Health
Doctors, surgeons, nurses, therapists, and everyone else who keeps people well.
102 careers
Doctors
25Allergist and ImmunologistThirteen years of training for one of the calmest schedules in medicine.$266kTypical pay13 to 14 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandAnesthesiologistYou keep people alive and unaware while someone else operates. Twelve years of training, and a median of $391,490 a year.$391kTypical pay12 to 13 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandCardiologistA heart doctor who diagnoses and treats heart disease, often without ever opening the chest.$496kTypical pay14 to 16 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandDermatologistA doctor for skin, hair and nails. Very well paid, and one of the hardest residencies to get.$329kTypical pay12 to 13 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandEmergency PhysicianYou take whatever comes through the door, in the order it arrives. Eleven years of training for a job measured in shifts.$336kTypical pay11 to 12 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandEndocrinologistThe doctor for hormones: diabetes, thyroid, bones, growth. A long training path for a job that is mostly thinking and talking.$257kTypical pay13 to 14 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandFamily DoctorEleven years of training, then a career looking after the same people from birth to old age.$244kTypical pay11 to 12 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandGastroenterologistThe doctor for everything between the mouth and the other end. Fourteen years of training, and one of the best paid jobs in medicine.$266kTypical pay13 to 15 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandGeriatricianA doctor for people in their eighties and nineties, where the hard part is fewer pills, not more.$244kTypical pay11 to 12 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandHematologistThe blood doctor. Leukemia, lymphoma, clots, anemia and transfusions, with a microscope on the desk and thirteen years of training behind you.$266kTypical pay13 to 14 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandInfectious Disease DoctorThe doctor other doctors call when nobody can work out what the infection is. Thirteen years of training for one of medicine's lower paydays.$257kTypical pay13 to 14 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandInternal Medicine DoctorThe adult body, all of it, and the complicated patients nobody else can sort out. Eleven years of training.$257kTypical pay11 to 12 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandNephrologistThe kidney doctor. Thirteen years of training, then you keep people alive on dialysis and get them to transplant.$257kTypical pay13 to 14 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandNeurologistThe brain and nerve doctor who does not operate. Strokes, seizures, migraines, multiple sclerosis. Twelve years of training and a bright federal job outlook.$249kTypical pay12 to 13 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandObstetrician-GynecologistDelivers babies and treats everything from fertility to cancer of the reproductive organs. Twelve years of training, surgery, clinic, and births at 3am.$293kTypical pay12 to 13 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandOncologistThe cancer doctor. Thirteen years of training, some of the hardest conversations in medicine, and a field that gets better almost every year.$266kTypical pay13 to 15 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandPalliative Care DoctorTreat pain, breathlessness and fear in people with serious illness, and help them decide what happens next.$266kTypical pay12 to 14 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandPathologistThe doctor who names the disease. You read tissue and lab results, and other doctors act on what you write.$312kTypical pay12 to 14 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandPediatricianThe family doctor for children, from newborn checkups to teenagers. Eleven years of training, and the lowest median pay of any doctor on this site.$210kTypical pay11 to 12 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandPsychiatristA medical doctor for the mind. Twelve years of training, and the only mental health job that can prescribe in every state.$282kTypical pay12 to 13 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandRadiation OncologistA cancer doctor who treats with radiation beams instead of a scalpel. Thirteen years of training, and the survey group it is counted in has one of the highest doctor medians on this site.$421kTypical pay13 to 14 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandRadiologistYou read the scans other doctors order, and your report is what decides the next move.$421kTypical pay13 to 14 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandRespirologistThe lung doctor, called a pulmonologist in the United States. Thirteen years of training, and you often run the intensive care unit as well.$266kTypical pay13 to 14 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandRheumatologistThe doctor for joints and the immune system: arthritis, lupus, gout, vasculitis. Thirteen years of training, then a career of long puzzles.$266kTypical pay13 to 14 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandSports Medicine DoctorYou keep athletes moving and get them back after injury. It is a full medical degree first, then a residency, then a fellowship.$266kTypical pay12 to 14 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemand
