They’re not completely recession proof, but the healthcare industry is still going strong, even in “today’s economy.” (Oh how I hate that expression) And even with all the commotion over healthcare reform, and dire warnings from Republicans and health insurance companies about how improving access and care will be the undoing of our nation, healthcare is still running strong.

So its a good place to look for a job. Still. I know, there have been complaints from nurses about layoffs, inability to find jobs, and so on, that is reminiscent of the early 1990s–when the industry created an artificial nursing surplus in order to cut costs. And it backfired major league. As it will do now.

But nursing isn’t the only job in town. In fact, there are a lot of careers that pay better, have better hours, are less messy, are as rewarding, require as much skill or more, garner you more respect, and have a rosy future. The American Medical Association has a really good website devoted to healthcare careers, other than physician. I came across it when I was doing research for an article and I was really impressed. At first glance it doesn’t look like much, but that whole list is “clickable.”