Masters in Healthcare Degrees in the District of Columbia

The nation’s capital, as it serves as a home or home-away-from-home for the country’s leaders, must also have a strong healthcare industry to provide the country’s top officials with top-notch healthcare. Healthcare is a booming industry in Washington, D.C., and according to the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services, education and health services are expected to see a 24.68% increase in jobs from 2010 to 2020. The healthcare career field that is expected to see the most growth in employment by 2020 is in home health care services, at 80.72%, followed by other health practitioners, at 54.72%, ambulatory health care services, at 48.39%, outpatient care centers, at 39.81%, and physicians’ offices, at 32.63%. All of the listed healthcare career fields, such as dentistry, are expected to see a minimum of 16.45% growth, with the majority seeing growth above 25%.

Earning a master’s in healthcare in D.C. can put someone in an ideal position to excel in one of many healthcare professions, such as nursing, health care administration, or public health. D.C.’s online master’s degree programs in healthcare provide students with opportunities to pursue careers in healthcare management, making executive decisions at a hospital or clinic; clinical research, overseeing clinical studies to improve the quality of healthcare locally or nationwide; or nursing, offering specialized care to segments of the population including women and the elderly. Many healthcare careers pay well, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The median pay for dentists in 2010 was $146,920; for occupational therapists was $72,320; and for nurses was $64,690. As with most fields, pay will vary based on one’s level of education.