Surgeons
12Cardiac SurgeonOperate on hearts. The longest training on this site, and near the top of the pay scale.$414kTypical pay14 to 16 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandEar, Nose and Throat SurgeonEars, sinuses, voice, swallowing and head and neck cancer. One of the few surgical specialties where you also run a clinic.$414kTypical pay13 to 14 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandGeneral SurgeonThirteen years of training to become the person who opens someone up and fixes the problem.$414kTypical pay13 to 15 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandNeurosurgeonOperate on the brain, spine and nerves. A seven year residency after medical school, high pay, and a tiny number of jobs.$414kTypical pay15 to 16 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandOphthalmologistThe eye surgeon. Twelve years of training, operations measured in fractions of a millimeter, and patients who can see again the next morning.$300kTypical pay12 to 13 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandOral and Maxillofacial SurgeonThe surgeon for the mouth, jaws and face. Dental school first, then four to six more years, and the highest median pay of the dental occupations in the federal wage survey.$352kTypical pay12 to 14 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandOrthopedic SurgeonFix broken bones, worn-out joints and torn ligaments. Thirteen years of training, for a median of $358,550 a year.$359kTypical pay13 to 15 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandPediatric SurgeonSurgery on newborns, infants and children. Fifteen years of training for one of the smallest and hardest specialties in medicine.$559kTypical pay15 to 16 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandPlastic SurgeonRebuild faces, hands and bodies after cancer, burns and accidents. Cosmetic work is only part of it.$414kTypical pay14 to 16 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandThoracic SurgeonOperate inside the chest: lungs, esophagus, airway and chest wall. One of the longest trainings in medicine.$414kTypical pay14 to 16 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandUrologistThe surgeon for kidneys, bladders and prostates. Thirteen years of training, then some of the best pay in medicine.$266kTypical pay13 to 14 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandVascular SurgeonRepair the arteries and veins that keep people alive. Among the longest training in medicine, and some of the highest pay.$414kTypical pay13 to 15 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemand
Nursing and patient care
9Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)A few months of training to a job with about 196,200 openings a year. Hard, physical, human work, and the pay is modest.$42kTypical payup to 1 yearTo qualifyGoodDemandLicensed Practical Nurse (LPN)Hands-on bedside nursing about a year after high school, with a real license at the end of it.$64kTypical pay1 to 2 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandMedical Office AssistantRun the front of a clinic and help with patients at the back. About a year of training, and clinics everywhere are hiring.$46kTypical pay1 to 2 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandMidwifeLook after people through pregnancy, birth and the year after, and provide their everyday reproductive health care too.$134kTypical pay6 to 8 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandNurse PractitionerA nurse with a graduate degree who can diagnose, order tests and prescribe. Six years of school, a six figure median, and much faster than average projected growth.$132kTypical pay6 to 8 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandParamedicThe highest level of pre-hospital care. You make life-and-death calls in somebody's living room at 3am.$61kTypical pay1 to 3 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandPhysician AssistantExamine patients, order tests and write prescriptions, after about seven years instead of a doctor's eleven.$136kTypical pay6 to 8 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandRegistered NurseAbout 3.5 million people work as registered nurses in the country. Two years of college can get you licensed, and the license works in most states.$98kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandSurgical TechnologistSet up the operating room, guard the sterile field and hand the surgeon the right instrument before they ask. Two years of school.$65kTypical pay1 to 2 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemand
Pharmacy
2PharmacistThe last person who checks a prescription before it reaches a patient. Eight years of school, and one of the highest starting floors on this site.$141kTypical pay6 to 8 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandPharmacy TechnicianFill prescriptions, run the counter and keep the pharmacy moving. Under a year of training for a regulated health job.$46kTypical pay1 to 2 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemand
Dental and eye care
