The United States will need 5.6 million new healthcare workers by 2020. The study, by researchers at Georgetown University’s Center on Education and Workforce, also found that 4.6 million of those new workers will need education beyond high school.

“In healthcare, there are really two labor markets — professional and support,” Anthony P. Carnevale, the report’s lead author and director of the Center on Education and Workforce, said in a news release. “Professional jobs demand postsecondary training and advanced degrees, while support jobs demand high school and some college.” There is “minimal mobility” between the two, Carnevale said, “and the pay gap is enormous — the average professional worker makes 2.5 times as much as the average support worker.”

Among the study’s findings:

• In 2008, 80% of entry-level RNs had at least an associate’s degree, up from 37% in 1980.

• Rising degree requirements in nursing may be crowding out disadvantaged minorities, according to the authors: 51% of white nurses under age 40 have bachelor’s degrees, compared with 46% of Hispanic nurses and 44% of African-American nurses.

• Healthcare has the largest number and proportion of foreign-born and foreign-trained workers of any industry in the U.S. Among healthcare workers, 22% are foreign-born, compared with 13% of all workers nationwide. Most foreign-born nurses come from the Philippines, India and China.

• Only 20% of healthcare professional and technical occupations earn less than $38,000 a year, and almost 50% earn more than $60,000.

• More than 70% of healthcare support workers make less than $30,000 per year, but that percentage is still better than most available alternatives for workers of that skill and education level, according to the report.

• Healthcare successfully competes for science and engineering talent. Because the healthcare, science and technology fields tend to require similar skills, healthcare programs at the associate and bachelor’s level often are appealing alternatives for science and engineering students.

• One difference between the fields: People in healthcare jobs tend to value forming social bonds, while people who gravitate to science, technology and engineering occupations place a greater emphasis on achievement and independence, the researchers found.

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LinkedIn profiles are free and provide vital information including career history, experience, recommendations and references and even the option of posting a professional photo. But nurses using this job-seeking tool should take care to maintain professionalism and avoid potential pitfalls.

Veronica Lopez, a senior nurse recruiter for Continuum Health Partners, said she recalls one mistake made by an employee as a result of not properly managing the powers and potential of LinkedIn as a networking and resume resource.

"I have my contact information on LinkedIn for connecting with potential hires and also use the website as a tool for researching candidates for our nursing positions," said Lopez, who is responsible for hiring for Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City and other hospitals. "I’ll never forget one day, not too long ago, I received what was basically a blanket outreach resume and hiring inquiry about possible positions, and it was from someone who was already working for us at one of our hospitals," Lopez said. "And that someone was in a position which happens to be one that’s very difficult for us to recruit for and fill. So to get this sent to me did not sit well. In talking to this person, I was told that the individual had no idea this information was being sent out by a third party via LinkedIn. Whether it was or was not, the lesson is, know how to make LinkedIn work for you in the best possible way."

Tips for linking

Launched in May 2003, LinkedIn has become a go-to website for "professional networking," with the now-publicly traded company boasting more than 150 million registered users spanning 200 countries as of February.

All of LinkedIn.com’s features are accessible with just a few key strokes and mouse clicks.

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