The medical industry in New Zealand has shown a lot of growth in recent years and it only seems to be increasing. Medical jobs including doctor jobs, nursing jobs, and allied health professions are all in high demand.

Allied health involves using science-based techniques to diagnose and treat acute and chronic ailments. There are numerous branches of allied health in New Zealand. Let’s look at why you should become an allied health professional and which allied health professions are growing in demand in New Zealand.

Benefits of Becoming an Allied Health Professional in New Zealand

Working as an allied health professional in New Zealand can prove to be rewarding from a personal and financial perspective. There is a broad range of scope in this industry along with a unique set of benefits that make individuals select these professions as their careers.

Below are a few of the benefits of becoming an allied health professional in New Zealand:

·        High salaries - Medical professionals, including allied health professionals in New Zealand, are paid well and are also given additional benefits.

·        High job satisfaction – Allied health professionals deal directly with patients and work on improving their lives. This kind of work is very rewarding and provides high satisfaction levels.

·        Job security – Healthcare industry is one of the most essential industries where there are always patients to take care of. Therefore, job opportunities keep increasing, providing job security for allied health professionals.

Top 9 Growing Allied Health Professions in New Zealand

A career in allied healthcare can prove to be rewarding with so many job opportunities available. There are about 43 professionals that are listed under the category of allied health professions in New Zealand.

There are increased job opportunities in all of these 43 professions. However, several allied health professions in New Zealand stand out among the rest and are considered to keep growing in demand in the coming years.

Let’s look at the top 9 growing allied health professions in New Zealand.

1.      Speech Pathologist

A speech pathologist is responsible for diagnosing and treating communication-related problems in patients. They also work in preventing issues related to communication and swallowing. A speech pathologist can earn anywhere between $52,000 and $73,000 a year and can even go up to $100,000 a year based on experience.

You need to have a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in speech and language therapy, to become a speech therapist in New Zealand.

This field is expected to grow at a rate of 18% in the next 10 years.

2.      Occupational Therapist

An occupational therapist work in improving the movements of disabled or injured people through therapeutic techniques. They also help injured or disabled individuals in doing activities that are part of their daily lives.

An occupational therapist can earn anywhere between $52,000 and $71,000 a year, which can go up to $84,000 based on experience.

It can take up to three years to become an occupational therapist, by completing a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy.

3.      Ultrasound Technician

An ultrasound technician plays a crucial role in diagnosing various illnesses. They are also known as sonographers that use ultrasound technology to take images of various organs of the human body.

The average salary of an ultrasound technician in New Zealand is $105,689 a year. To work as a sonographer in New Zealand, you need to have a related postgraduate qualification like PGDipHSc (Ultrasound) programme. They have to be registered with the Medical Radiation Technologists Board to work in New Zealand. Overseas ultrasound technicians need to provide evidence of a minimum of 3360 hours of clinical experience to work in New Zealand.

4.      Physician Assistant

A physician assistant works alongside a doctor and assists in diagnosing, treating, and assisting patients suffering from a variety of ailments. It is the ideal role if you want to provide services similar to a doctor, but don’t have so much time to commit.

A physician assistant in New Zealand can earn anywhere between $90k and $100k per year, working approximately 40 hours a week. All you need is a bachelor’s degree related to health science and up to 3000 hours of hands-on medical experience, to become a physician assistant in New Zealand.

A physician assistant is one of the allied health professions in New Zealand with the highest growth rate. It is expected to have a growth rate of 31% in the next 10 years.

5.      Healthcare Office Assistant

The role of a healthcare office assistant is ideal for those who don’t want to be bodily fluids and prefer more of an office environment. Healthcare office assistants are responsible for entering patients' records and various data, setting up appointments, and coordinating with insurance companies while working with patients.

The average salary of a healthcare office assistant in New Zealand is $46,182 per year. All you need to work as a healthcare office assistant in New Zealand are;

·        New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Level 2)

·        New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing – Health Assistance (Level 3) and

·        New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing – Support Work (Level 3)

6.      Community Health Worker

A community health worker takes a preventative approach to healthcare. This role is responsible for providing preventative healthcare solutions related to public health. They can earn anywhere between $21 and $23 an hour. All you need to become a community health worker in New Zealand is to have paid or voluntary work experience related to community development.

7.      Respiratory Therapist

A respiratory therapist is responsible for administering respiratory therapy and diagnostics tests. They are also known as respiratory care practitioners. It is a high-paying role in the healthcare industry in New Zealand with a relative low-barrier entry into the industry.

A respiratory therapist in New Zealand can earn anywhere between NZD 54,761 and NZD 92,909 a year. The minimum requirement to become a respiratory therapist in New Zealand is to have an associate’s degree which takes about two years to complete. However, many employers prefer candidates to have a bachelor’s degree that can take up to four years to complete.

8.      Clinical Laboratory Technologist

A clinical laboratory technologist’s role includes collecting blood samples from patients and analysing them in diagnostic laboratories to identify any anomalies.

A clinical laboratory technologist in New Zealand can earn anywhere between $50,000 and $56,000 a year. It can go up to $71,000 a year based on experience.

You need to have a bachelor’s degree in medical laboratory science to become a clinical laboratory technologist in New Zealand. You also need to be a Medical Laboratory Scientist with the Medical Sciences Council of New Zealand and hold a current practising certificate.

9.      Healthcare Information Executive

A healthcare information executive is responsible for managing health data to ensure accessibility and security. They protect the health data and update it as and when required.

The average salary of a healthcare information executive in New Zealand is $82,597. Employers usually require candidates to have a postsecondary certificate in order to work as a healthcare information executive. However, some employers may ask for an associate’s degree.

Conclusion

These roles in the healthcare industry are some of the highest growing allied health professionals in New Zealand. They come with high-paying job roles with increased levels of job satisfaction. All of these reasons make individuals prefer working as allied healthcare professionals in New Zealand,

At Medfuture, we provide a list of updated vacancies in the healthcare industry. Candidates can apply for suitable job positions including doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and healthcare executives.

Visit our website to access the latest jobs in the healthcare industry in New Zealand.