Healthcare jobs rank among the best professions in the nation, according to a recent CareerCast report.
CareerCast studied U.S. professions and ranked them based on five criteria: work environment, stress level, physical demands, median salary, and projected job outlook. Of the top 10 “Best Jobs of 2013” named by CareerCast, five were healthcare careers.
Dental hygienists have the No. 1 healthcare job, according to CareerCast, partly because talented hygienists have higher-paying jobs and flexible schedules with relatively low stress.
Other healthcare jobs were cited for their high pay and their anticipated market growth. Audiologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and optometrists weren’t far behind as best professions on CareerCast’s Top 10.
Forbes dug a little deeper with CareerCast’s list and added seven of their own picks for a total of 12 great healthcare jobs. Forbes’ top 12 along with median incomes is as follows:
- Dental Hygienist – $68,000
- Audiologist – $67,000
- Occupational Therapist – $72,000
- Physical Therapist – $76,000
- Optometrist – $95,000
- Pharmacist – $112,000
- Physician’s Assistant – $86,000
- Chiropractor – $67,000
- General Practice Physician – $205,000
- Registered Nurse – $65,000
- Speech Pathologist – $67,000
- Psychiatrist – $164,000
