NPs, PAs Among 100 Best Jobs of 2018

US News & World Report released its ranking of the 100 best jobs of 2018, and nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) ranked as some of the highest on the list.

For its ranking, US News analyzed data on several factors associated with each job: salary, unemployment rate, 10-year growth volume, 10-year growth percentage, future job prospects, stress level, and work-life balance. Each of these considerations capture desirable qualities that employees seek out in their careers.

Last year, health care professions dominated the list, with dentists topping off the ranking at #1 and NPs and PAs at #2 and #3, respectively.

This year, PAs and NPs tied in their ranking on the scorecard, taking the #3 and #4 spots.

These are the top 5 jobs on the list for 2018:

1. Software Developer

• Projected jobs: 253,400
• Median salary: $100,800
• Unemployment rate: 1.6%

2. Dentist

• Projected jobs: 23,200
• Median salary: $153,900
• Unemployment rate: 0.4%

3. Physician Assistant

• Projected jobs: 39,700
• Median salary: $101,480
• Unemployment rate: 0.7%

4. Nurse Practitioner

• Projected jobs: 56,000
• Median salary: $100,910
• Unemployment rate: 0.7%

5. Orthodontist

• Projected jobs: 1,100
• Median salary: 208,000
• Unemployment rate: 0.4%

On the overall scorecard, both NPs and PAs received an 8.2/10 rating.

NPs scored a 7.9 for salary, 4, for job market, 8 for future growth, 4 for stress, and 4 for work life balance. PAs scored an 8 on salary, 6 for job market, 10 for future growth, 4 for stress, and 8 for work life balance.

You can read the full list of the 100 best jobs of 2018here.