A surge in demand for healthcare professionals that began in the middle of 2014 is continuing, said Ralph Henderson, president of Healthcare Staffing at AMN Healthcare Inc. (NYSE: AMN).

Henderson spoke last week at the Talent Management Alliance’s 5th Annual People in Healthcare conference in San Diego; he told the healthcare human resources executives in attendance to get ready for an era of high demand.

“The surge in demand for healthcare professionals mirrors the surge in demand for healthcare services,” Henderson said. “The Affordable Care Act, the aging of our general population and healthcare workforce, and growing regulatory and market pressures are all driving demand. These forces are not expected to subside but instead to grow stronger. The healthcare industry needs to become prepared to meet these serious challenges.”

New roles are also seeing increased demand. Those roles include care coordinators, documentation specialists, telehealth-trained physicians and chief experience officers.