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Locums News March 3, 2020

Best Jobs in Health Care for 2020: Where Does Yours Rank?

U.S. News & World Report has published their annual list of the Best Jobs in America, including a professional subset of the Best Jobs in Health Care for 2020.

The researchers noted that health care practitioners have some of the best-paid and most-secure jobs available—including physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, dentists, allied health professionals, and others. Careers are ranked based on a calculated overall score, which combines multiple components into a single weighted average score between 0 and 10.

The overall score is calculated from seven component measures:

1. Median salary
2. Unemployment rate
3. 10-year growth volume
4. 10-year growth percentage
5. Future job prospects
6. Stress level
7. Work-life balance

So, after all the calculations were complete, where did your health care profession rank? (Spoiler alert: while physicians and surgeons had the highest median pay, they didn’t make the top few spots on the list.)

Find rewarding locum tenens jobs across the U.S.

20 Best Jobs In Health Care For 2020, According To U.S. News*

1. Dentist 
    Median salary: $151,850 
    Unemployment rate: 0.9% 
    Projected growth in dentist jobs, 2018-2028: 7.6% 

2. Physician Assistant 
    Median salary: $108,610 
    Unemployment rate: 1.1% 
    Projected growth in physician assistant jobs, 2018-2028: 31.1%  

3. Orthodontist 
    Median salary: $208,000 
    Unemployment rate:0.9% 
    Projected growth in orthodontist jobs, 2018-2028: 7.3% 

4. Nurse Practitioner 
    Median salary: $107,030 
    Unemployment rate:1.2% 
    Projected growth in nurse practitioner jobs, 2018-2028: 28.2% 

5. Physician 
    Median salary: $194,500 
    Unemployment rate:0.4% 
    Projected growth in physician jobs, 2018-2028: 3.7% 

6. Speech-Language Pathologist 
    Median salary: $77,510 
    Unemployment rate:0.8% 
    Projected growth in speech pathology jobs, 2018-2028: 27.3% 

7. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon 
    Median salary: $208,000
    Unemployment rate:0.4% 
    Projected growth in these surgery jobs, 2018-2028: 7.4% 

8. Veterinarian 
    Median salary: $93,830 
    Unemployment rate:0.4% 
    Projected growth in veterinarian jobs, 2018-2028: 18.4% 

9. Registered Nurse 
    Median salary: $71,730 
    Unemployment rate:1.1% 
    Projected growth in registered nurse jobs, 2018-2028: 12.1%  

10. Physical Therapist 
    Median salary: $87,930 
    Unemployment rate:1.1% 
    Projected growth in physical therapist jobs, 2018-2028: 21.9% 

11. Optometrist 
    Median salary: $111,710 
    Unemployment rate:0.1%
    Projected growth in optometrist jobs, 2018-2028: 9.5% 

12. Anesthesiologist (tie)
    Median salary: $208,000 
    Unemployment rate:0.4% 
    Projected growth in anesthesiologist jobs, 2018-2028: 4.5% 

12. Obstetrician and Gynecologist (tie)
    Median salary: $208,000 
    Unemployment rate:0.4% 
    Projected growth in OB-GYN jobs, 2018-2028: 2.3% 

12. Surgeon (tie)
    Median salary: $208,000 
    Unemployment rate:0.4%
    Projected growth in surgery jobs, 2018-2028: 1.2% 

15. Nurse Anesthetist 
    Median salary: $167,950 
    Unemployment rate:N/A 
    Projected growth in nurse anesthetist jobs, 2018-2028: 17.0% 

16. Pediatrician 
    Median salary: $170,560 
    Unemployment rate:0.4%
    Projected growth of pediatrician jobs, 2018-2028: 2.2% 

17. Occupational Therapist 
    Median salary: $84,270 
    Unemployment rate:1.4% 
    Projected growth of occupational therapist jobs, 2018-2028: 17.9% 

18. Psychiatrist 
    Median salary: $208,000 
    Unemployment rate:4.3% 
    Projected growth of psychiatrist jobs, 2018-2028: 15.8% 

19. Respiratory Therapist 
    Median salary: $60,280 
    Unemployment rate:1.9% 
    Projected growth of respiratory therapist jobs, 2018-2028: 20.8% 

20. Podiatrist 
    Median salary: $129,550 
    Unemployment rate:N/A 
    Projected growth of podiatrist jobs, 2018-2028: 6.0% 

*Ranked by U.S. News, using data on salaries and employment from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 

Check the U.S. News Best Jobs in Health Care for 2020 list for more details on these rankings.

STAFF CARE matches physicians, advanced practitioners, and dentists with top locum tenens opportunities across the U.S. We’ll help find the job, location, and contract that fits your goals.

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