10 HIGHEST-PAYING JOBS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

There are dozens of high-paying job paths which degree holders in the United States can tread. Ranging from rewarding medical roles down to lucrative tech-related occupations, the high-paying jobs in the US are many enough for any degree holder to pick the job that fits them best.

If you regard monetary gain as one of the most important considerations for career choice, you may be keen to find the highest-paying jobs out there. In this regard, we have come up with a detailed list of the 10 highest-paying jobs in the United States of America.

While we have provided figures of the average annual salaries estimated for all of these jobs, below is our list of the 10 highest-paying jobs in the United States:

1.Anesthesiology

Anesthesiology is a specialized job concerned with the administering of analgesics and anaesthetics for surgical, pre-surgical or post-surgical pain management. Not only is anesthesiology a high-paying occupation, but it is also a very crucial job where anesthesiologists may be required at the time of childbirth or during an emergency and scheduled surgery.

Anesthesiologists may also have to work for prolonged hours depending on the schedule of their operating room. Besides being a well-reputed occupation, anesthesiology is a medical speciality whose specialists are highly demanded across healthcare structures. In the United States, the average annual salary of anesthesiologists is estimated at $271,440.

If anesthesiology is really your preferred medical speciality, odds are that you want to work as an anesthesiologist in the healthcare system. In this regard, bear in mind that you’ll have to undergo a residency program in anesthesiology. This residency program, which is expected to last four years, serves as a mandatory requirement for anyone who intends to practice as an anesthesiologist in the United States.

2. Surgery

Surgery is undisputedly one of the most rewarding careers that you can pursue in the United States. The reason for this isn’t far-fetched as surgeons are constantly in high demand across the country. You must commit several years to specialized training before you can actually acquire the expertise to practice surgery. Nevertheless, the reward that comes with being a surgeon will certainly make up for the years devoted to the course of training.

Surgeons can fall under various specialities and their work hours may be prolonged depending on the speciality. For example, surgeons who handle neurosurgery or trauma are more likely to be involved in much longer work hours compared to counterparts that engage in elective and preventative procedures. Averagely, surgeons in the United States earn as much as $251,650 annually.

The route to becoming a surgeon makes it mandatory that you acquire a medical school education and complete a residency program. Although not usually compulsory, another requirement you may have to fulfil is completing a fellowship in your surgical speciality.

As a surgeon, your responsibility may involve organizing procedures for the healing of cancer, bone impairment and certain other diseases. In discharging such responsibility, you’re expected to commit yourself to the management of your patient(s) before and after surgery. Even when not scheduled for work, the surgeon should be ready to listen to their patients’ concerns through the medium of communication they deem convenient.

3. Obstetrics and gynaecology

With childbirth and reproductive health being issues of great concern, it is unsurprising that obstetricians and gynaecologists are well remunerated.

Obstetrics and gynaecology is a combined medical speciality concerned with childbirth, reproductive health as well as the treatment of uterine, ovarian and vaginal conditions. As an OB-GYN, you must appear professional and well-groomed in the aspect of treating the said conditions as well as educating patients about ways of promoting reproductive health.

OB-GYNs are skilled doctors who must be able to manage patients with childbirth issues. While obstetrics and gynaecology remain high-paying jobss in the United States, the requirements for becoming an OB-GYN are no different from what is required for becoming a medical doctor.

Therefore, you’re expected to graduate from a medical school and then undergo a four-year residency program in each gynaecology and obstetrics. At the end of each residency program, it will be up to you to sit for and pass the required licensing exam. If you fail to do that, you may not be able to practice as an OB-GYN.

In the United States, the annual average salary of obstetricians and gynaecologists is estimated at $239,120.

4. Orthodontics

Orthodontics is a dental speciality whereby experts (orthodontists) perform procedures –or apply braces and devise mouth guards –in order to correct patients’ tooth deformities or malformations.

Orthodontists may establish their own practices or opt to serve under notable orthodontic practices. Whichever option they stick with, the orthodontists remain, experts, to whom patients are often referred for tooth correction. If you’re dealing with a dental condition that demands the attention of an orthodontist, your dentist will likely not hesitate to refer you to one.

In discharging their duty, orthodontists make use of X-rays and they must be able to communicate effectively since their occupation requires direct contact with patients.

Since orthodontics is considered a branch of dentistry, one of the requirements for becoming an orthodontist is obtaining dental education that combines clinical practice and classroom courses/sessions. Before enrolling in a dental school, –for this dental education –you must have completed your BSc in a relevant discipline. You’ll also be required to undergo residency in a specific program after completing the dental education. A licensing exam, which you must pass, will come at the end of the residency.

Averagely, orthodontists in the United States earn $237,990 annually.

5. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

This high-paying job may be regarded as a surgical occupation where experts deal with patients battling various kinds of injuries, deformities and diseases. Depending on the situation at hand, such experts may also carry out surgical operations involving dental implants. Most commonly, however, oral and maxillofacial surgeons manage and treat such issues as cysts (affecting the mouth or jaw), tumours and tooth deformity.

Just like what is required for other dentistry-related occupations, the requirements for becoming an oral and maxillofacial surgeon include a BSc degree in any relevant discipline, a dental degree and completing a residency program. Each of the relevant dental degree and residency programs should span a four-year duration.

