Why Healthcare?
Healthcare careers embody some of the most gratifying and well-paying jobs in the world, according to such reputable resources as Forbes and Business Insider. In total, there are over 80 different positions of employment within this prosperous industry, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts strong growth rates and pay-scales for all—cumulatively, healthcare careers have a 19% predicted growth rate (much faster than average) with an average annual salary of about $65,000/yr (more specific BLS statistics below). Over the next 8-10 years, these statistics represent over 2.3 million jobs.
These types of professionals not only earn very decent wages, but they also have the thrilling opportunity to simultaneously feel good about giving back to the community with their understanding and practice of medicine, an incredibly complex discipline, while also earning a living. Some careers, such as nursing, allow individuals to work untethered to specific specializations, and, if so desired, such individuals can maneuver throughout many areas of the field (with little additional schooling). There will be some overlap from degree to degree as a career becomes more specialized, allowing for greater positions of responsibility.
OnlineSchoolsCenter has gathered information from various highly respected sources and broken down the pertinent facts regarding healthcare careers, giving interested parties an easy-to-read format that will introduce them to the many exciting areas of study that make-up this field! Below readers will find career paths corresponding to associate's, bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. degrees, along with the job outlook percentages (JO) and median annual salaries (MAS) for each occupation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Careers available with anASSOCIATE'S DEGREE
These impressive career paths only require an associate's degree, yet still, give graduates a more than adequate salary (MAS) and comfortable job security (JO). Specialty areas vary considerably, giving potential students and professionals a huge number of opportunities through which to focus their attention:
Biomedical Equipment Technician — JO: 6% ; MAS: $46,340
Cardiovascular Technologist/Technician — JO: 24% ; MAS: $63,630
Dental Hygienist — JO: 19% ; $72,330
Diagnostic Medical Sonographer — JO: 24% ; MAS: $63,630
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)/Paramedic — JO: 24% ; MAS: $31,980
Legal Nurse Consultant — JO: 8% ; MAS: $48,810
Licensed Practice/Vocational Nurse — JO: 16% ; MAS: $43,170
Medical Secretary — JO: 23% ; MAS: $30,590
Medical Transcriptionist/Coder — JO: 15% ; MAS: $37,110
Medical/Nursing Assistant — JO: 23% ; MAS: $30,590
Occupational Therapy Assistant — JO: 40% ; MAS: $54,520
Pharmacy Technician — JO: 9% ; MAS: $30,410
Phlebotomist — JO: 25% ; $31,630
Physical Therapist Assistant — JO: 40% ; MAS: $42,980
Radiation Therapist — JO: 14% ; MAS: $80,220
Radiologic/MRI Technologist — JO: 9% ; MAS: $58,120
Registered Nurse — JO: 16% ; MAS: $67,490
Respiratory Therapist — JO: 12% ; MAS: $57,790
Surgical Technologist — JO: 15% ; MAS: $44,330
Careers available with aBACHELOR'S DEGREE
Earning an undergraduate degree most definitely opens up further opportunities within the field. Some states require certification within these disciplines. These professionals can break into positions of added responsibility, more concentrated specialities, as well as a higher pay-scales:
Biomedical Chemist — JO: 8% ; MAS: $82,240
Biomedical Engineer — JO: 23% ; MAS: $86,220
Bioinformatics Specialist — JO: 8% ; MAS: $82,240
Blood Bank Technology Specialist — JO: 16% ; MAS: $50,550
Cardiovascular Perfusionist — JO: 24% ; MAS: $63,630
Forensic Nursing — JO: 16% ; MAS: $67,490
Geneticist — JO: 29% ; MAS: $72,090
Geriatric Care Manager — JO: 17% ; MAS: $94,500
Healthcare/Hospital Administrator — JO: 17% ; MAS: $94,500
Health Educator — JO: 13% ; MAS: $43,840
Health Services Manager — JO: 17% ; MAS: $94,500
Health Information/Informatics Specialist — JO: 15% ; MAS: $37,11o
Hematologist — JO: 16% ; MAS: $50,550
Medical/Clinical Laboratory Technician — JO: 16% ; MAS: $50,550
Microbiologists — JO: 4% ; MAS: $67,550
Nuclear Medicine Technologist — JO: 2% ; MAS: $73,360
Nutritionist/Dietitian — JO: 16% ; MAS: $57,910
Perfusionist — JO: 24% ; MAS: $63,630
Psychiatric Technician — JO: 5% ; MAS: $28,320
Public Health Nurse — JO: 16% ; MAS: $67,490
Recreational Therapist — JO: 12% ; MAS: $45,890
Registered Nurse (BSN) — JO: 16% ; MAS: $75,484
Social Worker — JO: 12% ; MAS: $45,900
Toxicologist — JO: 8% ; MAS: $82,240
Careers available with aMASTER'S DEGREE
Earning a master's degree shows true dedication to the field of healthcare and health sciences. Master's alumni have an extremely competent command over the knowledge and skills pertaining to both general and specific areas of the discipline. Careers that fall under this degree demand strong ethics, responsibility, and an understanding of a multitude of healthcare techniques. Many of these paths allow individuals to maneuver throughout different concentrations within each career path.
