Many jobs in healthcare are high-stress: they require high levels of responsibility, especially when patient's lives and health outcomes are at risk. However, not all healthcare jobs are guaranteed to spike blood pressure.
In a ranking of the 10 least stressful jobs for 2015, four jobs in healthcare made the cut. Interestingly, a ranking of 10 most stressful jobs contained no positions in healthcare.
Professions are given stress scores by job search site CareerCast based on 11 stress factors: travel, growth potential, deadlines, working in the public eye, competitiveness, physical demand, environmental conditions, hazards encountered, putting one's own life at risk, having another's life at risk and meeting the public. A low stress score indicates a calmer profession.
For perspective, firefighters, who top the chart as the most stressful job of 2015, score a 71.59 on the stress scale. Here's how the four healthcare-related professions on the list measured up.
Audiologists: As No. 2 on the list of least stressful jobs this year, audiologists earned a stress score of just 6.30, according to the report. These hearing professionals earn a median salary of $69,720 and have a projected growth rate of 34 percent by 2022, most likely a result of our nation's aging population. They have control of their schedule and work in quiet medical offices, school offices or nursing homes, making audiology the least stressful healthcare profession of 2015, according to CareerCast.
Medical Records Technicians: Medical records technicians landed at No. 4 on the list and as the second least stressful healthcare job. Their ability to work in a quiet environment keeps the job more relaxed. Medical records technicians have projected growth rate by 2022 of 22 percent, and will likely stay in demand as hospitals continue to adopt and refine EHR systems. They earned a stress score of 7.55 and earn a median annual salary of $34,160.
Medical Lab Technicians: Medical lab technicians came in at No. 6, just a couple spots behind medical records technicians. However, they bring home a higher median annual salary of $47,820. Lab tech jobs are expected to grow at a rate of 22 percent by 2022, according to the report. Their ability to analyze samples at their own pace in the controlled environment of a diagnostic center earns lab techs a stress core of 8.98.
Dieticians: CareerCast predicts the trend in healthy eating will keep dieticians in demand, putting them No. 8 in the top 10 least stressful jobs this year. The expected growth rate by 2022 for dieticians is 21 percent. Dieticians may be especially good additions to healthcare coaching teams as health providers begin to look at preventive care and ways to improve patient outcomes. They make a $55,240 median annual salary and earned a stress score of 10.23, due mainly to their pleasant and controlled work environment in hospitals, schools and nursing homes.
Hair stylists, university professors, jewelers, tailors, librarians and forklift operators also ranked as least stressful professions in 2015.
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