If you are having one of those days where you question why you got into this game, take comfort from the knowledge that a new report from the United States has identified dentistry as the third-best job, and the best healthcare career, you can have in the United States.
The report, compiled by US News & World Report, ranked software development and computer systems analysis jobs higher than dentistry. To identify which professions should be in the list, the authors started with data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics identifying jobs with a greatest hiring demand in the next ten years, then ranked occupations based on an overall score calculated from seven component measures: 10-year growth volume, 10-year growth percentage, median salary, employment rate, future job prospects, stress level and work-life balance. The resulting ranking gives a number between 0 and 10, with 10 being the highest ranking (and most desirable)
Among the best occupations of 2014, two dental-related professions cracked the top 10: dentists at No. 3, and dental hygienists at No. 10. Dentists scored an 8.2; dental hygienists a 7.7.
“The need for professionals to examine our teeth, fill and —gulp—refill our cavities isn’t fading,” according to the report, adding that the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts employment growth of nearly 16 percent between 2012 and 2022, with more than 23,000 new openings.
The report found that dentists earned a median salary of $145,240 in 2012.
“A comfortable salary, low unemployment rate and agreeable work-life balance boost dentist to the No. 3 position on our list of Best Jobs of 2014,” according to U.S. News.
For dental hygienists, the Bureau of Labor Statistics determined that employment will grow 33.3 percent by 2022. It also has a median salary or $70,210 and an unemployment rate of 2.8 percent.
