How the COVID-19 Pandemic Has Impacted the Medical Field
A year into the pandemic, it’s no surprise that many sectors of the economy were forced to quickly adapt to the changing environment. One of the most affected sectors, the healthcare industry, has constantly been changing. It’s keeping up with the evolving needs of patients and the various issues that have arisen since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. With healthcare workers scrambling to understand the virus and medical institutions coping with financial challenges, it’s important to know the global pandemic’s significant impact on the healthcare industry.
How the Pandemic Affects the Healthcare Industry
While some may think that a pandemic is a great opportunity for medical institutions to turn a profit, the opposite is true. From financial issues to layoffs, the healthcare industry has suffered a lot. In the early months of 2020, healthcare employment had even decreased by 9.5%, with over 1.5 million medical workers losing their jobs. Aside from this, many hospitals were physically incapable of housing every patient due to the number of COVID-19 cases, resulting in the loss of many lives in the process.
Unfortunately, the effects of the pandemic on the industry don’t end there.
Digital Learning
As face-to-face classes are discouraged, students in medical school face the challenge of taking their classes online. Not only is this difficult to do, especially for classes that normally require practical teaching, but it also poses the problem of how to complete one’s observation hours. This issue affects those in medical school and medical-related programs that require certifications and training, such as dental assistance and technician work.
Global Medical Supply Chains
The increased demand in supply and decreased supply had a large impact on the medical supply chains around the world, especially early into the pandemic. With China practically being the global distributor of healthcare items, from face masks to drugs, the supply chain was disrupted, forcing countries to rely more on various companies that can produce these medical essentials. As the manufacturing processes picked back up, the production of materials was slow, causing shortages and delays, leading to higher costs.
While the situation has improved through searching for ways to build a more resilient supply chain, it still hasn’t fully recovered from the major blow.
Financial Issues
Hospitals are losing money. While this may come as a surprise to some, the pandemic’s effect on the healthcare industry is negative. The rise of COVID-19 cases has left hospitals filled to the brim with infected patients, steering people away from regular hospital admissions and outpatient visits for fear of contracting the virus. Not only does it reduce the number of patients going in and out of the hospital, but it also leads to negative operating margins. With hospitals losing more and more money, some institutions have no other choice but to lay off a number of their employees.
What Healthcare Jobs Are In-demand Now?
Fortunately, as the healthcare industry slowly adapts to the changing environment, healthcare jobs are back on the rise. Healthcare professionals that make up the frontlines, such as laboratorians, registered nurses, and epidemiologists, are highly in-demand are likely to remain so even after vaccines. However, the geriatric field needs more doctors and nurses that can help take care of older patients who make up a large part of hospitalizations and deaths.
A surprising field that is also seeing high demand is the dental field. Even after many dental offices had to temporarily close last year due to lockdowns and fears of contracting the virus, most new jobs are available in this field. Other new available jobs include ambulatory care workers and other healthcare practitioners.
The Future of the Healthcare Industry
While no one can truly predict what the future holds for the healthcare industry, it’s evident that we are bound to see increased spending on healthcare. Also, companies who invest in research, produce vaccines, and supply hospitals with essential equipment will benefit the most in this kind of situation.
The government is also likely to invest in safety precautions and prevention measures to avoid another economic downturn and the return of a similar pandemic. This may be in the form of investing in the research and creation of new technology, making use of 3D printing to produce medical equipment, and utilizing artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and even robotics to make healthcare more precise and efficient.
If we can utilize technology to make healthcare in a way that allows humans and technology to work hand-in-hand, we’re likely to see a bright future for medical professionals and regular citizens alike.
Meta title: Learning About Health Careers in the Post-pandemic Era
meta desc: As the pandemic continues to make significant impacts across different sectors, the healthcare sector also experiences its fair share of struggles.
