In case you hadn’t heard, the healthcare staffing industry is booming. The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis has projected demand for the best allied health careers to increase by 2030 for clinical laboratory technologists by 19%, occupational therapists by 22%, physical therapists by 26%, and respiratory therapists by 30%. That's a whole lotta jobs (and cash) waiting for you.
To get a better idea of the types of allied health careers in demand, let’s explore 15 of the highest paying allied health careers in the U.S.
- Perfusionist
- Cardiac cath lab technologist
- Occupational therapist (OT)
- Speech-language pathologist (SLP)
- Clinical lab scientist (CLS)
- Electrophysiology technician (EP tech)
- Physical therapist (PT)
- Interventional radiology technologist (IR tech)
- Radiation therapist
- Nuclear medicine technologist
- Computed tomography technologist (CT tech)
- Magnetic resonance imaging technologist (MRI tech)
- Ultrasound technologist (sonographer)
- Respiratory therapist
- Radiology technologist (X-ray tech)
Top 15 Highest Paying Allied Health Jobs
Perfusionist
- Average annual salary: $130,300
- Average hourly rate: $63
- Salary range: $115,500 to $161,000
- Projected growth: 15% by 2030
- Education requirements: bachelor's degree in cardiovascular perfusion
- Relevant certifications: perfusion basic science examination (PBSE)
Perfusionists are allied health professionals who have a range of roles in the medical field, including monitoring body function during surgery. To be a perfusionist, you must have excellent communication skills and be able to concentrate for a long time.
Perfusionists serve on cardiology surgical teams to help with open-heart surgery. Their responsibility is to operate a heart-lung machine that pumps oxygenated blood to the patient's tissues while the surgeon operates on the heart.
The perfusionist also manages the physiological and metabolic demands of the patient while the cardiac surgeon and surgical technologist operate on the heart. Surgeons rely on perfusionists to monitor circulation and notify them if something changes.
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Cardiac cath lab technologist
- Average annual salary: $92,717
- Average hourly rate: $45
- Salary range: $82,000 to $123,500
- Projected growth: 14% by 2030
- Education requirements: associate degree
- Relevant certifications: Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS)
Cardiac cath lab technologists assist healthcare providers with invasive cardiovascular procedures including cardiac catheterization, angioplasty, and electrophysiology procedures. These allied health professionals are highly skilled in anatomy, medical terminology, and assisting with invasive cardiovascular procedures. These specialized technicians are trained in the use of catheterization clinical laboratory equipment and in specific techniques for vascular access.
Aside from invasive catheterization, they might also be responsible for assisting with attaching electrodes or inserting I.V.'s depending on the procedure your doctor is performing.
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Occupational therapist (OT)
- Average annual salary: $92,159
- Average hourly rate: $44
- Salary range: $73,500 to $131,000
- Projected growth: 17% by 2030
- Education requirements: master's degree
- Relevant certifications: National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) and specialty certifications from the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
Occupational therapists (OTs) are allied health pros who treat injured, ill, or disabled patients through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. They help these patients develop, recover, and improve the skills needed for daily living and working.
Common occupational therapist interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing support for the aging population experiencing physical and cognitive changes.
Speech-language pathologist (SLP)
- Average annual salary: $92,093
- Average hourly rate: $44
- Salary range: $71,500 to $129,000
- Projected growth: 29% by 2030
- Education requirements: master's degree
- Relevant certifications: Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech Language Pathology (CCC-SLP)
Speech-language pathologists are allied healthcare professionals experts in the evaluation and treatment of communication disorders. SLPs may treat patients of all kinds, from children to adults.
Speech therapy techniques are used to improve communication skills and swallowing abilities, including using speech and language therapy techniques to improve communication skills and swallowing abilities. Reasons for speech, language, and swallowing disorders can include stroke, brain injury, hearing loss or developmental delays, or a cleft palate. Speech language pathologists also provide services to the legal system, schools, parents, and businesses, meaning there are plenty of these allied healthcare jobs available.
