Last updated on September 23, 2019
It’s that time of year again: it’s time to talk about the U.S. News and World Report’s 100 Best Jobs of 2018! We’ll be breaking down the list by industry, and discussing which jobs you can get with training from Dallas Community Colleges, and showing you the expected job growth and annual mean salaries for these jobs in Texas.
Due to the huge role of health care as an industry in Dallas County, we’re going to be kicking off the series by writing about health care jobs. But first…
A Brief Explanation of Living Wage
For our purposes, a living wage is the absolute minimum amount an individual must earn per year, working full time, to support him- or herself and any dependents (if applicable). Obviously that’s going to vary based on how many adults are in the household, as well as how many children. Use the Living Wage calculator on our website to figure out what kind of wages you need to earn to meet your basic needs.
17. Dental Hygienist
- Role: Most dental hygienists work in dental offices alongside dentists. They will usually see a patient first and clean the patient’s teeth, removing tartar, stains and plaque as they brush, floss and scrape.
- Annual Mean Wage in Texas: $72,980
- Expected Employment Growth: 20 percent from 2016 to 2026
- Educational Pathway: Dental Hygiene Associate of Applied Science Degree, followed by National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and a regional clinical board in order to apply for licensure by the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners
18. Registered Nurse
- Role: Registered nurses monitor a patient’s condition, perform medical procedures and administer medicine.
- Annual Mean Wage in Texas: $70,390
- Expected Employment Growth: 15 percent from 2016 to 2026
- Educational Pathway: Associate of Applied Science Degree in Nursing (ADN), followed by National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) to become licensed as a registered nurse (RN) in Texas
- You Should Also Consider: an RN-to-BSN transfer program, and maybe even a master’s degree or other advanced certifications — continuing your education will be necessary for advancement into jobs as a nurse practitioner (#3), nurse anesthetist (#17) or nurse midwife (#22)
21. Respiratory Therapist
- Role: Respiratory therapists specialize in helping to treat people who have breathing problems or diseases.
- Annual Mean Wage in Texas: $58,070
- Expected Employment Growth: 23 percent from 2016 to 2026
- Educational Pathway: Respiratory Care Program Associate of Applied Sciences degree, followed by certified respiratory therapist credentialing exam and the advanced practitioners’ registered respiratory therapist exam offered by the National Board of Respiratory Care
26. Diagnostic Medical Sonographer
- Role: A diagnostic medical sonographer uses high-frequency sound waves to visualize the soft tissue structures of internal organs as requested by physicians to diagnose patients.
- Annual Mean Wage in Texas: $77,370
- Expected Employment Growth: 17 percent from 2016 to 2026
- Educational Pathway: Associate in Applied Sciences degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography, followed by registry examinations offered by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography
31. Radiation Therapist
- Role: Radiation therapists work with CAT scans, X-rays and Cone beam computed tomography before radiation is even administered.
- Annual Mean Wage in Texas: $73,270
- Expected Employment Growth: 12 percent from 2016 to 2026
- Educational Pathway: Radiologic Sciences Associate in Applied Sciences degree, followed by completion of the exam leading to licensing by the Texas Department of Health as a certified medical radiologic technologist with the right to use the designation RT(R)
51. Medical Assistant
- Role: Medical assistants are usually the first people you see during a doctor’s appointment. They might cover the front desk, answering phones and filing forms, and they might also do hands-on tasks like drawing blood, administering injections and making sure medical histories are accurately recorded.
- Annual Mean Wage in Texas: $30,270
- Expected Employment Growth: 29 percent from 2016 to 2026
- Educational Pathway: Medical Assisting certificate, followed by credentialing exams with the American Association of Medical Assistants or the American Medical Technologists
58. Medical Secretary, 65. Medical and Health Services Manager & 68. Medical Records Technician
- Role: Medical secretaries manage the daily ebb and flow of patients through a doctor’s office. Medical records technicians might also be called coders, coding specialists or coding representatives. Medical and health services managers are the planners, directors and coordinators who work behind the scenes to keep hospitals, nursing homes, group practices and other health care facilities running efficiently.
Job Title
Expected Employment Growth from 2016 to 2026
Annual Mean Salary in Texas
Medical records and health information technicians +13 percent $39,710 Medical secretaries job outlook – $32,050 Medical transcriptionists -3 percent $40,590 - Educational Pathways: For larger health care systems and hospitals, most medical and health services managers have at least a bachelor’s degree — however, for a smaller private practice, the vast majority of managers have an associate degree or trade school certificate. Training in a Medical Front Office program and/or skills development in Electronic Health Records, Insurance Coding and Billingor a Medical Administrative Assistant/Secretary program will all help prepare you for these types of jobs. Graduates of these programs can expect to work with patient records, insurance billing, computerized accounting and patient databases and to transcribe dictated notes and apply standardized codes to patient records.
