Category: Allied Healthcare

Therapists Among the Top 10 Highest Paid Healthcare Pros

Ask most people what the highest paying career in healthcare is and the most likely response will be physician. That’s the right response. Physicians have traditionally been the highest paid in the healthcare industry. But in the most recent MedPage Today list of top ten highest paying healthcare gigs, there are some surprises. For instance, the last two positions on that list go to therapists.

Physical therapists come in at number ten while radiation therapists take the number nine position. Both types of therapy are widely utilized throughout American healthcare to help patients dealing with a variety of health problems. If you were looking to get into healthcare but didn’t want to go the doctor or nurse route, therapy would certainly be an option.

Physical Therapists

Getting back to the MedPage Today list, physical therapists round out the top ten list with an average salary of $91,000 annually. Based on a standard 40-hour work week, physical therapists make about $44 per hour. That’s not bad.

Physical therapists help patients improve their overall health and quality of life by improving mobility, managing pain, and strengthening muscles, tendons, and ligaments. They treat patients suffering from chronic conditions and illnesses. They also help patients recover from injuries and surgeries.

Radiation Therapists

The radiation therapy career is not as well-known. Radiation therapists work alongside oncologists and other members of a patient’s healthcare team to treat cancer. It is the radiation therapist who operates radiation treatment equipment.

This is a highly skilled position that demands appropriate education and training. Radiation therapists work at hospitals or independent cancer treatment clinics, earning a salary of $94,000 annually. They make about $45 per hour based on a 40-hour work week.

If you are in one of these positions, none of this information is new. You are well acquainted with physical and radiation therapists. You also know that the demand for their services is never-ending. The question is this where will you find your next opportunity?

It Starts with the Search

Whether you are looking to change employers or get an extra gig, it all starts with the job search. As we say time and again, our organization can help you find what you are looking for. Healthjobsnationwide.com, presently, has 9k therapist jobs on the site.

Worth the Money

Physical and radiation therapists take the final two spots on the MedPage Today list of the top ten highest paid healthcare professions. They make good money, and they are worth every penny. The same goes for occupational therapists, speech therapists, and so forth.

The employers on our job board know the value of a highly skilled therapists. We know the value of quality jobs. We want to help. Check us out and see. 

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Modern Medical Jobs: Trading Gig Work for Steady Employment?

Medical jobs come in all shapes and sizes. There are private practice doctors and therapists and those employed by hospital groups, clinics, etc. Nurses can choose to work for an employer or freelance as a temporary/per diem provider. At times, the options may seem limitless. But what are the differences between gig work and steady employment?

MarketWatch contributor Kelly James wrote a fascinating piece in late July 2022 about his transition from freelance writing to corporate work. While his experience isn’t identical to healthcare workers who trade self-employment for medical jobs, there are some similarities worth examining.

To set this up, the equivalent of gig work in the medical field is contract work. Medical professionals fill temporary needs on contracts, either arranged on their own or through a temporary/per diem provider. They are self-employed in every sense of the word.

Self-Employment Freedom

In Kelly’s case, he first gave up a lucrative career as a lawyer to become a freelance writer. It was something he had dreamed about for a long time. Going the freelance route afforded him the freedom to be his own boss. He was able to make his own schedule, do something he loved to do, and earn a very good living. It seemed perfect.

Likewise, there is no shortage of doctors, nurses and therapists who have traded in traditional medical employment for the temporary/per diem lifestyle. As prn providers, they are able to take contracts that suit them. They can work when they want to and take time off when necessary. They can even combine work and travel.

The Downsides

In Kelly’s cases, there were downsides. He went back to the corporate world almost out of necessity. He decided that life circumstances required him to have a traditional job with a steady paycheck and medical insurance and was willing to give up being his own boss to get those two things.

Temporary/per diem providers are in a slightly different position. Demand for their services is so high that they rarely need to actively drum up new business. As for health insurance, it is still expensive. But a practitioner who chooses to work through a temporary/per diem agency might get health insurance included as part of the package.

Traditional Employment Stability

Kelly’s return to the corporate world was easy, at first. He enjoyed the routine and He enjoyed getting to know his coworkers and being able to collaborate with them. He certainly enjoyed the stability that comes with working for someone else.

Doctors, nurses, and therapists are no different. More than one locum has returned to traditional employment for the same reasons that drove Kelly back to the corporate world. Self-employment has its perks, but traditional medical jobs offer the kind of stability that doesn’t come with freelancing.

Controlled by Someone Else

On the downside, traditional employment brings with it the burden of being controlled by someone else. Kelly left his first corporate job due to a micromanager who controlled his day so tightly that he felt he couldn’t breathe. Healthcare executives and managers can be equally controlling.

Kelly also had to give up the freedom of making his own schedule and the satisfaction that comes from building a business of his own. Likewise, transitioning from temporary work to a traditional medical job pretty much eliminates work freedom.

Both gig work and traditional employment have their positives and negatives. For most people, traditional employment is the preferred option. But there are some who taste the freedom of self-employment and never look back. That is the way it is in every industry. Medical jobs are no exception.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Healthcare Jobs at the Mall? Yes, It’s a Thing!

Could your search for healthcare jobs lead you to a new position at the mall? Absolutely. As healthcare systems and medical groups are looking for ways to expand without putting a ton of money into new buildings, they are finding the mall environment quite attractive. Malls all over the country are being transformed into mixed-use facilities that include medical facilities of all stripes.

