As population ages, healthcare salaries rise

With the U.S. population aging, salaries have begun to rise for nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists, occupational therapists and home health aides, according to a new study by a compensation researcher.

According to a new survey by Compdata Surveys, occupational and physical therapists both saw salary increases of 10 percent over the last three years. For example, licensed physical therapists make $73,300 per year today; that's a 12.9 percent salary bump from 2007. Occupational therapists, meanwhile, have seen their salaries climb by a substantial 16.9 percent.

Registered nurse salaries have gone up 9.2 percent, a bit less than physical/occupational therapists. (This seems somewhat surprising, given the ongoing nursing shortage, but apparently other factors are at work.) RN salaries average $61,300 per year, with salary increases of $2,000 to $3,000 per year.

Even home health aides, traditionally the lowest-paid and least skilled workers in the business, have seen their salaries climb by 11.2 percent over the past three years, to $24,500.

To learn more about this trend:
- read this Healthcare Finance News article

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