Health has become an even higher concern than ever before. The healthcare industry is expected to grow 16 percent from 2020 to 2030, according to projections by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The medical world has undergone rapid change and development in recent years, exploring everything from early-stage experimental treatments to maximizing efficiency through software. Now it’s poised for a huge boom, and if you’ve ever aspired to have a career in healthcare, you’d do well to ride its momentum. Even lesser-earning medical jobs stand to experience a boost to their earnings, so if you’re trying to get the highest paying job for the least time and money invested, consider these rising healthcare professions.
Radiation therapists and radiotherapy professionals
Radiation therapy is one of modern medicine’s best tools against cancerous and non-cancerous tumors, as well as other malformations or growths. For that reason, a competent radiation therapist can earn up to $86,000 every year. Some positions only require an associate’s degree, which can cost just up to $48,000. With such a degree you can work your way up to earning the above mentioned annual salary through experience, but a bachelor’s program that takes four years to complete is ideal for the best opportunities. Because of this, we can expect to see more demand for PA professionals as the population ages. For options you can check travel nursing agency for other positions.
Nurse Practitioners and Licensed Practical Nurses
Nurse duties are strenuous, as they are the primary support force for physicians in hospitals. The shifts can be extensive, although nurses usually work only 3-4 days a week depending on the hours they take on. This is necessary to ensure that there’s always someone to tend to the patients regardless of how many doctors are present. That’s why nurse practitioners tend to earn over $114,000 per year. Considering that a bachelor’s degree in nursing can cost only $40,000 in the best schools, and that you don’t need any prior undergraduate schooling to enter nursing school, this is a huge return of investment. However, nursing school is comparably difficult to medical school. That’s why many opt to simply enter an LPN program to get a nurse’s assistant job. This is quicker, easier, and less costly. Although the duties of an LPN are less significant and hence fetch a lower salary than a registered nurse, a Practical Nursing Diploma is still quite lucrative considering the investment, and can serve as a good jumping off point into getting a full nursing degree.
Physician Assistant or Physician Associate
Physician’s assistants serve a vital role in maintaining efficiency in hospital environments where seconds matter. Hence, they tend to make around $109,000 per year. This is highly lucrative when you consider that the cost to attain a PA degree averages at around $51,000 for local students and about $89,000 for non-residents, not including the costs for a pre-PA bachelor’s degree. The program usually takes 27 months and drills the student in general clinic responsibilities, such as preliminary diagnosis and administering the first round of treatments. Since physicians have to prioritize tasks that require their expertise, PA’s take on the jobs that they do not have enough time for, such as outreach programs and tending to the maintenance of elderly patients. Because of this, we can expect to see more demand for PA professionals as the population ages.
What’s great about these jobs is that they offer much in terms of upward mobility. Each of them can earn much higher than their average earnings through experience and good performance. Not only that, they can also bridge to other, even higher-paying jobs in the medical field.