Clinical lab scientist (CLS)
- Average annual salary: $91,309
- Average hourly rate: $44
- Salary range: $75,000 to $127,000
- Projected growth: 11% by 2030
- Education requirements: most employers require four-year Bachelor's degree
- Relevant certifications: medical laboratory scientist (MLS) or medical lab technologist (MLT) certification through the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP)
Clinical lab scientists, also known as medical laboratory scientists or medical technologists, specialize in analyzing biological samples and identifying if a disease is present. They do so with a variety of tests using various analytical and diagnostic equipment in hospitals and diagnostic medical laboratories. The different subsets for core laboratory work consist of chemistry, hematology, coagulation, and urinalysis. Blood bank and microbiology are the other two areas.
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Electrophysiology technician (EP tech)
- Average annual salary: $90,567
- Average hourly rate: $44
- Salary range: $75,000 to $121,000
- Projected growth: 8% by 2030
- Education requirements: associate or bachelor's degree
- Relevant certifications: Registered Cardiac Electrophysiology Specialist (RCES)
Electrophysiologists rely on electrophysiology technicians (EP techs) to assist them during diagnostic and invasive procedures, including programmed electrical stimulation, sterile scrub technique, 3D mapping, and catheter ablation for cardiac arrhythmias. EP lab techs scrub in and assist the physician, as well as clean and maintain equipment used in the cath lab.
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Physical therapist (PT)
- Average annual salary: $89,349
- Average hourly rate: $39
- Salary range: $75,000 to $116,900
- Projected growth: 20.5% by 2030
- Education requirements: doctorate of physical therapy (DPT)
- Relevant certifications: National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE) and specialty certifications from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)
Physical therapists (PTs) are responsible for developing and implementing treatment plans to address the needs of patients with injuries or physical disabilities. That includes developing a treatment program, performing tests, providing post-surgery care and instruction, and providing pain relief.
A physical therapist plays an important role in the rehabilitation, preventative care, and treatment of patients with injuries, illnesses, and chronic conditions that affect functional movement. Physical therapy direct patient care varies depending on the setting, as the needs of patients with sports injuries are different than orthopedic or geriatric patients.
Interventional radiology technologist (IR tech)
- Average annual salary: $88,807
- Average hourly rate: $43
- Salary range: $71,000 to $124,500
- Projected growth: 9% by 2030
- Education requirements: associate or bachelor's degree
- Relevant certifications: cardiac-interventional and vascular interventional certifications through the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (AART)
Interventional radiology technologists are healthcare providers who operate the equipment in a medical suite to perform therapeutic medical procedures. IR techs also assist physicians with procedures that result in less risk, pain, and recovery time compared to traditional surgeries. Their overall goal is to use the least invasive techniques available to improve patient outcomes.
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Radiation therapist
- Average annual salary: $88,324
- Average hourly rate: $42
- Salary range: $74,500 to $113,000
- Projected growth: 9% by 2030
- Education requirements: associate or bachelor's degree
- Relevant certifications: ARRT (T)
Radiation therapists operate machines linear accelerators to deliver concentrated radiation therapy that kills cancer cells or slows down the growth of cancer cells in a patient’s body. The therapist uses the machine to aim radiation beams at the patient’s body, where the beams are absorbed by the cancer cells. Radiation therapists are part of large oncology teams who work to treat patients suffering from cancer.
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Nuclear medicine technologist
- Average annual salary: $84,341
- Average hourly rate: $41
- Salary range: $64,000 to $117,000
- Projected growth: 9% by 2030
- Education requirements: associate or bachelor's degree
- Relevant certifications: NMT (AART), NMTCB
A nuclear medicine technologist is an allied health professional who operates medical imaging equipment and administers radioactive drugs to their patients that react to the radiation emitted by the machines they use. Doctors diagnose the patient's condition and determine the appropriate healthcare services and treatment based on these images. Nuclear medicine technology professionals also perform other clinical tasks like preparing and administering radiopharmaceuticals, occasionally assisting with some types of radiotherapy.
