Top 10 Highest Paying Medical Jobs in 2024

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Top 10 highest paying medical jobs

Are you in any medical field, or intend to go into any of the medical fields? Well, in this article we’ll be discussing the top 10 highest paying jobs in the medical field.

Medical field careers are some of the best jobs to get into because they’re growing fast and the pay is one of the highest out there. So in this article, I’ll talk about some health career pathways and focus on medical careers that aren’t doctors but are still some of the highest-paid in the medical field.

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When we talk of the highest paying jobs you probably think of surgeons but there are a ton of medical career options you really have to consider. So, without further ado let’s dive into it.

Top 10 Highest Paying Medical Jobs in 2022

#10. Pharmacist 

Pharmacy is the last on my list because it’s not the best to go into because it has a high unemployment rate. There are so many more people trying to become pharmacists than the available jobs. This field pays very well but the problem is, it’s a little bit saturated right now. 

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A pharmacist has an average median salary of about $128,090 annually. That this field is saturated doesn’t mean some people cannot push through it, it just means it will take a lot more from you getting into it.

#9. Physical therapist 

Physical therapy is a great career if you’re really into health and fitness. You will be helping people through their injuries with exercise even with their disabilities. In this field, you’ll get your hands-on clinical experience and that’s really important.

You will be required to pass your state license test just like you do in any medical career, the salary for a physical therapist is way lower than a pharmacist with about $89,440 annually. So, you have to be very careful with taking too many students loans. But the reason it ranks higher is that the field is really growing super quickly. So it will be much easier to find a job as a physical therapist than a pharmacist.

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#8. Nurse-midwives 

These are people who are dedicated to helping women throughout their pregnancies. They do things like ultrasounds, testing, and even helping with actual birth. They can prescribe medicine unlike every other nurse and they have way more responsibilities but you do need to become a nurse first. 

So, the first step is to get a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and then you need to become officially licensed to become a nurse. It’s just to get a certificate in nursing with a specialty in nurse-midwifery. Overall the process can take up to six years after you get your bachelor’s and that may sound like a lot of time but it’s worth it because the median salary is about $108,810 annually.

#7. Physicians assistant 

This is one of the best medical careers you can go into based on every single metric you look at. There is high demand for people who help doctors like nurses and physicians assistants and the high demand is growing way faster than doctors.

The reason the demand is high is that these people can do pretty much the same thing as the doctors. Because they go to fewer schools, hospitals can pay them less, so it makes sense for the hospital to hire a physician’s assistant and then a doctor.

You still get to make an impact on patients while you still get to make a good amount of money with an average basic salary of about $112,260 annually.

#6. Optometrist 

An optometrist is also known as an eye doctor. Many people today are not able to see clearly without glasses, so imagine a world without optometrists. This is a very important career with high demands. You need to pass the optometry admission test, get a bachelor’s degree and then you can apply for a doctor of optometry.

Some states may need you to have additional licenses that will help you increase your job prospects and your pay. Once you do that you’ll be making an average salary of about $150,250 annually.  If you further your studies, then you can become an ophthalmologist who does eye surgeries then you can make a lot more. An ophthalmologist earns up to $378,000 annually.

#5. Nurse practitioners 

One benefit of becoming a nurse instead of a doctor is that you get to spend a lot of time with the patients. Surprisingly, a lot of what doctors do is boring administrative stuff. And many doctors say that’s the worst part of their job. It’s something they never sign up for but it takes up the most amount of their time.

If you want a clinical job that focuses on taking care of patients with insanely high job prospects and really good pay, nurse practitioners are it with an average salary of about $115,800 annually.

#4. Podiatrists

Podiatrists are also known as foot doctors. This is a job dedicated to working on my feet. You may need a podiatrist if your feet hurt while you’re walking, even if you have calluses on your feet and break your foot. A podiatrist designs foot braces.

To become a podiatrist you need a doctor of podiatric medicine and a two-year residency. You also need to pass a two-part board exam and you can also specialize in either primary care or surgery. The median pay is about $126,240 annually. The downside of it is that the demand for a podiatrist is not growing at all.

#3. Dentists

Dentists are one of the best medical jobs because of the work-life balance. You can work regular office hours of 9 to 5 whereas the other jobs in this list have to work insane hours and be on call all the time.

If you want to go into a dental school then you need to take all the right pre-regs undergrad, classes like biology, chemistry, and physics. Then one year before you plan to apply to school, you have to take the dental admission test, once you graduate you have to take the National Board exams and pass the state clink test to get your license. You will make an average of $159,200 annually.

#2. Certified nurse anesthesiologist (CRNAs)

They are basically nurses that can give people drugs that can knock them out. The difference between a full-on anesthesiologist and a CRNA is that an anesthesiologist manages what CRNAs are doing. They have to switch their time monitoring a bunch of different procedures constantly jumping from room to room, while CRNAs do most of the heavy lifting.

Anesthesiologists only step in when something super complicated happens or not enough CRNAs. You might think that all they do is put a patient under, chill throughout The Whole entire procedure then wake them up but it’s way bigger than that. One small mistake your patients could die.

The average CRNAs make an average of about $181,040 annually.

#1. psychiatrist 

Psychiatrists are psychologists but they have a medical degree so they can prescribe medicine. You have to go to medical school and finish in psychiatry. It can take up to 9 years before you become a psychiatrist.

But you will be rolling with a median salary of $220,380 annually. 

So, which of these fields are you interested in, let me know in the comment session below.

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