The Best Advanced Practitioner Jobs in Health Care
Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant Jobs Ranked #1 in the 2022 U.S. Best Health Care Jobs News & World Report, reflecting in part the growing demand for these professionals. U.S. News & World Report's ranking of NPs as the nation's top health care jobs demonstrates the profession's strength in serving patients and communities and meeting the high demand for high-quality health care. These rankings underscore what we've known for some time: the NP role is not just a job, it's a challenge for the more than 325,000 NPs who work tirelessly on the front lines of health care, from hospitals to primary care clinics, with patients. at home and via telehealth.
Nurse Practitioners (NPs)
Nurse practitioners perform diagnostics, complete physical exams, prescribe medications and treatments, and educate patients.
The average annual salary for NPs is $111,680 and 114,900 additional nursing jobs will be created by 2030.
Nurse practitioners are advanced practice nurses who may specialize or work in research. However, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 88.9 percent of NPs are certified in primary care and 70.2 percent provide primary care. In many states, NPs have full practice authority, while others require a collaborative agreement with a physician. Nurses are highly trained and dedicated health care providers improving the health of their patients and communities. As we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, America's NPs will continue to deliver high-quality care in every healthcare setting and expand access to care in vulnerable and underserved communities.
Physician Assistants/Associates (PAs)
Physician assistants ranked #2 on the U.S. News listing. They also examine, diagnose and treat patients. As with NPs, PAs work in a variety of settings and fill gaps in access to care.
The average annual salary for a Physician assistant is $115,390, and an additional 40,100 physician assistant jobs are projected to be created by 2030.
They are deeply committed to improving the lives of patients and are critical to meeting the nation's growing health care needs. The opportunity for Physician assistant has never been greater. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that PA employment will increase by 31 percent between 2019 and 2030 much faster than the average. For the fifth year in a row, physician assistants have been named one of the top two health care jobs in the country by U.S. News. About 150,000 PAs practice in the United States and interact with more than 400 million patients annually, according to the AAPA. More than half of Physician Assistants work in outpatient clinics, followed by 35.4 percent in a hospital. More than 26 percent of PAs work in surgical specialties and 21 percent in primary care.
Physicians and other Advanced Practitioners
Physicians ranked #4 on this year's U.S. News list of the best health care jobs, excluding a number of surgeon and physician positions, which were ranked separately. According to the BLS, physicians have an average income of $208,000 and a projected 4.5 percent employment growth between 2020 and 2030. An estimated 18,700 physician jobs are expected to open during this period. Nurse anesthetists, who perform general and regional anesthesia, were ranked 8th this year.
They earn an average annual salary of $183,580, and the field is expected to add 5,600 jobs by 2030.
Obstetric nurses, who provide gynecology and obstetrics care, ranked 24th with an average annual salary of $111,130, and the profession is expected to add 800 jobs.
If you are currently looking for job opportunities, click on the links below to apply for openings with healthcare leaders. Click here to sign up on DirectShifts.
November 18, 2022
Comments