When people think healthcare, they usually think about becoming a registered nurse, surgeon or doctor. While there is still demand in all these areas, a lot of people neglect tons of great healthcare jobs that pay very well. Furthermore, these positions often ask for a fraction of the qualifications other positions do, allowing you to save on tuition fees and join the workforce sooner. Here are a few examples of healthcare careers that pay surprisingly well.
Critical Flight Care Paramedic
Critical flight care paramedic is one of these healthcare positions a lot of people overlook, but pay very well. Not only that, but it is one of the easiest healthcare fields with some of the best conditions in the industry. The main job of critical flight care paramedics is to provide critical care to patients that are being transported via aircraft or helicopter. The average critical care flight paramedic salary is around $58,120 per year, which is pretty high compared to other paramedic positions.
Occupational Therapy Assistant
The job of occupational therapy assistants is to provide assistance to people dealing with disabilities or who are recovering from accidents for instance. You’ll often be asked to assist patients in their rehabilitation program and to help people dealing with developmental disabilities. You will be asked to help them integrate society and record their progress so that you can report them to the occupational therapist. You will be asked to work in residential care facilities, government agencies, physiotherapy centers and hospitals. The median salary for occupational therapy assistants is around $56,070.
Dental Hygienist
A position as a dental hygienist pays very well, and often require much less education than doctors. As a dental hygienist, your job will be to perform examinations, check for a variety of oral diseases and provide preventive care. You will also be responsible for teaching good dental hygiene practices to your patients. In addition, dental hygienists will provide tooth cleaning and whitening treatments, remove plaque and tartar from teeth and take x rays. The average annual salary for dental hygienists is around $73,440, which is pretty impressive.
Forensic Nursing
If you’re a fan of CSI, becoming a forensic nurse might be the job for you. As a forensic nurse, you will be asked to work on various cases and perform analysis on samples for instance. You will also be asked to collect samples from victims, identify psychological or physical trauma and injuries and sometimes even testify in court as an expert. However, note that the position of forensic nurse is not for the faint of heart and can be very emotionally demanding. But the salary largely makes up for the difficulty of the job, as forensic nurse can stand to make around $81,800 per year on average.
As you can see, there are tons of exciting career choices in the healthcare industry that pay very well without having to earn a doctorate or even a masters. So, if you are interested in one of these positions, make sure you contact your counsellor and see if it’s truly the right career path for you.
