Best Healthcare Colleges in the U.S.

Health care careers are not only rewarding, but the industry itself is booming. As our population continues to age and medical technology advances further and further, more and more health care professionals are needed. It's one of the few industries that has trouble finding enough qualified workers.

Health Care Career Paths

It seems like there are as many career choices in health care as there are illnesses to treat, injuries to heal, and patients to care for. Here, we're going to look at a few of the major areas of health care, and some popular careers in those areas. Nursing careers are among the most rapidly-expanding fields in the country. There are countless hospitals and clinics that are struggling to find enough qualified nurses to staff their overworked departments. Nurses care for patients in a variety of ways and settings depending on their training and education. Physicians are the primary care givers in most healthcare settings. They can serve as general practitioners, helping patients with a variety of needs, or they can specialize in a specific area of care. For example, physicians can specialize in obstetrics and gynecology, anesthesia, family practice, psychiatry, various forms of surgery, or any number of other fields. Medical administration is a crucial, and often overlooked, aspect of healthcare industry. Medical billers and coders keep track of the overwhelming amount of information that goes between doctors' offices, hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare centers about patients, treatments, and everything else that goes into treatment. Medical assistants perform the vital administrative and clinical duties that keep those offices running, and running smoothly. Their duties can vary from office to office, but will usually include filing, tracking paperwork, and often customer relations (booking appointments, checking patients in, etc). Medical assistants should not be confused with physician assistants, who are medically trained and actually diagnose and treat patients. There are almost innumerable other career tracks that are involved in the healthcare field. For example, pharmacists fill prescriptions for patients based on doctors' recommendations, and have extensive training in drug interactions and reactions. Radiologic technicians are the men and women who perform diagnostic imaging like x-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs), and other forms of medical imaging in order to help doctors make diagnoses. And health care managers oversee it all, making sure that departments run smoothly, patients are cared for, and bills are paid.

Salaries for Health Care Careers

Most registered nurses earn between $51,000 and $76,000 annually, with most earning around $62,000. Advanced practice nurses and those with advanced training can earn substantially more; for example a survey by the journal ADVANCE for Nurse Practitioners found that the annual salary for a nurse practitioner (a kind of advanced practice nurse) was around $81,000. Physicians are among the highest-earning professionals in the country. Median income for primary care physicians was around $186,000. Physicians practicing in medical specialties earned a median income of over $339,000. Generally speaking, self-employed physicians (those who own or co-own their own medical practice) earn slightly higher income than those on the salary of hospitals or other large practices. Medical administrative salaries will vary greatly depending on the experience of the worker, the setting of the position, and the type of work being done. Generally speaking, however, medical records and information technicians earn a median income of around $30,000 annually, with most earning between $24,000 and $39,000. Those working for the federal government earned a higher median income of $42,000, while those working in private physician offices earned the least, at around $26,000. Likewise, medical assistants earn a median salary of $28,000, with most earning between $23,000 and $33,000. Again, those working for the government earned the highest average salaries, those working for private practices tended to earn less - though the difference is much less for medical assistants. Pharmacists earn very substantial wages, with the median income falling at $106,000, and most earning between $92,000 and $121,000. The highest 10 percent earned more than $131,000 annually. Radiologic technicians earn a median salary around $52,000, with most expecting to earn between $42,000 and $63,000.

Education for Health Care Careers

There are three paths to becoming a registered nurse: an associate's degree in nursing (ADN), a bachelor's of science in nursing (BSN), and a diploma program lasting three years. Those considering pursuing nursing as a lifelong career should weigh their options, as those wishing to become advanced practice nurses will require a master's degree. Additionally, all states have licensing requirements for both registered and advanced practice nurses. Just as physicians have extremely high earning potential, they also have among the most demanding educational requirements for any profession. Physicians require an undergraduate degree, a medical school degree (often ending with a doctorate of medicine, or MD), and between three to eight years of residency depending on their specialty. These requirements are universal for all physicians, general practitioners and specialists alike, though the exact amount of time needed to complete medical school and residencies may vary depending on the specialty. Most medical health billers, coders, and other information technicians hold associate's degrees or bachelor's degrees. Medical assistants are sometimes trained on the job depending on their duties, but many hold one or two year degrees or have completed diploma or certificate programs at technical and vocational schools. Pharmacists are required to earn a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D) degree, as well as pass multiple examinations in order to gain licensure. Pharm.D. degrees generally take about the same amount of time as medical doctorate, four years. Radiologic technicians are required to have formal training in radiography in the form of a certificate, associate's, or bachelor's degree, with an associate's degree being the most common path to employment. Each state has their own licensing requirements for radiologic technicians, be sure to check with the licensing body in the state you wish to work.

Health Care Career Outlook

As noted before, health care careers are among the fastest growing opportunities in the nation - nearly all occupations are expanding rapidly. Nurses are among the most in-demand position in the country right now. The BLS estimates the growth of the nursing profession to be around 22 percent, nearly double the national average, but puts job prospects even better, as aging RNs will be retiring and there is currently a lack of young nurses to replace them. Likewise, advanced practice nurses are in high demand, particularly in underserved areas like urban centers and rural areas. Physician employment is expected to grow at about the same rate as nursing, and job prospects are similarly rosy. The BLS points out that with the increasing age of the general population, doctors in specialties that afflict the elderly will find their prospects are even better. Medical records technicians are expected to see their employment opportunities grow by nearly double the national average, while medical assistants will see their employment grow by well over 30 percent - for the same reasons as doctors and nurses. Those with formal training and certificates will find excellent job prospects in the coming years. Openings for pharmacists are expected to grow by about 18 percent over the coming years, with job prospects, again, very rosy. As there are limited Pharm.D. programs in the country, the school system is having a hard time educating enough pharmacists to meet national demand. Radiologic technicians will experience similar growth in their industry, and should have excellent prospects awaiting them at the completion of their schooling. In short, health care career opportunities aren't going anywhere. And while the industry may not always grow as fast as it's expected to in the immediate future, as long as our population is expanding, there will always be an increased need for health care professionals.