Dental Hygienist, Audiologist and Occupational Therapist ranked as the top three healthcare jobs in the nation, according to a new report by CareerCast.com. The other highly rated healthcare jobs include Physical Therapist, Optometrist, Pharmacist, Physician’s Assistant, Chiropractor, General Practice Physician, Registered Nurse, Speech Pathologist and Psychiatrist.
Healthcare job opportunities are often lucrative, rewarding and exponentially growing. Wage and salary employment in the health care industry is projected to increase 27% through 2014, compared with 14% for all industries combined, says the new CareerCast.com report. Healthcare employment is a bright spot in our floundering economy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the healthcare and social assistance industry is projected to create about 28 percent of all new jobs created in the U.S. economy from 2010 to 2020. This industry—which includes public and private hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities, and individual and family services—is expected to grow by 33 percent, or 5.7 million new jobs. An aging population and longer life expectancies, as well as new treatments and technologies will drive employment growth.
“Students and those seeking a career change should take a look at jobs in the healthcare field,” says Tony Lee, publisher, CareerCast.com. “Although some healthcare professions require quite a bit of advanced training, the top job – Dental Hygienist – requires only an Associate’s degree at the entry level.”
However, it does require specialized education to land a position within some of the other top healthcare professions. Physical therapist, general practice physician and pharmacist, which all rank highly in the new CareerCast.com report of the 12 best jobs in health care, require a doctoral degree. Others such as occupational therapist call for a Master’s degree.
CareerCast.com’s Best Jobs in Healthcare include:
|
PROFESSION |
MEDIAN SALARY |
JOB GROWTH OUTLOOK |
|
1. Dental Hygienist |
$ 68,109 |
38% (Much faster than average) |
|
2. Audiologist |
$67,137 |
37% (Much faster than average) |
|
3. Occupational Therapist |
$72,110 |
33% (Much faster than average) |
|
4. Physical Therapist |
$ 76,110 |
39% (Much faster than average) |
|
5. Optometrist |
$ 95,152 |
33% (Much faster than average) |
|
6. Pharmacist |
$ 112,070 |
25% (Faster than average) |
|
7. Physician’s Assistant |
$ 86,107 |
30% (Much faster than average) |
|
8. Chiropractor |
$ 67,350 |
28% (Faster than average) |
|
9. General Practice Physician |
$ 205,029 |
24% (Faster than average) |
|
10. Registered Nurse |
$ 65,116 |
26% (Faster than average) |
|
11. Speech Pathologist |
$ 67,142 |
23% (Faster than average) |
|
12. Psychiatrist |
$ 164,250 |
24% (Faster than average) |
Each year Jobs Rated researchers rank 200 jobs – from Accountant to Zoologist – scoring them according to five key criteria: Physical Demands, Work Environment, Income, Outlook and Stress. Some factors remain relatively constant from year to year, but others fluctuate greatly due to changes in the job market, technological innovations or current events. Using data from government sources, trade groups and private organizations, every job receives a score and rank in each category, and these ratings are then combined to form a complete ranking of 200 jobs for 2012, from best to worst.
To read the full CareerCast.com report on the best jobs in healthcare, visit http://healthcare.careercast.com/article/best-health-care-jobs-2012
