5 Of the Best Paying Jobs in Healthcare

Healthcare encompasses far more than doctors, nurses, orderlies and custodians. This rapidly evolving field has created a number of specialized roles, many of which pay very well. That explains why the healthcare field is one of the best paying industries overall. Here are five of the highest paying jobs in healthcare. We’ll discuss what each of these jobs entail, the factors driving their pay rate and general salary information.

Audiologists

Audiologists typically work with a doctor, evaluating and identifying hearing problems. They will prescribe and administer hearing devices. They may evaluate the noise level in workplaces and manage hearing protection programs. These medical professionals have an average starting salary of $67,000 a year. And interestingly, you may be able to enter this profession with a music degree as well as with a medical education.

Healthcare Administration

Healthcare administration includes nursing managers, clinical directors, nursing home administrators, healthcare analysts, home health administrators and any level of management in a healthcare system. The MHA job outlook is strong, growing at twice the rate of the overall economy. This is because the healthcare and social assistance sector is the fastest growing part of the U.S. economy, expected to add several million jobs by 2026.

The average pay for all healthcare administrators was $76,000 in 2017. However, the pay rate depends on the job title. Clinical coordinators on average earn a little over $50,000, while nursing managers often earn more than $100,000. The starting salary for nursing administrators starts at $72,000. Clinical operations managers earn about that much. Program directors earn about $80,000. Surgical services directors earn more than $120,000.

Orthotists and Prosthetists

These professionals prepare and fit orthopedic braces and prosthetics. They will help patients learn how to use their prosthetics and care for them, though they do not do the day to day physical therapy these patients need to return to a normal life. Their average starting salary is $66,000 a year.

Nurse Educators

We’re already dealing with a shortage of nurses, yet we have to turn potential nursing students away because there aren’t enough nursing instructors. This is why nurse educators are in such demand. Their average starting salary is $71,000 a year. A side benefit of this job is flexible work hours, such as teaching classes at night or part time.

Occupational Therapists

Doctors and nurses treat people when they’re suffering the aftermath of an accident or illness. Occupational therapists help them relearn how to perform daily tasks like eating, bathing and getting dressed. Occupational therapists can determine what a patient can do relative to various professions. They may relearn how to do their jobs or receive therapy so they can move into a new career that they’re physically capable of doing. Occupational therapists have an average starting salary of $70,000.

Conventional physical therapists diagnose and treat people who are dealing with an injury or illness. Their average starting salary is $76,000 a year. About three in five work in hospitals.

Healthcare is, on the whole, a high-paying profession that is in great demand, though pay rates for particular specialties vary based on demand, education requirements and the supply of these trained experts. And you can find these jobs almost anywhere.