Dental Hygienist Tops CareerCast.com List of Best Healthcare Jobs

CARLSBAD, Calif., Sept. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Dental Hygienist, Audiologist and Occupational Therapist ranked as the top three healthcare jobs in the nation, according to a new report by CareerCast.com. The other highly rated healthcare jobs include Physical Therapist, Optometrist, Pharmacist, Physician's Assistant, Chiropractor, General Practice Physician, Registered Nurse, Speech Pathologist and Psychiatrist.

Wage and salary employment in the health care industry is projected to increase 27% through 2014, compared with 14% for all industries combined, says the new CareerCast.com report.

Healthcare employment is a bright spot in our floundering economy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the healthcare and social assistance industry is projected to create about 28 percent of all new jobs created in the U.S. economy from 2010 to 2020. This industry—which includes public and private hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities, and individual and family services—is expected to grow by 33 percent, or 5.7 million new jobs. An aging population and longer life expectancies, as well as new treatments and technologies will drive employment growth.

"Students and those seeking a career change should take a look at jobs in the healthcare field," says Tony Lee , publisher, CareerCast.com. "Although some healthcare professions require quite a bit of advanced training, the top job – Dental Hygienist – requires only an Associate's degree at the entry level."

However, it does require specialized education to land a position within some of the other top healthcare professions. Physical therapist, general practice physician and pharmacist, which all rank highly in the new CareerCast.com report of the 12 best jobs in health care, require a doctoral degree. Others such as occupational therapist call for a Master's degree.

CareerCast.com's Best Jobs in Healthcare include:

To read the full CareerCast.com report on the best jobs in healthcare, visit http://healthcare.careercast.com/article/best-health-care-jobs-2012

SOURCE CareerCast.com

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