Living through the COVID-19 pandemic certainly made a lot of people rethink about a career in healthcare. Some experienced the burn out and personal risks of working in a high stress, high stakes field. Others felt inspired by the heroism and altruism of being at the front line of saving lives.
Regardless of the good, the bad, and ugly, one thing is clear about a career in healthcare – it’s becoming more diverse than ever. If you are interested in healthcare, the choices are no longer simply doctor vs nurse. There are so many ways you can explore your curiosity in biomedical science, help people feel better, and make a difference in society.
Here we highlight five less-known occupations in healthcare. All are projected to grow significantly in the coming decade and command high salaries. They also bypass the many years of schooling and the direct and opportunity costs associated with obtaining a medical degree.
Nurse Practitioner
Nurse practitioners (NPs) used to be called “mid-levels” meaning they are positioned in between doctors and nurses. Because we have a shortage of providers who can evaluate, diagnose and treat patients, and doctors take too long to train, nurse practitioners emerged as nurses with extra education and training who could step up and fill that demand.
Nurse practitioners, also known as advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), are now the fastest growing segment of providers who directly care for patients, and one of the fastest growing occupations, period. There are more than 385,000 NPs nationwide. The number is projected to increase by 45% in the next decade, with more than 31,000 job openings every year.
NPs work in primary care as well as all sorts of medical and surgical specialties. In most states, NPs are licensed to have pretty much the same privilege as physicians. They assess patients, order diagnostic tests, prescribe medications, and perform minor procedures. Some NPs work in collaboration with physicians. For example, a NP working with an orthopedic surgeon may evaluate the patient before surgery, assist in the surgical procedure, and check on the patient after surgery. Other NPs work independently in clinics, hospitals, emergency rooms, urgent care centers, and nursing homes. They make medical decisions entirely on their own, so there is a lot of professional autonomy.
The median annual salary for NPs is $126,260 in 2023. There’s not much difference between entry-level and experienced NPs since all are considered to have similar education and qualifications (see below). The pay is higher for certain specialities such as surgery and psychiatry. NPs also get paid more on the West Coast.
To become an NP, you’ll need to complete a bachelor’s degree (typically Bachelor of Science in Nursing “BSN”, or in other life science fields), followed by a 2-3 year advanced nursing program to obtain either a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. Traditionally registered nurses who’ve been in the field for several years went back to school to pursue NP degrees to expand their scope of practice. To meet the increased demand for providers in recent years, many NP programs now offer “direct entry” pathways and accept students with no prior nursing experience. Upon graduating from the NP program, you’ll need to pass a certification exam and apply for a state license.
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are a special group of NPs who administer and manage anesthesia for patients undergoing surgeries and other invasive procedures. We are discussing it separately because CRNAs require a distinct set of skills and pathway of education.
CRNAs are responsible for ensuring that patients undergo surgery or other medical treatments safely and with appropriate pain management. They have more procedural, therefore hands-on, skills such as putting in a breathing tube, placing lines in blood vessels, and using nerve blocks to numb parts of the body. CRNAs work in the operating rooms of hospitals and surgery centers.
There are over 57,000 CRNAs in the country and the number is projected to grow 38% in the next decade. As the population ages, more and more people need surgery and anesthesia, so the demand is high.
Many CRNAs work in a team with anesthesiologists who are medical doctors specialized in anesthesia. Others work independently and have full autonomy in making decisions about patient care.
The median pay for CRNAs is $212,650, almost twice that of the average NP. Indeed CRNA is the highest paid nursing profession. Yet most people have never heard of it, making CRNA a true hidden gem for a career in healthcare. There’s also not much seniority or experience based pay difference. Geographically the Northeast and Upper Midwest tend to offer the best salaries.
To become a CRNA, you must first become a registered nurse (RN) and gain experience in an acute care setting, such as an intensive care unit or emergency room, so you are familiar with sick and complex patients. Then you’ll go to complete a specialized program in nurse anesthesia, which typically takes 2-3 years. Most CRNA programs award Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degrees, a few legacy programs still offer Master’s degrees. Upon graduating, you must also take the national board exam and apply for a state license.
Nuclear Medicine Specialist
Do you want to be a nuclear physicist who helps cure people? Nuclear medicine is a specialized area of healthcare that involves the use of radioactive energy to diagnose and treat various conditions, most commonly cancer.
Think about the positron emission tomography used to detect metastasis, the gamma knife used to cut out brain tumors, the isotopic iodine therapy for thyroid cancer, the radioactive seeds for prostate cancer, and the high energy X-ray to blast cancers in the lung, breast, throat, bone and anywhere else in the body.
