U.S. News and World Report released its annual rankings of the best jobs in America, featuring some insightful findings for the healthcare sector.
For the second consecutive year, nurse practitioner topped the list of professions.
The job was ranked as the best profession, with a median salary of $126,260. The report projects that the profession will see a 46.3% employment growth increase between 2023 and 2033, with 135,500 new jobs becoming available on the market.
Nurse practitioner was one of four healthcare jobs that placed in the top 10 overall. The others included physician’s assistant in third place, medical and health services manager in seventh and speech pathologist in ninth.
These professions were also included on the lists for Best Healthcare Jobs and Best STEM Jobs.
Released on Tuesday morning, the annual report sources its data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and weighs five key factors when determining the best jobs.
First, there is the anticipated number of future jobs that will become available, then earning potential, job safety and security, worklife balance as well as the employment rate for the specific role.
Sussannah Snider, managing editor of money at U.S. News and World Report, noted that jobs in the STEM and healthcare industries consistently rank high on the list. She said it was encouraging to see nurse practitioners take the top spot again this year.
“It’s one of those industries where we see the jobs consistently ranking well because of the high demand of services,” she said. “Nurse practitioners are one of those jobs that seem to have a steady amount of growth in the field, as well as stable earning potential.”
Nurse practitioners are nurses with advanced clinical training who provide patient care. They can work in a variety of settings from hospitals to clinics and, depending on the training, are able to assist in surgical procedures.
In cases where there is a shortage of physicians, nurse practitioners can also assist in providing prenatal care and birth. Currently, more than 5 million women live in areas where there is a lack of maternity care and nurse practitioners may be able to fill those needs.
The profession topped the 100 Best Jobs list last year, bumping software engineer to the fifth spot.
Of all the healthcare jobs, Snider said it was exciting to see medical and health services managers crack the top 10.
“It’s one of those jobs that is in healthcare, but doesn’t necessarily require a degree in healthcare,” she noted. “It’s for people who care about contributing to the space and bringing in other skills like business to be able to deliver care.”
Duties of a medical and health services manager include hiring staff members, balancing budgets and creating strategic goals for the department to increase the efficacy of health services. The median salary for someone in that role is $110,680. The report projects that 160,600 new positions will become available in the future.
Not to be outdone, healthcare professions also dominated the top 10 list of Best Paying Jobs. The top five positions included OBGYNs, psychiatrists, orthodontists, anesthesiologists as well as oral and maxillofacial surgeons.
The report also highlighted positions related to the healthcare industry that significantly rose in the ranks. Veterinary assistants shot up 19 spots, while respiratory therapists jumped 18 positions and computer network architects leaped 57 spots.
This year’s report also included a jobs profile category, where U.S. News and World Report included a detailed profile of 28 jobs for audiences. Radiologist and veterinary assistant were among healthcare professions profiled on the list.
Snider noted that ultimately, the report is meant to be used as a guide, and help readers “apply their goals and priorities to careers that interest them.”