 Vanderbilt University Medical Center has already successfully converted open space at one Nashville mall into multiple clinics. Now they have their eyes set on the Hickory Hollow Mall in the city’s southeast district. The mall offers more than 1 million square feet of easily flexible space, space that could be utilized by a health clinic just as easily as a clothing boutique.

 Saving the Dying Mall

 America’s shopping malls became the place to see and be seen when they first emerged in the 1970s. Throughout the eighties and into the nineties, shopping mall owners enjoyed strong revenue and plenty of growth. But then, for whatever reason, the mall began dying out. An already struggling business model took a big hit from the COVID pandemic.

 These days, owners are looking for every possible way to save the dying mall. Mixed-use projects are one way to do that. Furthermore, inviting medical facilities to set up shop in empty mall space is a win-win for multiple reasons. Property owners benefit by signing new tenants. Medical facilities benefit from two things malls offer in spades: floor space and parking.

 Shopping malls are known for their wide-open spaces, especially in anchor stores. Turning a former department store into a surgical center is just one example. The owner of a medical center walks in and has hundreds of thousands of square feet ready to be converted into surgical suites. Outside is a vast ocean of parking space that offers patients easy access.

 The Possibilities Are Endless

 If this new mixed-use model catches on with medical groups, the possibilities could be endless. From primary care clinics to remote healthcare screening solutions, nothing is off the table. That means plenty of healthcare jobs in spaces that used to be occupied by retail workers hawking everything from bedsheets to jeans.

 Turning vacant mall space into medical space is the real estate equivalent of repurposing. It is a fantastic idea whose time has come. Think about it. How much land was cleared to build that huge mall that now sits nearly empty? It doesn’t make sense to tear the structure down and start over again. So why not re-purpose it?

 Malls are perfect for redevelopment because they are essentially skeletons of flexible space. Malls are architectural shells. You keep the perimeter walls and roof intact while inside, the space is flexible enough to accommodate just about anything. Malls are designed to be that way.

 Mixing Medical with Retail

 Even more intriguing is the concept of mixing medical with retail. One group of workers goes to the mall in search of retail jobs. Another group seeks out medical jobs. While they are all working their typical 9-to-5s, patients and customers become one and the same. They see their doctors first thing in the morning, then head down the walkway to pick up a cup of coffee before going shopping. It is a marriage made in heaven.

 Your next search for healthcare jobs may very well have you looking at mall employment. You might not be staffing the cash register at a retail shop, but you could be offering primary healthcare services in a clinic right next door. It is the wave of the future.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Is a Career in Allied Health Right for You?

Healthcare is one of those industries for which there will always be available jobs. Healthcare is a basic human need, so the demand for healthcare workers will always exist. But do not assume that the best careers in the healthcare sector are limited to doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and dentists. There is an entire allied health category to consider.

Positions in allied health are still healthcare jobs. Many of them involve direct patient interaction. Others do not. Either way, careers in allied healthcare are every bit as important to patient health and well-being as clinical careers. To be clear, clinical careers are more or less the ‘big four’:

  • Medical doctor
  • Nurse (including advanced practice nurses)
  • Pharmacist
  • Dentist

Pretty much all other healthcare jobs fall under the allied health category. As it turns out, a majority of all healthcare jobs are in the allied category. Allied healthcare workers run the gamut from radiologists to technicians and dental hygienists.

3 Categories of Allied Health

There are no hard and fast rules for dividing up allied healthcare jobs into highly specific categories. However, there are three general categories that most healthcare facilities and hiring managers recognize:

  • Primary Care – Allied healthcare jobs in primary care are those related to providing day-to-day care in the GP’s office, community medical clinic, etc.
  • Diagnostic and Lab – Healthcare jobs in the diagnostic and lab category include things like lab technicians and phlebotomy technicians.
  • Admin, Rehab, and Promotion – This is the broadest category and includes administrative jobs, careers in marketing, and rehabilitative specialties.

We list literally thousands of allied healthcare jobs on the Health Jobs Nationwide jobs board. Take a few minutes to browse through them and you will see all three categories represented quite well. Needless to say, the healthcare sector has plenty of room for new allied health workers.

Choosing the Right Career

With so many possibilities in allied healthcare, choosing the right career may be a bit challenging. Ask yourself whether you are looking for a patient-facing career. That is the first dividing line. If you would prefer to not work directly with patients in a delivery setting, you can then take certain career choices off your list.

Next, what are your thoughts on education? Different allied health jobs require different levels of commitment in both time and financial resources. Some allied health jobs for example can be had with just a certification that can be obtained after taking a comparatively short training course. Other careers require many years of college education along with state licensing.

Finally, ask yourself where you actually want to work. Although allied healthcare jobs are available all across the country, some markets are stronger than others for specific types of jobs. The Health Jobs Nationwide jobs board can help to some degree in this respect. You can browse the board to see what types of jobs are available where you want to live.

Your Job Search Starts Here

Whether you are new to allied health or a seasoned pro, your search for a new job starts right here. Health Jobs Nationwide offers thousands of posts from employers looking to hire allied health workers. You can sort by job type, geographic location, and much more.

Is allied health right for you? Only you can decide that. But if it is, be confident in the fact that there are plenty of allied healthcare jobs available in the U.S. We can help you find the one you are looking for. If you are ready to get started, so are we. Your career in allied health is waiting.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.