Published October 30, 2011 | 
Dental technicians are the people working behind the dentists, making more beautiful smiles by creating dentures, dental crowns and bridges. Their everyday responsibility is to manufacture these orthodontic appliances according the specifications ordered by the dentist. This profession also has its areas of specialization, like preparing acrylic or porcelain tooth replacements. Dental technicians are also known as dental laboratory technicians.
The present average salary of dental technicians is at $42,000. In 2008, the Bureau of Labor Statistics declared that the median salary for this profession is $34,170. They also reported that dental technicians can make as much as $58,000 and as little as $21,000 for beginning technicians in some parts of the country.
Factors affecting the salary of dental laboratory technicians include their level of certification, experience in the field and the type of employer they work for.
Those who pursue their education in a related field and become a Certified Dental Technician with the National Board for Certification in Dental Laboratory Technology typically earn more than those who simply take dental laboratory training programs offered by vocational agencies and community colleges. Certified dental technicians earn between $40,500 and $69,200, while ordinary dental technicians are paid $35,000 to $55,000. The highest paying jobs are held by dental ceramists who receive $46,000 to $67,000 per annum.
Dental technicians with many years of experience get paid more than others. Certified dental technicians who have at least one to four years of field practice earn an average salary of $28,900. On the other hand, those who have 10-19 years of experience are paid $52,600 on average, while those working for more than 20 years are paid over $54,500 per year. This is mainly because those who have been in the field for many years have garnered a lot of experience that has given them the chance to get promoted into supervisory positions or shifted to marketing and development areas with orthodontic appliance manufacturers.
Employer type has a huge impact on the salary grade of dental technicians. According to surveys, those who work in government agencies earn the lowest median salary. Dental technicians in universities and some colleges earn the highest. Meanwhile, dental technicians in academia and those who work for the federal government have a median salary of more than $50,000.
The demand for dental technicians is getting higher every year. The field is expected to grow by 14 percent in the next 10 years.
Published October 30, 2011 | Surgical technicians assist surgeons and nurses in the operating room. The technician is part of the surgical team before, during and after a surgical procedure. Before an operation, the surgical technician prepares the operating room by ensuring the physician and nurses have equipment and supplies available for the procedure. During the surgical operation, the technician may pass instruments and supplies to the surgical team. Once a procedure is completed, the surgical technician helps patients to the recovery room and cleans the operating room. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that surgical technicians earn a median annual salary of $39,920. Those technicians in the upper 10 percent can earn annual salaries of $57,330 and those in the lower 10 percent earn up to $28,100.
Industries Employing Surgical Technicians
A surgical technician may work in a variety of locations including hospitals, physician’s offices, outpatient clinics and dental offices. The annual mean salary for a surgical technician, according to the Department of Labor is $40,780 for professionals working in a surgical hospital. Technicians employed in a doctor’s office earn a mean annual salary of $42,690 while those working in an outpatient clinic earn $42,480.
Geographic Location
The location a surgical technician works can have a tremendous impact on his or her salary. Issues such as cost of living and demand for professionals in this field can affect the wages of a surgical technician. For example, surgical technicians working in Nevada earn a mean annual salary of $50,690 while those working in Mississippi earn $32,340 during the same period, as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor. The location within a state may also affect the salary range for the surgical technician. For instance, technicians in Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, California earn mean annual salaries of $61,850 while those working in the Oakland, Fremont and Hayward areas of California earn $57,380. Surgical technicians with the right training can qualify for positions in various cities and states all over the country.
Requirements for a Position
Surgical technicians can work in a position for a hospital or doctor’s office after completing a training program that prepares them with courses such as anatomy, microbiology, physiology, medical terminology, ethics and pharmacology. Students in a training program in a community college or junior college setting must also complete clinical training, which provides the student with hands on experience in the duties of a surgical technician. Students may also complete a certification program that may qualify them to work for a greater number of employers. While certification is not a requirement for a position as a surgical technician, employers may prefer job applicants with the credential.
