Employment for most health related professions is expected to grow much faster than average over the next decade and beyond.
We receive numerous e-mails every week requesting information on the education requirements and salaries for a wide range of health and medical professions in the United States. In most cases we direct these type of inquiries to the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook and O*NET.
While these resources provide the most definitive and accurate details for all occupations, many of our readers are interested in viewing a simple list of all health related careers on one page. As a result we’ve put together the following list of health professions containing basic information on education requirements, salary and job outlook. And best of all - it’s fully searchable and sortable inside a single page for your convenience. Researching a new career for your first entry into the professional workforce or to change professions can be overwhelming! Hopefully this makes things a little easier.
We will continually add more occupations to provide the most comprehensive list of health related careers. The most recent statistics were taken from BLS.gov and ONetOnline.org, except where noted. Please see bottom of page for brief description of list headings.
Occupation | Job Type | Entry Level Education | Highest Education | Length of Study | Avg. Salary | Job Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athletic Trainer | Sports Medicine | Bachelor's Degree | Doctoral Degree (Ph.D.) | 4 - 6 + years | $42,400 | 30% |
| Audiologist | Clinical | Doctoral Degree (Au.D.) | Doctoral Degree (Au.D.) | 8 years | $68,390 | 37% |
| Biochemist | Laboratory | Doctoral Degree (Ph.D.) | Doctoral Degree (Ph.D.) | 8 - 10 years | $79,230 | 31% |
| Biomedical Engineer | Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | Master's Degree | 4 - 6 years | $84,670 | 62% |
| Biomedical Equipment Technician | Clinical | On Job Training | Bachelor's Degree | 4 years or less | $44,870 | 31% |
| Cardiovascular Technologist | Medical | Associate's Degree | Bachelor's Degree | 4 years or less | $49,410 | 29% |
| Chiropractor | Clinical | Doctoral Degree (D.C.) | Doctoral Degree (D.C.) | 7 - 8 years | $66,060 | 28% |
| Cytotechnologist | Laboratory | Bachelor's Degree | Bachelor's Degree | 4 - 5 years | $57,010 | 13% |
| Dental Assistant | Dental | On Job Training | Associate's Degree | 2 years or less | $34,140 | 31% |
| Dental Hygienist | Dental | Associate's Degree | Bachelor's Degree | 4 years or less | $69,280 | 38% |
| Dentist | Dental | Doctoral Degree | Doctoral Degree | 6 - 10 years | $142,740 | 21% |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | Clinical | Certificate or Diploma | Bachelor's Degree | 4 years or less | $64,380 | 44% |
| Dietetic Technician | Clinical | Associate's Degree | Associate's Degree | 2 years | $26,730 | 14% |
| Dietitian | Clinical | Bachelor's Degree | Master's Degree | 4 - 6 years | $54,470 | 20% |
| Emergency Medical Technician (Basic) | Emergency Care | Certificate | Certificate | 12 months or less | $30,710 | 33% |
| Emergency Medical Technician (Intermediate) | Emergency Care | Certificate | Certificate | 12 months or less | $30,710 | 33% |
| Fitness Instructor | Fitness | Certificate or Diploma | Associate's Degree | 2 years or less | $31,030 | 24% |
| Health Care Administrator | Clerical | Bachelor's Degree | Master's Degree | 4 - 6 years | $86,400 | 22% |
| Health Educator | Education | Bachelor's Degree | Master's Degree | 4 - 6 years | $47,940 | 37% |
| Health Information Technician | Clerical | Certificate | Associate's Degree | 2 years or less | $33,310 | 21% |
| Histology Technician | Laboratory | Certificate | Associate's Degree | 2 years or less | $57,010 | 13% |
| Histotechnologist | Laboratory | Bachelor's Degree | Bachelor's Degree | 4 years | $57,010 | 13% |
| Human Services Assistant | Human Services | Certificate | Associate's Degree | 2 years or less | $28,740 | 28% |
| Licensed Practical Nurse | Nursing | Diploma | Diploma | 12 months or less | $41,150 | 24% |
| Massage Therapist | Therapeutic | Certificate or Diploma | Bachelor's Degree | 4 years or less | $35,830 | 20% |
| Medical Assistant | Medical | On Job Training | Associate's Degree | 2 years or less | $29,100 | 31% |
| Medical Coder | Clerical | Certificate | Certificate | 12 months or less | $33,310 | 21% |
| Medical Laboratory Technician | Laboratory | Certificate or Diploma | Associate's Degree | 2 years or less | $36,950 | 14% |
| Medical Secretary | Clerical | On Job Training | Associate's Degree | 2 years or less | $31,060 | 29% |
| Medical Technician | Laboratory | Certificate | Associate's Degree | 2 years or less | $36,950 | 13% |
| Medical Technologist | Laboratory | Associate's Degree | Bachelor's Degree | 4 years or less | $57,010 | 13% |
| Medical Transcriptionist | Clerical | Certificate or Diploma | Associate's Degree | 2 years or less | $32,900 | 6% |
| Mental Health Counselor | Mental Health | Master's Degree | Master's Degree | 6 years | $39,190 | 37% |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologist | Clinical | Associate's Degree | Bachelor's Degree | 4 years or less | $69,450 | 19% |
| Nursing Assistant | Nursing | Certificate | Certificate | 12 months or less | $24,190 | 25% |
