Dive Brief:
- Glassdoor recently released its 50 Best Jobs in America for 2017 list.
- Seven noted jobs included those on the front lines of healthcare services delivery.
- The results were determined by weighing three factors: Earning potential (median annual base salary), overall job satisfaction rating and number of job openings.
Dive Insight:
The healthcare jobs on the front lines of care delivery included:
- Occupational Therapist - $72,000 median base salary / 14,897 job openings (12);
- Nurse Practitioner - $100,000 median base salary / 15,634 job openings (15);
- Nurse Manager - $77,000 median base salary / 6,710 job openings (24);
- Physician - $200,000 median base salary / 2,610 job openings (34);
- Pharmacy Manager - $130,000 median base salary / 2,652 job openings (44);
- Dental Hygienist - $66,000 median base salary / 1,050 job openings (48); and
- Physical Therapist - $70,000 median base salary / 24,579 job openings (49).
Out of this list, Glassdoor stated last December that physicians' median base salaries grew 2.3% year-over-year while a physical therapist's median base salary grew by 3.7% to $73,263.
The company's recent data (October 2016 through January 2017) underscore a strong demand for healthcare workers. Last October, the company found over the past year average salaries for registered nurses grew 3.4% to $61,306; pharmacy technicians grew 4.4% to $30,522; and medical assistants grew 6.3% to $33,244. All three roles grew above average in the five metropolitan areas the company tracks (Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco).
Median base pay in healthcare and hospitals is $49,746, according to Glassdoor's December Local Pay Report. Specialized roles, expanded responsibilities and supply and employment demand offer varying reasons for why some positions' salaries have grown year-over-year. Pharmacy technicians median base salary, according to December data, grew 5.2% year-over-year to $31,290. The stark median salary base growth compared to physicians (2.3%) and emergency medical technicians (1.6%, $36,265) could denote how administrative duties are increasingly needed and will be paid for to mitigate administrative burden in the healthcare field.