Respiratory Therapist comes in at #16 in Best Healthcare Jobs of 2018 U.S. News reports. The same publication in 2017 listed Respiratory Therapists as #21 in The 100 Best Jobs.
The metrics U.S. News utilizes to create their 2018 list includes a scorecard system comparing salary, job market, future growth, stress, and work life balance.
balance.
So how did we do? Respiratory Therapist earned an overall score of 7.1 out of 10, with a high score of 8 in the "future growth" category. This should be of no surprise to those of us in the field, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipating a 23% growth from 2016 to 2026.
Growth isn't the only good news bls.gov or U.S. News has to offer, reporting a current median salary of $58,670 and the highest-paid RTs earning $81,550 per year with an incredible 0.8% unemployment rate. This puts the median RT earning just shy of the current median HOUSEHOLD income of $59,039.
The bad? Coming in at a score of 4 out of 10 on the "stress" category, ( also no surprise to those of us in the field ) due to "Work environment and complexities of the job's responsibilities" and an "above average" stress level.
Work life balance also came in at a 4 out of 10 due in part to what U.S. News says is an "Alternative working schedule." Anyone else working endless back to back 12 hour night shifts this flu season?
Comment below how you think we could solve these short comings and keep Respiratory Therapist moving up the ranks of Best Healthcare Jobs for 2019 and beyond.