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Is the investment in education worth it?
The healthcare salary survey
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Healthcare professionals rank among the highest-paid employees in the country. Here are the salaries you can earn in some of today's hottest areas — and what you need to get them.
Health Administrators
The highest 10 percent earned more than $117,990.
Perks: Prestige, the ability to affect change — and the potential to earn some of the highest salaries in healthcare.
Requirements: Most leadership positions require a Master's degree, usually in business, health administration, public administration or public health.
Nurses
Average salary: $57,748
Median annual earnings: $52,330
The top 10 percent earned more than $74,760.
Perks: With employers reporting difficulty recruiting and retaining RNs, there are increasing reports of signing bonuses, family-friendly work schedules, subsidized training, online bidding for extra shifts and opportunities for part-time work.
Requirements: Nationally, there is increasing pressure for nurses to hold a baccalaureate degree or higher by 2010, which raises the bar for everyone in the profession — while promising a higher quality of healthcare and greater rewards for well-educated professionals.
Occupational Therapists
Average salary: $51,990
Median annual earnings: $54,660
The highest 10 percent earned more than $81,600.
Perks: Hours are often limited to 40 per week, though some may be outside of regular office hours.
Requirements: Starting in 2007, a Master's degree is the minimum requirement for entry into the field.
Physical Therapists
Average salary: $68,000
Median annual earnings: $60,180
The top 10 percent earned more than $88,580.
Perks: Hours often limited to 40 per week; however, this may include weekends and evenings.
Requirements: BA and an accredited physical therapist educational program, all of which are graduate-level programs. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) says a graduate degree "more adequately prepares the graduate to meet the expectations of the profession and the healthcare needs of society."
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