Job outlook favors cardiovascular, MR techs

Cardiovascular technologists and technicians and MR imaging technicians ranked among the top 50 fastest growing occupations in the U.S. in a projection through 2017.

Economic Modeling Specialists International, which is part of CareerBuilder, released a report on job projections through 2017 based on an analysis of 785 occupations. Overall job growth was projected to reach 4.4 percent by 2017, a slight improvement from the 3.5 percent growth rate recorded for 2009 through 2013.

Analysts identified the healthcare, technology and energy sectors as the biggest gainers in the next five years. Personal care aide and home health aide jobs were projected to increase 21 percent, for instance, making them the fastest growing professions. Registered nurses and medical assistants could expect to see an increase of 9 percent and 10 percent, respectively. Medical secretaries, emergency medical technicians and pharmacy technicians also should expect an uptick in demand.

Cardiovascular technologists and technicians and MR imaging technicians made the list for fastest growing occupations by percentage growth. Both careers were expected to post an 11 percent increase. Both also were considered high-wage jobs in the report.

The report is based on Economic Modeling Specialists’ datasets. They developed projections using past trends extrapolated into the future as well as federal and state projections.