Health care is a booming industry with a wide range of rewarding jobs working with patients, communities, or behind the scenes. Explore your career options with these guides to careers in the health industry.
Working in health care can look like a lot of different things. You may work directly with patients as a doctor, nurse, or physical therapist, or maybe you work within communities through a public health career. You'll also find jobs behind the scenes, working in a lab or with health care data. You'll find several fields to explore:
In a 2023 report, the BLS notes the median annual wage for health care professionals in May 2022 was $77,760, a significantly higher salary than the national median wage of $46,310 for all professions during the same period. Furthermore, the BLS anticipates the health care industry to grow much faster than average between 2022 and 2032 [1].
Health care in the United States is a booming industry with a wide range of jobs offering salaries exceeding the national median, which could make it a good choice depending on your interests. You'll find a wide range of jobs in health care – from those that only require a high school diploma to those requiring a doctorate and many years of medical training.
As you are considering a career in the medical field, you should think about the kind of work environment that best fits your personality. While some might thrive on the tension and pressure of the surgery room, others might flourish in the daily routine of providing at-home patient care to the elderly. Others, meanwhile, might enjoy the work of dealing with animals and their owners in a veterinary office rather than dealing with the personal politics of a busy hospital.
Each career in health care offers the opportunity for working in totally different environments, so consider the kind of environment that you feel fits you best.
![[Featured Image]: A woman with long brown hair and smiling. She is wearing blue scrubs with white trim. She has a stethoscope around her neck. She is talking to a woman wearing a multi-colored sweater and a head covering.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/4DQzempX6djglTBU7eAeOc/c51aff0334fdc408c844b94cf35e869c/GettyImages-1173646995.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured image] A smiling health care professional listens to her patient's heart through a stethoscope while they are in the patient's home.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/3QD1XxFmRJsaAzFKMJAD3n/e7a489421fd0b00df760fe72ad181dcb/GettyImages-2148812369.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image]: Public Health professional analyzing information on a public health issue.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/2zSMOwL2uQdNCphTEwE2fE/f43312fd6736c4affc4a286e02630b1d/GettyImages-108436364__4_.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] Two RNs discuss the most common career change for nurses and how they plan to pursue their professional passions.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/6rgmdSAHBxeGgKARBhyj7e/ed935fbe1f1d6b94ffb3e204d4601528/GettyImages-1201413055.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] A group discusses the value of community health worker certification for improving individuals’ skill sets.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/2Akgbix9yWU2lbmoYKrRV6/0594b81181ab4a6cf67e3b16648a6584/GettyImages-611878506.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured image] A nurse educator, one of the highest-paying public health jobs, speaks to students in a classroom.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/2zb1aejuq0pp3gFdLQY3TA/2e78bbdcf32891ffcb8ca2c1e0c9f657/GettyImages-1441981174.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] A public health consultant smiles at a person across the desk while explaining information on a mobile device.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/1lC0uRxgKlIXrp6WgX1qKp/bea3ec5dd2da5ec2bac6427af3ebc331/GettyImages-1401761851.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured image] A community health worker sits in a gymnasium working with two young children.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/6eW74Qx3NQLMZjHVq0VULi/daf1bfc51f7d9608f95554b503081599/GettyImages-1432208095.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured image] A travel nurse in teal scrubs walks through an airport.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/3OenOLQ9Igco9zuHu7jQ1h/da1ce2724f3399832288825366ffb604/GettyImages-1753686442.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured image] An IT support specialist in a health care facility works on connecting a tablet with a computer system.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/7webZperCypnxa18coQaO7/1948ecb0ef694fd1ea77499e8d1fc150/GettyImages-1440512414.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured image] Nurse at a computer](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/3pHquPozxtpenNa9v7vync/e9581ad3528967e92dfdcfa939af33aa/iStock-1212168161.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured image] A health inspector in a white jacket stands in front of two workers and a red brick wall.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/01aOpAwhICi4YEv708n8Xo/77da08724c290d0993c6e5cdcb63839c/GettyImages-1210338263.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Fetured imge] Two health information managers stand in a white room, looking at patient data on a laptop computer while standing in front of two desktop computers](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/1RrbflGLI49vB1LjuXux6f/d769161926d789ac43da94c908447d3c/GettyImages-1267151244__1_.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured image] A health inspector analyzes a report using a smartphone and a notebook](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/46UBfgFuk5jn5lmNXfMkM6/cf5bd7158d3bb6ec0120a2d32b3e5fa3/Paulina_Mensah_Ghana_20201118_0220.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