Anesthesiologist Assistant — JO: 30% ; MAS: $98,180
Biometrician — JO: 34% ; MAS: $80,110
Biostatician — JO: 34% ; MAS: $80,110
Cytotechnologist — JO: 16% ; MAS: $50,550
Diagnostic Molecular Scientist — JO: 8% ; MAS: $82,240
Epidemiologist — JO: 6% ; MAS: $69,450
Genetic Counselor — JO: 29% ; MAS: $72,090
Gerontology Nursing — JO: 31% ; MAS: $104,740
Nurse Manager — JO: 17% ; MAS: $94,500
Nurse Practitioner — JO: 31% ; MAS: $104,740
Medical Researcher — JO: 8% ; MAS: $82,240
Mental Health Therapist/Counselor
Midwifery — JO: 31% ; MAS: $104,740
Occupational Therapist — JO: 27% ; MAS: $80,150
Orthotists/Prosthetists — JO: 23% ; $64,430
Pathologist Assistant — JO: 30% ; MAS: $98,180
Physician Assistant — JO: 30% ; MAS: $98,180
Speech-Language Pathologist — JO: 21% ; MAS: $73,410
Careers available with aDOCTORATE/Ph.D.
Earning a doctorate/Ph.D. in a field of healthcare is, of course, the highest status and form of education within the field. These individuals have a superior understanding of their fields and are experts in whichever concentration to which they have dedicated their studies, having devoted their entire lives to medicine. Doctors are well-paid, well-recognized assets to society, and provide one of the most valuable services in the world.
Anesthesiologist — JO: 18% ; MAS: $258,100
Audiologist — JO: 29% ; MAS: $74,890
Cardiologist — JO: 14% ; MAS: $187,200
Chiropractor — JO: 17% ; MAS: $64,440
Dentist — JO: 18% ; MAS: $158,310
Dermatologist — JO: 14% ; MAS: $283,000
Family and General Practitioners — JO: 18% ; MAS: $192,120
Gastroenterologist — JO: 14% ; MAS: $196,520
Gynecologist — JO: 18% ; MAS: $222,400
Hematologist/Oncologist— JO: 30% ; MAS: $293,303
Hepatologist — JO: 14% ; MAS: $196,520
Neurologist — JO: 14% ; MAS: $236,231
Obstetrician — JO: 18% ; MAS: $222,400
Optometrist — JO: 27% ; MAS: $103,900
Otolaryngologist — JO: 14% ; MAS: $197,700
Pediatrician — JO: 14% ; $183,180
Perinatologist — JO: 18% ; MAS: $356,576
Physical Therapist — JO: 34% ; MAS: $84,020
Physician — JO: 14% ; MAS: $187,200
Podiatrist — JO: 14% : MAS: 4119,340
Proctologist — JO: 14% ; MAS: $389,700
Psychiatrist — JO: 15% MAS: $193,680
Psychologist — JO: 19% ; MAS: $72,580
Rheumatologist — JO: 14% ; MAS: $224,000
Surgeon — JO: 14% ; MAS: $519,000
Urologist — JO: 14% ; MAS: $187,200
Healthcare Environments
Most of these healthcare professionals work in hospitals, private practices, and research facilities/labs. Other environments include organ procurement agencies, women's hospitals, children's hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, insurance companies, and schools. Doctors and nurses of all specializations can be found in these places. Many of the individuals that earn the lower wages on this list work in their fields out of pure love for the discipline, such as orthodontists and epidemiologists.Each area of study includes a complex world of information, into which these crucially needed individuals dive, sustaining life for everyone.