Best Healthcare Jobs in the US Today

In this day and age, people are living longer than they ever have. The main reason for this is advanced healthcare. This is also the reason why jobs in the healthcare field are growing rapidly. As a matter of fact, one of the top fields expected to grow even more in the future is healthcare jobs. Read on to find out what some of the best healthcare jobs are for a bright future.

Nursing is one of the fastest growing and most secure careers in healthcare. Currently there are more than 2.6 million registered nurses that are employed in the United States. Nursing also has a projected growth of almost 590,000 in the next ten years and that is not counting the thousands of nurses that are retiring. In fact, parts of the country are experiencing a shortage of nurses so the demand for nurses with the proper training and experience is growing. Some nurses specialize in a particular field like pediatrics while others are in general practice. There is a wide variety of fields to choose from. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual salary for a registered nurse in 2008 was $62,000.

Physical Therapist

Growth of 30% is expected in the field of Physical Therapist in the next ten years. A Physical Therapist works closely with the patient's physician to create a plan to rehabilitate patients that have been in accidents or have disabling conditions like arthritis. Physical Therapists work with patients to give them more mobility, lessen pain, give back function and to prevent permanent disability. They use traction, strengthening and stretching exercises, heat and cold application, electrotherapy and other methods. In May 2008, the median annual salary of a physical therapist was $72,790 according to the BLS. Physical Therapists help people improve their quality of life.

Chiropractor

A chiropractor is a career in the medical field that is considered alternative medicine. They center their practice on the human body and its relation to the spine. A chiropractor will use physical manipulation of the spine to help ease the body into the correct alignment for better health and well-being. They can also work on other parts of the body such as the hips or ribs. The chiropractic career is expected to increase 20% over the next ten years and will continue to grow since chiropractors are being used more all the time. The median salary in 2008 was $67,000 but many chiropractors make well over $100,000 after a few years experience.

Radiation Therapist

A professional who operates medical linear accelerators (LINACs) to perform radiation treatment on people who have cancer is called a radiation therapist. The treatments have improved over the years in regards to accuracy and safety and that is why this occupation is in increased demand. Radiation therapy is used on almost half of cancer patients as a primary treatment or in combination with chemotherapy and surgery. There are presently 15,200 radiation therapists throughout the United States and the demand for this career is expected to increase by 27% in the next ten years. Radiation therapists usually start out at a salary of $55,255 annually and peaks at about $107,230.

Medical Billing and Coding

A medical billing and coding clerk is a necessity in order to process payments from insurance providers and other payers. As huge as the health care industry is becoming means more medical billing clerks are needed and this career demand is expected to increase by 20% in the next ten years. This profession involves coding the insurance records with the correct medical codes so that the provider (physician etc.) can properly get paid for their services from insurance carries, Medicaid and Medicare. Almost one-third of all billing clerks work in the Health care industry since it is a critical part of the billing process. Medical billing and coding clerks usually start out at about $22,860 annually and peak around $52,000.

References

Medical Careers Review, http://medical-careers-review.toptenreviews.com/

The Top HealthCare Careers for 2011, http://blog.degreesinhealthcare.org/2011/01/27/the-top-healthcare-careers-for-2011/

To p 10 Healthcare Careers for 2011, http://myfootpath.com/jobs/rewarding-careers/top-ten-healthcare-careers-for-2011/