When it comes to jobs that are both meaningful and pay well, surgeons top the list. The finding comes from compensation data site PayScale, which issued a survey to workers in more than 450 jobs to assess whether they though the work "makes the world a better place."
While a number of jobs in the social sector provided great meaning to those who performed them, medical professionals tended to derive great meaning from their work and also make a salary significantly higher than average for an individual in the United States. Here are 25 jobs with high satisfaction rates that pay more than $70,000 annually:
1. Surgeon — (94 percent meaningful, $299,600 median pay)
2. Anesthesiologist — (91 percent meaningful, $291,300 median pay)
3. Obstetrician/gynecologist — (81 percent meaningful, $203,100 median pay)
4. Internist (79 percent meaningful, $192,900 median pay)
5. Psychiatrist (89 percent meaningful, $192,800 median pay)
6. Family/general practitioner (86 percent meaningful, $164,300 median pay)
7. Pediatrician (85 percent meaningful, $147,700 median pay)
8. Dentist (86 percent meaningful, $130,000 median pay)
9. CEO (74 percent meaningful, $124,600 median pay)
10. Pharmacist (76 percent meaningful, $113,200 median pay)
11. Podiatrist (89 percent meaningful, $111,400 median pay)
12. Physicist (81 percent meaningful, $101,500 median pay)
13. Optometrist (86 percent meaningful, $101,400 median pay)
14. Physician assistant (83 percent meaningful, $88,200 median pay)
15. Nuclear engineer (79 percent meaningful, $85,000 median pay)
16. Nuclear power reactor operator (74 percent meaningful, $80,800 median pay)
17. Power distributor & dispatcher (79 percent meaningful, $77,300 median pay)
18. Elementary/secondary education (93 percent meaningful, $75,900 median pay)
19. Physical therapist (90 percent meaningful, $72,900 median pay)
20. Rotary drill operator, oil & gas (75 percent meaningful, $72,800 median pay)
21. Veterinarian (88 percent meaningful, $70,800 median pay)
22. Manager of police & detectives (84 percent meaningful, $70,600 median pay)
23. Medical & health services manager (85 percent meaningful, $70,500 median pay)
24. Nuclear medicine technologist (81 percent meaningful, $70,400 median pay)
25. Detective & criminal investigator (79 percent meaningful, $70,400 median pay)
More articles on turnarounds:
Medicare inspection readiness: Q&A with Surgery Center of Pinehurst's Tracey Harbour
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Woolfson eye institute celebrates 4th birthday
While a number of jobs in the social sector provided great meaning to those who performed them, medical professionals tended to derive great meaning from their work and also make a salary significantly higher than average for an individual in the United States. Here are 25 jobs with high satisfaction rates that pay more than $70,000 annually:
1. Surgeon — (94 percent meaningful, $299,600 median pay)
2. Anesthesiologist — (91 percent meaningful, $291,300 median pay)
3. Obstetrician/gynecologist — (81 percent meaningful, $203,100 median pay)
4. Internist (79 percent meaningful, $192,900 median pay)
5. Psychiatrist (89 percent meaningful, $192,800 median pay)
6. Family/general practitioner (86 percent meaningful, $164,300 median pay)
7. Pediatrician (85 percent meaningful, $147,700 median pay)
8. Dentist (86 percent meaningful, $130,000 median pay)
9. CEO (74 percent meaningful, $124,600 median pay)
10. Pharmacist (76 percent meaningful, $113,200 median pay)
11. Podiatrist (89 percent meaningful, $111,400 median pay)
12. Physicist (81 percent meaningful, $101,500 median pay)
13. Optometrist (86 percent meaningful, $101,400 median pay)
14. Physician assistant (83 percent meaningful, $88,200 median pay)
15. Nuclear engineer (79 percent meaningful, $85,000 median pay)
16. Nuclear power reactor operator (74 percent meaningful, $80,800 median pay)
17. Power distributor & dispatcher (79 percent meaningful, $77,300 median pay)
18. Elementary/secondary education (93 percent meaningful, $75,900 median pay)
19. Physical therapist (90 percent meaningful, $72,900 median pay)
20. Rotary drill operator, oil & gas (75 percent meaningful, $72,800 median pay)
21. Veterinarian (88 percent meaningful, $70,800 median pay)
22. Manager of police & detectives (84 percent meaningful, $70,600 median pay)
23. Medical & health services manager (85 percent meaningful, $70,500 median pay)
24. Nuclear medicine technologist (81 percent meaningful, $70,400 median pay)
25. Detective & criminal investigator (79 percent meaningful, $70,400 median pay)
More articles on turnarounds:
Medicare inspection readiness: Q&A with Surgery Center of Pinehurst's Tracey Harbour
Payer partnerships: How to move spine and total joints from hospitals to ASCs
Woolfson eye institute celebrates 4th birthday