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Computed tomography technologist (CT tech)
- Average annual salary: $77,231
- Average hourly rate: $37
- Salary range: $60,500 to $108,000
- Projected growth: 9% by 2039
- Education requirements: associate or bachelor's degree
- Relevant certifications: AART (CT)
As a CT technologist, you'll likely work in hospitals or imaging outpatient care centers performing scans on all parts of the body for a variety of reasons. Some patients need imaging to diagnose a disease or an ailment, while others may need imaging for other reasons. CT technologists must be able to accurately interpret a physician’s scanning instructions, administer contrast materials, prepare and operate the equipment, and position the patient to complete a CT scan.
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Magnetic resonance imaging technologist (MRI tech)
- Average annual salary: $75,550
- Average hourly rate: $36
- Salary range: $63,000 to $93,000
- Projected growth: 8% growth by 2030
- Education requirements: associate or bachelor's degree
- Relevant certifications: AART (MR), ARMRIT
Magnetic resonance imaging technologists, also known as MRI techs, are a huge part of the healthcare field as they are responsible for completing the pre-scan and scan phases of an MRI exam. MRI techs use high-tech computerized MRI scanners to provide cross-sectional and 3-D reconstructed images of a patient’s organs and tissues, so physicians can diagnose and accurately pinpoint treatment for patients. Since MRI scans can often last for 30 minutes to one hour, MRI techs are often responsible for keeping their patients calm and comfortable during the exams while in the control room.
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Ultrasound technologist (sonographer)
- Average annual salary: $74,176
- Average hourly rate: $36
- Salary range: $59,500 to $101,000
- Projected growth: 14% by 2030
- Education requirements: associate or bachelor's degree
- Relevant certifications: ARRT (S), RDMS
Diagnostic medical sonographers, also known as ultrasound technologists, operate equipment that uses high-frequency sound waves to record images of patients’ internal organs and evaluate blood flow. The videos and images are used to help physicians diagnose and create treatment plans for their patients. Sonographers can specialize in OB/GYN, vascular, mammography, or high-risk ultrasound techniques by obtaining specialty certifications.
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Respiratory therapist
- Average annual salary: $70,501
- Average hourly rate: $34
- Salary range: $51,500 to $101,500
- Projected growth: 23% by 2030
- Education requirements: associate or bachelor's degree
- Relevant certifications: RRT (NBRC), CRT (NBRC)
Respiratory therapists are allied healthcare workers who specialize in providing care for the lungs and possess advanced knowledge in the anatomy and function of the respiratory system. The goal of a respiratory therapist is to ensure that a patient’s breathing functions are operating at the highest levels of performance.
Respiratory therapists provide medical services for patients suffering from chronic diseases, such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and emphysema. They also administer diagnostic tests and treat diseases, infections, or viruses of the cardiopulmonary system, such as lung cancer, bronchitis, and pneumonia. Respiratory therapy professionals have been front-line healthcare providers for patients with COVID-19.
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Radiology technologist (X-ray tech)
- Average annual salary: $61,119
- Average hourly rate: $29
- Salary range: $46,000 to $84,000
- Projected growth: 9% by 2030
- Education requirements: associate's degree
- Relevant certifications: AART (R)
Radiologic technologists use equipment that takes images of the human anatomy that can be used to help diagnose injuries, medical problems, or diseases. These images are then sent to a radiologist who will interpret the images and provide a diagnosis. Radiology techs are responsible for taking special precautions to protect and reduce patients' exposure to radiation. Rad techs looking to advance into specialty roles in radiology like CT or MRI typically get experience and on-the-job training through a certificate or associate degree accredited program before completing certificate programs offered by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (AART).
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Allied health workers are wildly in demand now and will continue to be in the future. If you’re looking for guaranteed success in your field, consider one of these 15 top-paying allied health jobs.
