering for a millennial who is about to choose her or his college major,” the report states.
Actuaries, statisticians, biomedical and petroleum engineers, financial analysts, credit analysts, managers/agents for performers and sports figures, logisticians, and medical scientists all made the list, too. (Full report — chart of the Top 25 professions is on page 4).
The data from the Young Invincibles report reveals the true importance of a liberal arts education, adds Jeff Coker, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “It adds more evidence to the idea that increasingly we are moving into what might be called the ‘Liberal Arts Economy.’ In a world that demands innovation, creativity, and communication abilities more than ever, it’s not a surprise that opportunities for students with a liberal arts education are trending up. Almost half of the positions listed here are careers that link directly to Arts & Science majors. From science-related fields (including math) to communications and social sciences, this list has something for a wide range of students in the arts & sciences. And, of course, a liberal arts degree lays the foundation for success in virtually any field.”
While a variety of careers are open to undergraduates majoring in business at Shenandoah’s Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business or in subjects in the arts and sciences, physician assistant studies and pharmacy are specialized fields, requiring graduate-level education. And while both fields are lucrative, that’s not what lies at the heart of their appeal.
“People should become PAs because they are passionate about improving the health and lives of other people,” Dr. Carlson said. “PA school is extremely demanding, but the reward is the privilege to participate in the healing of others and improve their wellness.” Students who study at Shenandoah are learning in a program delivered in an innovative fashion. “The program has taken the best parts of problem-based learning, flipped classroom learning, and traditional face-to-face learning to enhance the learning process for the students and help develop them to be critical-thinkers and problem-solvers in the 21st century,” Carlson said. “The faculty-to-student ratio allows for personalized advising and mentoring to help students develop their professional skills and be practice-ready in primary care upon graduation.”
Pharmacy tends to draw in people who enjoy the sciences, said Penny S. Shelton, Pharm.D., associate dean for academic affairs for the Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy, and it’s a field that requires practitioners to have good communication and people skills, particularly since the pharmacist’s role is continuing to evolve into one that serves as part of a team-based approach to health care.
“Quite frankly, we’re looking for people who can think critically and problem-solve,” Dr. Shelton said. Pharmacists need to be able to think on their feet and determine creative solutions for problems experienced by both patients and health systems.
While many people tend to think only of their community pharmacists when they consider the field, it’s one with many career options, Shelton said. “It’s very expansive.” Emerging roles for pharmacists include ones where they’re embedded in physician practices or other health systems, working in chronic care disease management, and assisting with overall patient care management. Roles also exist for pharmacists in the growing area of specialized medicine, and Shenandoah’s program has long incorporated the study of pharmacogenomics, which uses a patient’s genetic makeup to create individualized drug treatments.
Shenandoah’s curriculum has been adjusted over the last few years to incorporate preparedness for these new and advanced roles. For example, the school completely overhauled its patient assessment courses. “We want to produce a profession-ready graduate,” Shelton said.
While PA studies and pharmacy are high-fliers, the report also notes “. . . the health care industry is the only major industry sector employing large numbers of millennials that has seen its median wages increase in the past decade, which makes its prevalence on the list no surprise.” And don’t forget that Shenandoah is also home to the Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing, which includes respiratory care studies, and the School of Health Professions, which includes divisions of occupational and physical therapy and athletic training.