Published October 29, 2011 | Nursing professionals are employed in medical and allied-health industries to provide care and support to different types of clients. In terms of numbers, they represent one of the largest groups of professionals in the medical and health care sector. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), employment for this sector is projected to increase by 20 percent within a 10 year period starting 2008.
National Salary Overview
The figures from the Occupational Information Network of the Bureau of Labor and Statistics reflect median wages of $31.10 an hour or at least $64,590 for nurses employed in May 2010. The lowest 10 percent received an hourly rate of $21.24 or $44,190 a year, while the highest 10 percent earned $45.74 an hour or at least $95,130 annually. According to the BLS, California has the highest annual mean wage for registered nurses in the U.S. with an hourly rate of $42.06. Also included in the highest paying list is Massachusetts with $40.86 and Hawaii with $39.48.
Salary Information by Industry and Specialization
Personal health care services top the list of highest paying health-related industries in 2010. The top three in the list also includes pharmaceuticals and manufacturing, and federal government. Nurses employed in personal health care services receive an hourly mean wage of $41.52, while those employed by federal government are paid an hourly mean wage of $38.23. In terms of employment rate, other health industries such as medical and surgical hospitals, outpatient care services, and specialty hospitals or centers hire more nurses than these top paying industries.
Nurses employed in medical and surgical hospitals perform a variety of responsibilities based on their education, training, and specialization. They may be assigned to perform essential tasks during emergency medical procedures, or work with a specialized patient population such as pediatric oncology, psychiatric, and geriatric nursing. According to BLS, nurses hired by medical and surgery hospitals are paid an annual mean wage of $68,610.
On the other hand, specialty hospitals or centers pay their nurses an annual mean wage of $73,280. These specialty hospitals and clinics provide services in areas such as women’s health, cardiology, orthopedics, and other specializations. Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals are separately ranked from specialty hospitals and clinics. In terms of annual mean salary, they also offer a competitive mean rate of $31.54 per hour.
Rates for professional nurses are generally competitive in comparison to other healthcare professionals. Variances in compensation and wages depend on several factors. These may include location, training and education, industry, and specialization.
Published October 28, 2011 | Entering the world of health care can be a fulfilling and lucrative career. What’s more, a career in health care is a stable one, not subject to the ups and downs of the overall economy. There are many choices when pursing a career in the medical field: nursing, technicians, therapists and administrative professions. Among the vast choices is a career as a pharmacy technician. Becoming a pharmacy technician requires learning and executing specific skills.
What is a Pharmacy Technician?
A pharmacy technician is a person educated in pharmacology or the study of the composition, use, effects and classifications of medical drugs. Formally trained pharmacy technicians learn much about drugs and assist licensed pharmacists in processing, labeling and dispensing pharmaceuticals.
What Type of Jobs are there for Pharmacy Technicians?
There are different types of jobs a pharmacy technician can perform. The majority of pharmacy technicians work in a retail environment. Retail jobs for pharmacy technicians are typically located in a pharmacy located in grocery stores, discount stores and home goods stores. These particular jobs account for about 75 percent of all pharmacy technician jobs, according to the United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
The remaining 25 percent of pharmacy technicians work in other environments. Among them, are hospitals, nursing homes, metal health facilities, pharmaceutical wholesalers and in the United State’s government which includes military installations.
In a hospital, nursing home, mental health facility or military base settings, a pharmacy technician works within the pharmacy, filling prescriptions ordered by doctors. While pharmacy technicians employed by pharmaceutical wholesalers may be involved in testing or sales of the company’s drugs.
Some pharmacy technicians do not work in public places. Instead, they work for mail-order companies that provide medications to patients.
What are the Duties of a Pharmacy Technicians?
Duties vary by employment environment. But in general, pharmacy technicians are responsible for a wide variety of tasks. Pharmacy technicians must be able to accept and double-check prescriptions, maintain patient records, fill prescriptions according to the doctor’s instructions, carefully label prescriptions and speak with the pharmacist about possible drug interactions.
How Do I Become a Pharmacy Technician?