After having completed their residency, prospective oral and maxillofacial surgeons need to be certified by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in the US. For their certification to be successful, these surgeons have to pass a two-part exam. In the US, the average annual salary of oral and maxillofacial surgeons is $234,990.

6. Physicians

Besides the fact that they are well paid, physicians dominate healthcare facilities across the United States. Averagely, US physicians earn $218,850 annually.

Basically, physicians are of different kinds such as oncologists, ophthalmologists, gastroenterologists, radiologists, pathologists, dermatologists, cardiologists, allergists, etc.

Oncologists are physicians who specialize in cancer treatment, radiologists employ radiation in treating cancer, gastroenterologists treat disorders of the digestive system, pathologists conduct examinations of body tissue in order to detect irregularities, and ophthalmologists specialize in eye treatment.

Just as is required for the majority of clinical occupations, a residency program remains an essential requisite for one to become a physician. Depending on the physician’s speciality, a continuation of fellowship training may be necessary.

7. Psychiatry

Psychiatry is a very critical medical speciality that doubles up as one of the highest-paying jobs in the United States.

Generally, psychiatry is concerned with the care and treatment of mental illnesses but when dissected, it becomes obvious that psychiatry is a broad field with some of its sub-specialities being forensic psychiatry, psychoanalysis, child psychiatry, consultation psychiatry and addiction psychiatry.

Each psychiatric sub-speciality tends to focus on a particular aspect of mental illness. Psychoanalysis, for example, focuses on helping patients effectively process their current feelings through the recollection and assessment of previous emotions or experiences.

Psychiatrists are medical professionals who can be found practising in hospitals, rehabilitation centres, schools, jails, community agencies, etc. To become a psychiatrist, you must attend a medical school and enrol in a relevant residency program after your medical education.

The first year of residency training required to become a psychiatrist will, according to the American Psychiatric Association, necessitate dealing with patients suffering from various medical illnesses while working at a hospital. The subsequent years, usually three years involve a good deal of training on mental health.

At the end of the required residency training, prospective psychiatrists in the United States are expected to get certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Psychiatrists remain regularly employed medical professionals and in the United States, they earn an average salary of $217,100 yearly.

7. Prosthodontics

Prosthodontics is a specialized dental branch which entails replacing bad teeth through the use of dentures, veneers, crowns, bridges and dental implants, etc. It’s a dental speciality with experts (prosthodontists) who can accurately diagnose patients’ dental disorders as well as decide on the suitable ways of treating the patients.

As we speak, the United States of America boasts less than 1,000 prosthodontists. This indicates that its current population of prosthodontists is quite low if compared to that of many other medical specialists in this post. The good news however is that BLS has predicted that by 2030, the population of prosthodontists is pretty much likely to have witnessed an 8% increase.

Students with career pursuits in prosthodontics need to arm themselves with a couple of requirements including a college degree, dental school education and residency training. The dental school education will earn the students a DDM (Doctor of Dental Medicine) or DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery).

Having completed the dental school program and the residency training, the prospective prosthodontist needs to get certified by the American Board of Prosthodontics.

Prosthodontists are commonly charged with the duty of working with cancer patients and in discharging the duty, they try to understand the treatment needs of each (surgical) patient. In the US, the average salary of prosthodontists annually is estimated at $214,870.

8. Internal Medicine Physicians

These medical personnel’s job is a high-paying role that requires them to serve as hospitalists or primary care doctors.

Also known as internists, internal medicine physicians focus on caring for adult patients and may be in charge of treating patients with varying conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, etc.

As an internist, you can enrol in residency but before that, you must have earned a BSc in a relevant discipline as well as completed medical school education. Meanwhile, you can switch between two or more healthcare specializations (such as pulmonology, cancer, cardiology, etc.) in the course of the residency. You should also strive to become a board-certified internist so as to boost your employment chances in the job market.

Regardless of their healthcare specializations, internists are expected to be smart and quick in making decisions. This is because, in the primary care settings or the hospitals where these internists are placed, lots of patients are usually admitted.

In the United States, the average salary of an internist is estimated at $210,960 yearly.

9. CEO

Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) are well-paid individuals and this is unsurprisingly why the job of a CEO makes it to our list of 10 highest-paying jobs in the United States. CEOs are the highest earners among professionals outside the medical and dental industries.

The job of a CEO is quite demanding as it involves making strategic decisions, leading a company’s or organization’s management team and conducting meetings with company directors.

Unlike what is required for the other high-paying jobs in this post, the CEO’s job tends to have flexible academic requirements. In fact, many CEOs we know today never studied relevant disciplines at the undergraduate level. Notwithstanding, most Fortune 100 CEOs areas contained in a Forbes report –profiled as BSc holders in business administration.

While it’s been predicted that many more CEOs will spring up in the nearest future, the average salary of US CEOs is estimated at $197,840 yearly.

Conclusion

Notably, most, if not all, of the jobs in our list belong to the medical and dental industries. This perhaps gives the conviction that the healthcare sector lays claim to the highest-paying “degree-specific” jobs in the United States.