Several non-physician roles are crucial to the success of radiation therapy, including nuclear medicine technologist for preparing the radioactive medications and equipment, medical dosimetrist for precisely calculating the dosage of radiation, and nuclear therapists who administers the treatment. They work with each other in teams led by the radiation oncologist who is a medical doctor.
You may pause at the mention of nuclear and radiation. Don’t worry, all these jobs follow strict safety standards to protect the workers. The amount of radiation reaching you as the provider is miniscule compared to that directed at the patient. The dosage is monitored and never allowed to exceed the pre-set safe level.
The various specialists in nuclear medicine make up a relatively small position of the healthcare workforce, totalling about 40,000 positions nationwide. Job growth is average to slightly above, again fueled by the aging population and more people with cancer.
Median salaries are $92,500 for nuclear medicine technologist, $98,300 for nuclear therapist, and $132,880 for medical dosimetrist.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of being a nuclear medicine specialist is that it only requires an associate or a bachelor’s degree, plus a certification process which usually takes less than 1 year. So we think of this as an example of an out-of-the-box career in healthcare that brings substantial financial gain with minimal schooling.
Healthcare Administrator
There are nearly 7,000 hospitals in the US. In addition, there are about 11,000 outpatient surgery centers, 50,000 clinics, and 16,000 rehab facilities. Each of them needs a cadre of executives who can manage the finances, improve the quality and efficiency of service, and ensure compliance with government regulations.
Smaller hospitals and clinics may have a lean leadership team that works directly with care providers. Larger organizations likely have several layers of management divided into departments, service lines, locations, all the up to CEOs, COOs, and CFOs.
Many healthcare organizations are adopting business principles to stay effective and competitive to deal with the increasingly complex web of suppliers, providers, insurers, and regulators. On the other hand, most frontline providers such as doctors and nurses prefer to focus on patient care instead of budget, marketing, and regulations. Except for a few positions such as the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Nursing Officer, most management roles in healthcare organizations do not require clinical experience at all.
Healthcare administration can be an intellectually challenging and fulfilling profession if you have a business mindset and want to make a difference in the lives of thousands to millions of patients.
Given the number of healthcare facilities needing managers, it’s no surprise that the number of healthcare administrators exceed half a million in the US. The profession is expected to grow by 29% over the next decade, producing 60,000 job openings every year.
The median salary is $110,680, with a lot of room for upward growth. Even at the smaller hospitals, the C-suite executives can make $1 million or more.
As we said before, you don’t need clinical experience to become a healthcare administrator. Instead you will need to be familiar with business frameworks, organizational behaviors and finances. You can accomplish that by obtaining a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, or a related business field. You can also get a master’s in healthcare administration or an MBA with a healthcare focus. Upon the completion of your degree, most hospitals and healthcare systems have 1-2 year fellowship programs to apply what you learned in real life.
Healthcare informatics
We live in the Information Age. The advent of informatics and computational technology has profound effects on all fields and healthcare is no exception. The rapidly growing fields that integrate healthcare with information technology are full of high-demand occupations. Probably more will be invented in the future.
For example, data scientists are needed to manage the enormous data generated and stored in electronic medical records, biometrics, and diagnostic tests. Healthcare systems are frequent targets for cybercriminals, and cybersecurity specialists are needed to protect and defend against such attacks. Software engineers are needed to develop and maintain various programs to facilitate patient care in person and remotely. Then there are informatics managers who understand how the system works to coordinate and facilitate its operation.
Because both healthcare and informatics are expanding industries, the intersection of these disciplines is projected to grow by 15-35% in the upcoming years. Many roles in healthcare informatics have median salaries above $100,000 with cybersecurity and data system experts with the highest earnings in the $130,000s.
To work in healthcare informatics, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in computer science, data science, information technology or a related field. Various industry organizations offer online certifications for specialized areas such as cybersecurity, which can help make you a competitive job candidate. There are also Master’s programs focused on healthcare informatics, but in our opinion, those are not necessary as long as you have the technical knowledge.
Many Options for pursuing a career in healthcare
In summary, if you aspire to help people in their most vulnerable moments, but not necessarily to be a physician or nurse, you should explore the occupations listed here. While some are in direct patient care such as NPs, CRNAs, and nuclear medicine specialists, others are more “behind the scenes” with the potential to improve the lives of many patients, such as healthcare administration and informatics. Keep in mind that there are many options when it comes having a fulfilling and financially rewarding career in healthcare.
In the subsequent articles, we will post more “hidden gems” in various career fields.