There are different ways of becoming a pharmacy technician. The most common approach is to attend classes for a specialized certification. These courses are offered through community colleges and technical medical training schools. A pharmacy technician can become officially certified through two institutions: the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board or the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians.
Published October 27, 2011 | An anesthesia technician is an individual that is part of an anesthesia team during surgical procedures. An anesthesia technician typically reports directly to either a more senior technician or the anesthesiologist. The technician is typically given a variety of different responsibilities, which includes administering the drugs, helping to monitor the patient during the surgery, and maintaining the equipment used during surgery.
An anesthesia technician, the vast majority of the time, will work for a hospital that performs surgery. They may also work for some private medical or dental practices, which perform some outpatient procedures. While most anesthesia technicians will work around 40 hours per week, their schedule can vary significant from one week to the next as the nature of the job may require working at nights and on weekends.
On average, an anesthesia technician should expect to earn around $35,000 per year. Their compensation will normally not include any additional bonus pay, but they will typically qualify for medical and dental insurance plans offered by the hospital. If an anesthesia technician is required to work more than 40 hours per week, they will typically be paid overtime, which could increase the technician’s total compensation.
While the average salary is $35,000, the actual compensation received can vary quite a bit. The middle 50% of technicians earn between $30,000 and $40,000. The top few percent of all technicians report salaries of up to $50,000 per year.
One of the largest contributors to what salary is actually received depends on the level of education received and whether the technician is fully certified. While technicians used to be trained on the job, many technicians now go through a more formal training and education program prior to starting the job. Following completion of the formal program, a student will have to pass the National Certification Exam for Anesthesia Technicians. Following completion of that, a person will be fully certified as a technician and they will generally earn more money than someone who is not certified.
After working for a couple of years, a certified anesthesia technician can continue their education and attempt to qualify as a Certified Anesthesia Technologist. The technologists tend to earn up to 20% more than a technician and they generally have more room for professional growth. Overall, the field is considered to be a great option for someone looking for growth. The demand for anesthesia technicians and technologists is expected to rise rapidly over the next decade.
Published October 27, 2011 | The salary for a cosmetologist depends on a variety of factors. Experienced individuals make more money than new hires, but workplace competition also affects earnings. Additional factors affecting salary include workplace location and compensation methods. Despite everything that impacts take home pay, cosmetologists agree that clients have the greatest control over their income.
There are seven fields of training available in cosmetology:
- Beauty therapists handle services that include hair removal, body wraps and eyelash tinting.
- Estheticians offer facials and body exfoliating treatments. Some work with doctors to provide chemical peels.
- Electrologists specialize in permanent hair removal.
- Hair stylists study scalp treatments and various hair straightening techniques.
- Manicurists offer nail services exclusively for the hands.
- Nail technicians focus on nail enhancements like gel nails and nail extensions. They also have the ability to diagnose nail problems.
- Shampoo technicians prepare the client for styling by shampooing and conditioning the hair.
Specialized services like hair removal or facials generate the most income, but cosmetologists can increase potential revenue by offering multiple services.
Salary Variables
Cosmetologists cannot exist without regular clientele. In addition to returning at scheduled intervals for services, regular clients refer friends and family, increasing the customer base for a particular individual. Regular clients are cultivated by providing the perfect mix of technical knowledge and superior customer service skills.
A lone cosmetologist within an establishment generates more income than a person who shares potential clients with two or three additional co-workers. Someone who focuses on high-end treatments or specializes in the latest trends stands to generate more income than someone who offers limited or outdated services. Cosmetologists who tailor services to a particular area stand to make the most money. A non-traditional sense of style may not be received well by clients in a conservative area, resulting in decreased income.
Newly minted cosmetologists should be aware that the salon and its location can make all the difference in their income. The cost of any given treatment varies by region, with shops in trendy and tourist areas charging customers the most money. Depending on the establishment, work hours and treatment upsales can also affect salary levels.
Salary Levels
As of May 2010, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) stated the average cosmetologist salary is $26,510 per year. Recent graduates earn about $14,459 per year, while more experienced individuals earn an average of $51,216 annually.