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.)
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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.
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