When choosing a career, there are may factors to consider and one important one is your starting salary, especially if you have student loans that will need to be repaid upon graduating. Who doesn’t want to know how much money they will make when they get out of school and start working in their chosen career?

The following jobs are in the health care industry and they are great career choices since the opportunities for employment are many and growing. Check out the starting salaries as well as education requirements, certification or licensing information, and employment outlook for an X-ray Technician, Medical Billing & Coding Specialist, Registered Nurse (R.N.), and Dental Hygienist.

1. X-Ray Technician

Starting Salary:  $35,168 - $50,421

Education Requirements: Most X-ray technicians have a 2-year associate degree but there are also certificate and bachelor’s degree programs.

Certification: American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (AART)

Most employers prefer to hire certified technicians.

Employment Outlook: Job growth for x-ray technicians is excellent with an expected 15% increase between now and 2016 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

2. Medical Billing & Coding Specialist

Starting Salary: $27,978 - $39,777

Education Requirements: The most common education for medical billing & coding specialists is a 2-year associate degree.

Certification: Registered Health Information Technicians (RHIT)

Must pass the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) to be certified.

Employment Outlook: Job growth for medical billing & coding specialists is also excellent with an expected 18% increase from now through 2016 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

3. Registered Nurse (R.N.)

Starting salary: $38,387 - $54,437

Education requirements: A 4-year Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) or the 2-year Associate’s of Science in Nursing (ASN) are the most common nursing degrees.

Licensing: All registered nurses must pass a national licensing exam called the NCLEX-RN in order to practice nursing.

Employment Outlook: The job growth for registered nurses is expected to increase by 23% between now and 2016 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

4. Dental Hygienist

Starting Salary: $37,750 - $52,478

Education Requirements: Most dental hygienists have a 2-year associate degree or certificate.

Licensing: Dental hygienists must be licensed in the state where they practice through The American Dental Association’s Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations.

Employment Outlook: Dental hygienists are among the fastest growing occupations with a 30% increase in job growth between now and 2016 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The starting salaries are an approximation and will vary depending on many factors including region, job, education, and employer.

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