Deep down, you know that you want to become a doctor but you’re wondering – which ones are the highest paying most promising medical specialties of the future? Don’t look anywhere else because we are about to unveil the best medical specialties of the future. You will then just have to choose the most promising one for yourself or one of the highest paid medical specialties of the future.
Let’s not pretend it is not happening because it is, right in front of our eyes: our lives are changing with technology. And the many discoveries that keep happening almost every month will keep changing the way we do things, work and live our lives. One of the biggest impacts of technology changes may be on healthcare and how we are treated in the future. It’s not even in the future, it is already happening. Artificial intelligence, robots able to clean a room of all their germs better than humans, 3D-imaging, Nano-robots…. are all parts of a movement that is already shaping the way doctors treat us. Technology can be worrying but it also brings interesting changes to our lives, particularly where healthcare is concerned.
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Technology, for all its wonders, will never be able to completely replace humans nor doctors. However, with the latest evolution, and no doubt, the many to come over the years, some healthcare specialties will gain in prominence.
Those specialties will be most in demand, but who will be the most needed doctors in the future?
To put this list together, we mused on forums like Reddit, and websites like VenturBeat and Medical Futurist talking about the subject. We also looked at the research about Healthcare jobs in the future, and Projections for the Fastest Growing Occupations, provided to us by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). We particularly looked at the projected job growth for the period 2014-2024, as calculated by the BLS. We then compared those numbers with the projected median earning – again, using the BLS’ numbers – and put together a list which considers the most promising healthcare specialties and their projected earnings.
If your goal in life is to become one of the richest doctors known to humankind, don’t forget to check our article about the 11 Richest Doctors in the World, that might give you some ideas.
Are you ready to learn more about how technology and healthcare that will get entwined even more in the future and help us care about our health in ways we couldn’t possibly imagine even 20 years ago? Then, read on our list of highest paying most promising medical specialties of the future.
10. Radiology
X-rays, scanners… Radiology rounds up different parts of the world of radiographers and each section has its own specificities. According to the BLS, which regrouped radiology under the definition “Radiologic and MRI technologists”, the job outlook for the period 2014-2024 at 9% growth.
The median annual pay for 2016 is $58,960.
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9. Nurse
Yours truly believe, and is sure that many people will agree, that nurses are an essential pillar of the healthcare community. They must know patients and diseases, keep an eye on symptoms and be able to detect the slightest changes in their patients so that they can then pass the message to doctors. “Employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 16 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations”, according to the Bureau of Labor.
As for their median wage, the BLS puts it at $68,450 per year in 2016.
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8. Dental hygienist
No-one likes to go to the dentist. But they are essential to our general health and for our dental health in particular. In other words, if you want to keep your teeth in good condition, go see your dentist regularly. A dental hygienist, the number 8 on our list of highest paying most promising medical specialties of the future is a person who cleans your teeth and also examines your teeth to make sure you don’t have any diseases that would require immediate treatment. According to BLS, the job outlook for the period 2014-2024 is 19%, a much faster growth than other occupations.
As for the median annual wage in May 2016, the BLS established it at $72,910.
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7. Physical therapists
After surgery or if you badly injured yourself, you will need time and help to recover. Physical therapists are the ones who will help you through this ordeal by giving you exercise plans and seeing you in sessions.
According to the BLS, their job projection for 2014-2024 is a staggering 34% and their median annual wage, as of May 2016, is $85,400.
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6. Medical and health service managers
They may not technically be the ones treating you but without them, hospitals and care facilities would have a hard time functioning properly. Managers are everywhere, from running entire hospitals to departments to physicians’ offices and have to be knowledgeable about what doctors do as much as with the ever-evolving laws of the land about healthcare. Those are the reasons why we decided to put them on our list of highest paying and most promising medical specialties of the future.
For the period 2014-2024, the BLS put their job outlook at an interesting 17% and their median annual wage is $96, 540.
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5. Optometrists
We are continuing our list of highest paying most promising medical specialties of the future with optometrists that are the physicians you go and see for contact lenses or glasses prescription. But, they do much more than that. They are also trained to diagnose and treat various eye-related injuries or diseases.
According to the BLS’ numbers, their job outlook for 2014-2024 is 27% and their median annual wage is $106,140.
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4. Pharmacists
A Pharmacist is the first person you see after a doctor’s appointment, sometimes before or without a doctor’s appointment. They are knowledgeable about the medication they sell and usually take the time to give you medicine and explain to you how to use it to their full benefit. According to the US Bureau of Labor statistics, the average growth projection for jobs during the period 2014-2024 is 3%.
The media pay for pharmacists, according to the BLS numbers, was $122,230 per year in 2016.
As they explain, “Demand is projected to increase for pharmacists in a variety of healthcare settings”, meaning that traditional pharmacists may have more difficulties to find jobs but pharmacists will still be needed, particularly in hospitals.
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3. Surgeons / Physicians
No surprise in the fact that surgeons are on our list of highest paying most promising medical specialties of the future. The tools they use evolved a lot in the past 20 years and continue to evolve very quickly. According to BLS, the job outlook for Surgeons and Physicians the period 2014-2024 is a whopping 14%, making it one of the profession with the highest predicted growth over that period.
Their median pay in 2016 “equated to or was greater than $208,000”, according to the BLS.
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2. OB/GYN
Obstetrics/Gynecologists, that are up next on our list of highest paying most promising medical specialties of the future are the doctors who take care of our reproductive health. According to the BLS, the category of OB/GYN falls under the category of physicians and surgeons we talked about previously.
For this general category, the job outlook for 2014-2024 is a 14% growth while their 2016 median annual wage is equal or greater than $208,000.
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1. General practice
As for the last category, once again, the BLS did not separate the general practitioners/family doctors from their numbers regarding Physicians and surgeons.
For this general category, the job outlook for 2014-2024 is a 14% growth while their 2016 median annual wage is equal or greater than $208,000.
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Now, it only remains now for you to make a choice among the highest paying most promising medical specialties of the future discussed here. Good luck!
