The health care industry has over 13 million jobs and according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is the largest industry in The United States. With more than one in 5 Americans currently over the age of 65, the need for qualified health care workers continues to grow.

The majority of health care workers are home health aides, medical assistants, and nursing aides. These positions do not usually have educational requirements, and employees usually hold a G.E.D. or high school diploma. Additional education will be required in order to earn more and get promoted in the health care industry.

Nurses are another important part of the health care industry. There is currently a shortage of qualified nurses in the United States. This causes additional problems as there simply aren't enough qualified nursing educators to handle the demand. This is causing nursing students to be placed on waiting lists.

This is a time of opportunity for anyone who is interested in starting out or moving up in the health care industry. Depending on your educational background and level of experience, you will have more salary negotiating power because of the demand for these desired skills.

Online education is a convenient way of getting started or moving up in the healthcare industry. Taking health and medical courses online makes is easy to juggle a lot of responsibility and maintain a healthy work life balance. There are thousands healthcare related courses. There is also a variety of nursing degree programs, especially for those who want to earn their RN to BSN, RN to MSN or nursing education degree.

By taking your classes over the Internet, you won’t have to sacrifice time at home with your family. There are classes you can take at your own pace (where the assignments do not have a strict deadline) and you can login and complete your class work at any time of the day (2 a.m., at lunch, etc.)

By taking an active role in your education demonstrates how hard-working and dedicated you are (and that will help you land a promotion, or ask for a higher salary).