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] Medical professionals smile together as they build successful careers that began by researching jobs in the medical field.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/5SGnNwoLAbGGeKfrxIhFMX/9c898373ca6d5e5bf7882bba918810a4/GettyImages-1461608440.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image]: A female, with black hair, wearing a white uniform and blue goggles, and a male with black hair, wearing a white uniform and blue goggles. They are working in a lab, holding, writing and analyzing an experiment.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/24oIwKlCDs5VyfbLNVKwSg/0a8570eafc3195ef7119e06a93184073/GettyImages-1159612116__2_.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image]: A female, with black hair, wearing a blue uniform, face covering, and a stethoscope around her neck. She is looking at a chart standing in a medical office.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/7kjMn9iJbs5e9x2LVE19RD/255ad5071dc9006b41fbbc445e775725/GettyImages-1310360109__9_.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] A woman sits at a reception desk.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/22G1e1rGwvuoVXNpU4WJMN/47aeb0dff19ce02e31776efa4dd24567/GettyImages-1132122259.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image]: A female home health aide, with long brown hair, wearing a green uniform and a blue face covering, is taking care of a male patient in his home.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/17M9hqkKQRvk6bxr4YbCDF/878162dcf9d750f37f75bd9cf32622af/GettyImages-1293212244__3_.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] A dental assistant speaks with a patient in the dentist's office.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/3LN9IJZcxfhY8o8VtvaFQD/62e5fa3a37d386c10a7576c5c9f1e608/UD47WFzQ.jpeg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image]: A female, nurse midwife, wearing a pink uniform, and a stethoscope around her neck, is talking to a pregnant woman, wearing a white top and black pants. They are sitting on a couch,, with two blue pillows. with a plant on one side,](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/2HkiH622WIhwTZuebOIrDq/9cced1fa0632b53cbf392a6a97d2fec7/GettyImages-1304284895.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image]: A male, nursing home administrator, with short black hair, wearing glasses, wearing a blue white patterned shirt with a dark tie, is speaking to staff, one male with a green uniform and a female wearing a white coat, patterned dress, who is holding her laptop.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/1Q0ShKymEPKTv8Q8nttI3m/fc97bc88fecc79b78bcfa93185e9c493/GettyImages-1211642642.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] A hospital administrator and two medical professionals sit at a conference table.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/20iqTvg1U85OOrk54RBEM7/6afbc1296e5dac5c2e76404002f3effd/GettyImages-1320789671__1_.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image]: A female, with black hair, wearing a blue uniform, with a white long sleeve shirt and a blue face covering. She is looking at a chart, as she performs her duties as a public health nurse.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/6u1Ua6VeQ5G7LHmgY49lkn/a4b66c133d08700c328c1f0e158170de/GettyImages-1310360109__8_.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image]: A male, with short brown hair, a beard, and wearing glasses. He is wearing white pants, a white shirt, and a white jacket. He is sitting at his desk in front of his desktop and a larger screen on the wall.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/6MVMhAidgCMfAHgEpzphHg/d4f10103b02364775a0d32a719161f57/GettyImages-1062185500__1_.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