10Dental AssistantWork chairside next to a dentist, often after less than a year of training.$48kTypical payup to 2 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandDental HygienistClean teeth, read gums and catch disease early. Around $98,000 a year for a two year degree.$98kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandDental Laboratory TechnicianBuild the crowns, bridges and dentures that go in people's mouths. A craft trade with a scanner in it.$50kTypical payup to 2 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandDentistDiagnose and treat teeth and gums, usually in a practice you end up owning yourself.$171kTypical pay8 to 10 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandEndodontistThe root canal specialist. Dental school, then two or three more years learning to save teeth other dentists would pull.$225kTypical pay10 to 11 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandOpticianTurn an eye prescription into glasses and contact lenses that actually fit. Two years or less to get started, and in many states no license at all.$47kTypical payup to 2 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandOptometristTest eyes, catch disease early, prescribe glasses, contacts and medication. A four-year doctorate, no surgical residency, and clinics in every town.$137kTypical pay7 to 8 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandOrthodontistMove teeth and jaws into place with braces and aligners. A dentist first, then two or three more years of training.$289kTypical pay10 to 11 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandPediatric DentistThe dentist for babies, children and teenagers. Two to three extra years after dental school, mostly spent learning how to handle a frightened kid.$225kTypical pay10 to 11 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandPeriodontistThe gum and dental implant specialist. Three extra years after dental school, and most of the work is surgery.$225kTypical pay11 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemand
Mental health
8Addiction CounselorSit with people at the worst point of their lives and help them get out. You can start this one without a degree.$59kTypical pay1 to 6 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandBehavior AnalystWork out why a behavior happens, then change the conditions around it. Six to eight years of school, mostly working with children.$111kTypical pay6 to 8 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandDirect Support ProfessionalHelp people with disabilities live their own lives. You can start within weeks, and the pay is the hard part.$46kTypical payup to 1 yearTo qualifyVery highDemandMusic TherapistUse music as clinical treatment in hospitals, schools and hospices. A real degree, a real internship and a national board exam.$78kTypical pay4 to 6 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandPsychologistYou test, diagnose and treat what is happening in someone's mind. A doctorate, an internship and a national exam stand between you and the title.$101kTypical pay9 to 12 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandPsychotherapistTalk therapy as a job. Most people get here with a master's degree and two years of supervised hours, not a doctorate.$59kTypical pay6 to 8 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandSocial WorkerYou sit with people on the worst day of their lives and find them a way through. Licensed, underpaid and badly needed.$60kTypical pay4 to 6 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandYouth WorkerYou are the adult who keeps showing up for kids and teens in group homes, after school programs and shelters. Some jobs hire you at 18, others want a degree.$60kTypical payup to 4 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemand
Therapy and rehab
15AcupuncturistTreat pain and illness with needles at specific points on the body. A master's degree, a state license, and usually your own practice.$76kTypical pay5 to 8 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandAudiologistTest hearing and balance, then fit the devices that give it back. A four-year clinical doctorate, and a job in every town.$96kTypical pay8 to 9 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandChiropractorTreat back, neck and joint pain with your hands. Four years of doctoral school, then usually your own clinic.$79kTypical pay7 to 8 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandDietitianThe person hospitals call when food becomes medicine. A master's degree is now the entry ticket.$76kTypical pay5 to 7 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandKinesiologistUse movement as treatment. Test how a body handles effort, then build the program that gets it working again.$59kTypical pay4 to 6 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandMassage TherapistLicensed in about a year, then paid per massage. The work helps people and it wears out your hands, so plan for both.$58kTypical pay1 to 2 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandNaturopathic DoctorA medical style doctorate in natural medicine, usually three to five years after a bachelor's. Regulated in 23 states and the District of Columbia, and unrecognized in the rest.$115kTypical pay7 to 9 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandOccupational TherapistHelp people do the ordinary things again: dress, cook, write, drive, go back to work. Six years of school, a license, and work in almost every town.$100kTypical pay6 to 7 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandOrthotist and ProsthetistDesign, build and fit artificial limbs and braces. Part clinician, part craftsperson.$81kTypical pay6 to 7 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandPhysical TherapistGet people moving again after injury, surgery or stroke. Seven years of school for a job that exists in every town.