from a financial standpoint, what is the best healthcare career for the new few years?

[andtimeyet]

I'm a nontrad looking into returning to school for a healthcare career. I've looked into medicine, NP/PA, and pharmacy and all of them tend to be very doom and gloom re: student debt incurred vs salary and career opportunities.

Right now I'm in my late 20s and make $39,000 a year with an expected cap of $55,000 after 25 years at my job, which is untenable since I have $120,000 in federal student loans (on IBR with some public service loan forgiveness expected in 3 years). What options listed above will have the best (tentative) ROI? I don't care if I never make big bucks but I do want out of my current career since the pay is terrible and I've always wanted to move into healthcare.

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[thesauce]

These are all very different paths. It would help if we knew what exactly attracts you to healthcare. If you're just looking for money, I recommend an engineering degree for a local (cheap) state school.

 

[QofQuimica]

If you're not in medicine at all, then becoming an RN is probably the option with the best return on investment, assuming you can get your BSN cheaply at a state school. Nurses can start making excellent money fairly quickly for a relatively small investment of training time and tuition compared to midlevels and physicians, especially traveling nurses. Add in the flexible work hours and the ability of nurses to find jobs pretty much anywhere in the country, and you've got a great combination. You'd also have the option of continuing on for your NP later if you so desired. For all these reasons, I'd suggest you look into becoming a nurse rather than any of the options you listed.

 

[powermd]

Out of network assistant neurosurgeon, apparently.

 

[TexasPhysician]

PA

 

[MedicineMan99]

PA

I agree. A PA who works for a super specialist.

 

[Cooperd0g]

I don't know, PA school is probably tougher to get into than a nursing program and likely also academically harder. As QofQ says, the traveling nursing thing can be lucrative. I'm not sure how well set up locums for PAs is. Maybe it is and I just don't know.