60. Occupational Therapy Assistant
- Role: Occupational therapy assistants help people get back into the routine of living by working with patients on routine tasks, such as getting dressed or brushing your teeth.
- Annual Mean Wage in Texas: $74,070
- Expected Employment Growth: 28 percent from 2016 to 2026
- Educational Pathway: Associate of Applied Sciences in Occupational Therapy, followed by a certification exam through the National Board of Certification for Occupational Therapy
64. Radiologic Technologist
- Role: Radiologic technologists perform medical imaging exams and administer radiation therapy treatments.
- Annual Mean Wage in Texas: $55,680
- Expected Employment Growth: Radiologic Technologist jobs are expected to grow 12 percent from 2016 to 2026
- Educational Pathway: Radiologic Sciences Associate in Applied Sciences degree, followed by completion of the exam leading to licensing by the Texas Department of Health as a certified medical radiologic technologist with the right to use the designation RT(R)
66. Home Health Aide
- Role: Home health aides assist patients with tasks they are unable to complete by themselves. That might mean anything from household chores to administering basic first aid care or assisting patients with bathing.
- Annual Mean Wage in Texas: $20,550
- Expected Employment Growth: 40 percent from 2016 to 2026
- Educational Pathway: Aides at agencies that receive funding from Medicare or Medicaid are required to get a minimum level of training and pass a competency evaluation or receive state certification, such as through a Home Health Care and Hospice Aide program.
67. Physical Therapist Aide
- Role: Physical therapist aides support physical therapists and physical therapist assistants by cleaning and sanitizing treatment areas and equipment, washing linens and performing clerical tasks.
- Annual Mean Wage in Texas: $25,820
- Expected Employment Growth: 30 percent from 2016 to 2026
- Educational Pathway: Physical therapist aides are usually required to take annual competency exams, making a Physical Therapy Aide program invaluable to developing and maintaining skills.
78. MRI Technologist
- Role: MRI Technologists operate machines that use a magnetic field and radio waves to create images of patients’ organs, tissue and bones.
- Annual Mean Wage in Texas: $68,360
- Expected Employment Growth: 12 percent from 2016 to 2026
- Educational Pathway: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Associate in Applied Sciences degree, or a Radiologic Sciences Associate in Applied Sciences degree, followed by completion of the MRI Registry examination administered by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists for the registered magnetic resonance technologist credential RT (MR)(ARRT)
87. Nuclear Medicine Technologist
- Role: Nuclear medicine technologists inject small amounts of radioactive material into patients and then take images of their patients’ bodies to diagnose or determine the progression of certain diseases or illnesses, such as cancer or heart disease.
- Annual Mean Wage in Texas: $75,120
- Expected Employment Growth: 10 percent from 2016 to 2026
- Educational Pathway: Radiologic Sciences Associate in Applied Sciences degree, followed by completion of the exam administered by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists and specializing in nuclear medicine on the job
91. Surgical Technologist
- Role: Before the surgeon scrubs in, surgical technologists sterilize the operating room and set tools out on the tables for procedures.
- Annual Mean Wage in Texas: $46,330
- Expected Employment Growth: 12 percent from 2016 to 2026
- Educational Pathway: Surgical Technologist Associate in Applied Sciences degree, followed by a certification exam through the National Board of Surgical Technology
94. Clinical Laboratory Technician
- Role: A clinical laboratory technician is responsible for things like examining bodily fluids and cells and matching blood for transfusions, and will likely use equipment like microscopes and cell counters.
- Annual Mean Wage in Texas: $40,060
- Expected Employment Growth: 13 percent from 2016 to 2026
- Educational Pathway: Medical Laboratory Technology Associate in Applied Sciences degree
96. Licensed Practical Nurse/Licensed Vocational Nurse
- Role: Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses check vital signs, perform enemas, install catheters, dress wounds, deliver medicine, massage muscles, assist patients in maintaining their hygiene, help with feeding (for infants to the elderly), start IVs, monitor medical equipment and so much more.
- Annual Mean Wage in Texas: $46,110
- Expected Employment Growth: 12 percent from 2016 to 2026
- Educational Pathway: Licensed Vocational Nursing (LVN) program
- You Should Also Consider: an LVN-to-RN bridge program to advance your nursing career over time
98. Dental Assistant
- Role: Dental assistants usually help with things like preparing and sterilizing instruments, processing X-rays and maintaining patient records.
- Annual Mean Wage in Texas: $35,770
- Expected Employment Growth: 19 percent from 2016 to 2026
- Educational Pathway: Dental Assisting program
Not familiar with Dallas Community Colleges? Let us help you with that…
- Learn more about our nursing and health care degrees and certificates.
- Read more about Dallas Community Colleges.
- Interested in taking classes with us? Apply for admission on our website.