| Occupational Therapist | Therapeutic/Rehabilitation | Master's Degree | Doctoral Degree (OTD) | 5 - 8 years | $73,820 | 33% |
| Occupational Therapy Aide | Therapeutic/Rehabilitation | On Job Training | On Job Training | 3 months or less | 28,200 | 41% |
| Occupational Therapy Assistant | Therapeutic/Rehabilitation | Associate's Degree | Associate's Degree | 2 years | $52,040 | 41% |
| Optician | Clinical | On Job Training | Associate's Degree | 2 years or less | $33,100 | 29% |
| Optometrist | Clinical | Doctoral Degree (O.D.) | Doctoral Degree (O.D.) | 7 - 8 years | $94,690 | 33% |
| Paramedic | Emergency Care | Certificate | Associate's Degree | 2 years or less | $30,710 | 33% |
| Personal Trainer | Fitness | Certificate or Diploma | Associate's Degree | 2 years or less | $31,030 | 24% |
| Pharmacist | Clinical | Doctoral Degree (Pharm.D.) | Doctoral Degree (Pharm.D.) | 6 - 8 years | $113,390 | 25% |
| Pharmacy Technician | Clinical | On Job Training | Associate's Degree | 2 years or less | $28,940 | 32% |
| Phlebotomist | Medical | On Job Training | Associate's Degree | 2 years or less | $30,790 | 15% |
| Physical Therapist | Therapeutic/Rehabilitation | Doctoral Degree (DPT) | Doctoral Degree (DPT) | 7 - 8 years | $78,270 | 39% |
| Physical Therapy Aide | Therapeutic/Rehabilitation | On Job Training | On Job Training | 3 months or less | $23,680 | 45% |
| Physical Therapy Assistant | Therapeutic/Rehabilitation | Associate's Degree | Associate's Degree | 2 years | $51,040 | 45% |
| Physician (Allopathic Medicine) | Medical | Doctoral Degree (M.D.) | Doctoral Degree (M.D.) | 11 - 16 years | $166,400 | 24% |
| Physician (Osteopathic Medicine) | Medical | Doctoral Degree (D.O.) | Doctoral Degree (D.O.) | 11 - 16 years | $166,400 | 24% |
| Physician Assistant | Medical | Bachelor's Degree | Master's Degree | 4 - 6 years | $88,660 | 33% |
| Podiatrist | Medical | Doctoral Degree (DPM) | Doctoral Degree (DPM) | 10 - 14 years | $119,250 | 20% |
| Prosthetist and Orthotist | Clinical | Master's Degree | Master's Degree | 2 years | $65,250 | 12% |
| Psychologist | Mental Health | Master's Degree | Doctoral Degree (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) | 6 - 8 years | $67,880 | 22% |
| Radiation Therapist | Clinical | Associate's Degree | Bachelor's Degree | 2 - 4 years | $76,630 | 20% |
| Radiologic Technologist | Clinical | Certificate or Diploma | Bachelor's Degree | 4 years or less | $55,120 | 28% |
| Recreational Therapist | Therapeutic | Bachelor's Degree | Doctoral Degree (Ph.D.) | 4 - 6 + years | $41,060 | 17% |
| Registered Nurse | Nursing | Diploma | Bachelor's Degree | 4 years or less | $65,950 | 26% |
| Respiratory Therapist | Therapeutic/Rehabilitation | Associate's Degree | Bachelor's Degree | 4 years or less | $55,240 | 28% |
| Respiratory Therapy Technician | Therapeutic/Rehabilitation | Certificate | Associate's Degree | 2 years or less | $46,350 | 5% |
| Social Worker | Human Services | Bachelor's Degree | Doctoral Degree (Ph.D.) | 4 - 6 years | $42,480 | 25% |
| Speech/Language Pathologist | Therapeutic | Master's Degree | Doctoral Degree (Ph.D.) | 6 - 8 years | $69,100 | 23% |
| Surgical Technologist | Medical | Certificate or Diploma | Associate's Degree | 2 years or less | $40,950 | 19% |
| Veterinarian | Medical | Doctoral Degree (D.V.M.) | Doctoral Degree (D.V.M.) | 8 years | $82,900 | 36% |
| Veterinary Technician | Medical | Associate's Degree | Associate's Degree | 2 years | $30,140 | 52% |
| Veterinary Technologist | Medical | Bachelor's Degree | Bachelor's Degree | 4 years | $30,140 | 52% |
List Headings Key
Job type
Please note we use these basic terms to generally describe job type. Some terms are self-explanatory, while some require clarification.
In order to provide a better idea, we’ve repurposed the terms listed below to mean the following:
Medical = inside and around operating rooms involving surgical procedures (seeing blood)
Clinical = inside healthcare facilities involving non-invasive, non-surgical procedures (not seeing blood)
Laboratory = inside healthcare or science facilities involving lab work such as tissue analysis (sometimes seeing vial-contained blood)
Minimal educational qualification to be employed in that profession in the United States.
Highest education
Highest level of education one can receive specific to that profession in the United States.
Length of study
Time it takes after secondary school (i.e. high school; grades 9 - 12) to fulfill the educational and training requirements for the profession.*
Avg. salary
Median salary data for the profession from 2011 as reported by O*NET.
Job growth
Estimated percentage increase of jobs in that profession from 2010-2020 as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
* As a general rule of thumb:
- On Job Training = 3 months or less
- Certificate = 6 months to 1 year
- Diploma = 1 year
- Associate’s degree = 2 years
- Bachelor’s degree = 4 years
- Master’s degree = 2 years
- Doctoral degree = 3 - 4 years
Most health professions that require one of the following: on job training, certificate, diploma, or associate’s degree have completion of secondary school (high school) as a prerequisite. Similarly, most master’s and doctoral degree programs first require completion of a bachelor’s (4-year) degree.
