Innovation is important no matter what industry you’re in, but it’s especially important in the healthcare and health sciences fields. Innovation in healthcare means better outcomes for patients; and since we all know someone who has dealt with health problems, we all want medical breakthroughs to happen. Today’s medical breakthroughs are often a result of the convergence of science and technology—which means that in the near future, many healthcare jobs will have some technological component to them.

Healthcare Jobs of the Future Look a Lot Like Tech Jobs

From 3D printing to telemedicine, healthcare is starting to look a lot like the tech industry. If you’re looking for a career in the healthcare field, it’s time to learn what’s coming so you can train accordingly. If you’re already in the medical field, supplementing your continuing education with training in tech is a great way to ensure your career remains viable well into the future.

Currently it is projected that in just over a decade we will face a shortage of more than 100,000 physicians. This means physicians are going to have to be in more than one place at a time. Telemedicine is looking like a viable way to get medical treatment to populations where doctors are lacking, and that means there will have to be technicians running the equipment to make it happen.

There will also be a need for engineers and designers working with 3D printers to print artificial limbs and even artificial organoids that can take the place of failed organs; 3D printing is showing great promise in the medical field for printing artificial bones, limbs, braces, and more.

Virtual reality is already being used to train medical professionals; one study found that 93 percent of radiologists trained through VR technology were more confident in diagnosing splenic artery aneurysms. Current predictions state that the value of VR in the medical field will grow as much as 30 times over the next five years alone.

These are just some of the ways in which tech is currently being tested to enhance medical outcomes; and as research advances, there will likely be many more ways tech will be used to treat and cure patients. It’s difficult to imagine a career 3D printing organoids that will replace a diabetic patient’s failed kidney. It’s also difficult to imagine VR being used to train doctors to find and treat rare diseases and conditions. But that’s the future, and it’s possible to start down that path before the path is even there.

Why Tech Makes You a More Valuable Employee

Healthcare workers will always be needed. It’s estimated that by 2030, around 171 million Americans will have some form of chronic disease that will require management. We’re already facing a serious nursing shortage that is predicted to worsen as Baby Boomers age and require more long-term care.

Healthcare employees with tech skills are likely to continue to be highly sought-after as more technology moves into the healthcare space. Learning about 3D printing technology is a very useful thing to do, regardless of what career path you take. The same goes for VR—the technology is already there to learn, and it’s just a matter of time before those skills are in high demand in the medical field. Learn what medical issues are being studied at the hospitals and universities near you and ask for advice on what will be needed to support those findings in the future.

Choosing a viable career path is never certain, and there’s a fair amount of guesswork involved. You will almost certainly have to be retrained at some point before you retire. Choosing to bolster a healthcare career with a side of expertise in a technology field is a pretty good way to hedge your bets. Learn more about the future of healthcare jobs from this infographic and starting thinking about how you will adapt for a world where healthcare jobs look more like tech jobs.