$103kTypical pay7 to 8 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandPodiatristA doctor of the foot and ankle. Own doctorate, own schools, own licensing exam, and only eleven colleges in the country.$160kTypical pay11 to 12 yearsTo qualifyLimitedDemandRecreation TherapistYou use activity as treatment: getting someone back to cooking, gardening or shooting hoops after their life changed.$62kTypical pay4 to 5 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandRehabilitation AssistantDo the hands-on half of therapy: the exercises, the practice, the daily work of getting someone moving again. Two years of college.$72kTypical pay2 to 3 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandRespiratory TherapistKeep people breathing: ventilators, oxygen, blood gases and the worst nights in the hospital. Two years of college to get licensed.$82kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandSpeech-Language PathologistYou help people talk, be understood and swallow safely, from toddlers to stroke patients. A master's degree is the price of entry.$98kTypical pay6 to 7 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemand
Diagnostics and lab
15Cardiovascular TechnologistRun the tests and the equipment that show doctors what a heart is doing. Two years of school.$74kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandClinical PerfusionistRun the heart-lung machine during open heart surgery. While the heart is stopped, you are the circulation.$161kTypical pay5 to 7 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandEpidemiologistWork out why people are getting sick, and what would stop it. Mostly data, occasionally an outbreak.$87kTypical pay6 to 8 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandGenetic CounselorRead a family's DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid, the genetic code) results, then sit with them and explain what it means for their lives.$100kTypical pay6 to 7 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandHealth Information ManagerOwn the medical record. Who can see it, whether it is correct, how it gets coded and billed, and what happens when a hospital changes systems.$124kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandHealth InspectorWalk into a kitchen, a pool or a tattoo shop unannounced and decide whether it is safe for the public. You carry a thermometer and the authority to close the place.$90kTypical pay4 to 5 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandMedical Laboratory ScientistRun the tests that tell doctors what is wrong. Most of a diagnosis starts in your lab, and the patient never meets you.$63kTypical pay4 to 5 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandMedical Laboratory TechnicianRun the routine hospital tests that keep a diagnosis moving. Two years of school, then straight into the lab.$63kTypical pay2 to 3 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandMedical PhysicistMake sure radiation used on patients is exactly right. Physics, a residency, and three board exams.$172kTypical pay8 to 12 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandMedical Records SpecialistTurn what happened to a patient into codes and clean records. Office work, health pay, and no bedside.$51kTypical pay1 to 2 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandNuclear Medicine TechnologistGive a patient a tiny radioactive tracer, then image how the body is working, not just what it looks like. Two to four years of school and one national exam.$101kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandPhlebotomistDraw blood, label it right, keep the patient calm. The fastest way into a hospital job in the country.$45kTypical pay1 to 2 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandRadiation TherapistYou run the machine that treats cancer, and you see the same patients every weekday for weeks. A two year degree for six figure pay.$105kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyModerateDemandRadiologic TechnologistYou take the x-rays and scans doctors use to work out what is wrong. Two years of school and you are working in a hospital.$80kTypical pay2 to 3 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemandSonographerYou run the ultrasound machine and are often the first person to see what is wrong. Two years of school for pay near six figures.$97kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemand
Animal health
2VeterinarianEight years of school to treat animals who cannot tell you what hurts. Loved by everyone, and heavy on debt.$130kTypical pay7 to 9 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandVeterinary TechnicianThe nurse of the animal clinic. Two years of school, and you will do more hands-on medicine than you expect.$47kTypical pay2 to 4 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemand
Sport and fitness
4Athletic TherapistThe person on the sideline who decides whether an injured player comes off. In the United States the job title is athletic trainer.$63kTypical pay5 to 7 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandLifeguardGet certified at 15, get paid to watch water, and learn how to keep people alive.$34kTypical payup to 1 yearTo qualifyGoodDemandPersonal TrainerGet people stronger, one session at a time. No degree needed, but you have to sell yourself.$47kTypical payup to 4 yearsTo qualifyVery highDemandSports CoachYou run practices, pick the lineup and teach the fundamentals. Most coaching jobs are part time and most coaches have another job.$47kTypical pay1 to 4 yearsTo qualifyGoodDemand