As reported in The Colombian newspaper, fields such as gerontology, nurse assistants, nurses, doctors, psychiatrists, and various other related careers will continue to grow in demand, as a growing number of retirement living seniors require a growing number of healthcare professionals.
However, the newspaper reported that despite the demand for these fields, there is not an increasing interest in them among students.
“There is a strange paradox here, because demand for people with a background in gerontology is increasing, but one of the problems we’re experiencing is reluctance in terms of students who want to do coursework in gerontology,” Graham Rowles, a University of Kentucky professor and expert in gerontology, told the news source.
Rowles told the newspaper one of the reasons for the lack of interest in gerontology was the relatively low pay, compared to similar fields. He suggested that universities and employers need to make the field more attractive in order to draw more people.