Our 5 predictions for healthcare in 2026
As we close out 2025 and look toward 2026, several trends suggest that the healthcare industry especially rehabilitation, allied health, and patient-facing disciplines is about to go through a surge of attention, growth, and structural change. If you’re a pre-health student or considering a career in medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or another allied-health field, here are key predictions to watch and why now may be the best time ever to commit to this path.
- Healthcare Careers Remain “AI-Proof” and Demand Will Rise
Even as AI becomes more common in medicine it won’t ever replace human caregivers.
Why? Because patient care depends on empathy, human judgment, communication, and adaptability qualities that AI cannot replicate. In fact, 2026 is likely to bring a surge in applicants to pre-health and allied-health programs as more people realize that jobs requiring human touch remain stable, essential, and future-proof. A wave of interest may come from students who want security and purpose in a rapidly automating world.
- More Open Seats in Pre-Health & Allied-Health Programs
Because demand is expected to grow driven by an aging population, chronic disease prevalence, increased demand for rehabilitative care, and workforce shortages many educational institutions may respond by expanding enrollment capacity.
Allied-health roles (physical therapy, occupational therapy, diagnostic imaging, respiratory therapy, etc.) are already in high demand nationally. By 2026, as hospitals and clinics struggle to meet staffing needs, expect more schools to open additional seats, hoping to reassure prospective students that their future jobs won’t be eaten by AI, but rather supported by it. For pre-health students, this could mean easier admissions, expanded program offerings, and more opportunities to enter in-demand fields.
- Ongoing Debate Around Degree Classification
There’s growing conversation in policy and higher ed spheres about which health- and allied-health degrees should be classified as “professional programs.” That classification can affect loan eligibility, financial aid, and how institutions prioritize program expansion.
If degrees like physical therapy (DPT), occupational therapy (OT), physician assistant (PA), and other allied-health or rehabilitation credentials are more formally recognized as “professional,” that could improve access for students, making it easier to fund their education and attract more candidates.
- Students Will Stand Out if They Focus on Hands-on Practice
2026 will likely accelerate adoption of AI-driven tools in healthcare settings: workflow automation, patient-history analysis, scheduling optimization, predictive staffing models, and documentation assistants. But rather than replacing clinicians, these tools will streamline back-office burdens. This will free up time for providers to focus on what AI can’t do: direct care, patient rapport, therapeutic relationships, nuanced assessments, and compassionate decision-making. As a result, being tech-savvy and AI-literate will become a plus on your résumé. Students who understand how to collaborate with AI tools will stand out on written exams, but only those who study hard without AI will stand out during the hands-on clinicals.
- Mounting Workforce Shortages and Massive Need for New Clinicians
Forecasts suggest that by 2026, U.S. healthcare systems will face critical shortages of allied-health professionals, including physical therapists, occupational therapists, medical lab scientists, respiratory therapists, and more.
This shortage may force policymakers and education systems to act. That could translate into funding boosts, more program openings, loan incentives, and other efforts to attract new clinicians. For you as a pre-health student: that’s a major opportunity. It means high job prospects, potential assistance (scholarships, grants, loan forgiveness), and the chance to enter fields where demand is very real and growing.
