Healthcare added 43,500 jobs in September as the nation's economy grew by 114,000 jobs, according to newly released preliminary, seasonally adjusted figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The nation's unemployment rate declined to 7.8% in September from 8.1% in August.

Healthcare hiring slowed in July, when healthcare employers added a meager 9,200 jobs, but has since seen more substantial gains. During the 12-month period that ended last month, healthcare added 294,900 jobs, an increase of 2.1%, to bring the sector's total in September to 14.43 million jobs.

Hospitals added 8,000 workers to payrolls in September, an increase of 0.2% for the month to bring the sector's employment to 4.83 million. During the year that ended in August, hospitals added 81,600 jobs, a gain of 1.7%,

Physician-office employment increased by 6,600 jobs last month, a gain of 0.3%, to a total of 2.44 million workers. During the 12 months that ended in September, physician hiring added 62,400 jobs, or an increase of 2.6%.