What they do all day? With Obamacare raising the pressure to control health costs, it's no surprise this is a hot healthcare career. These change agents use their clinical expertise and organizational influence to develop policies designed to improve patient outcomes and deliver health care more efficiently.

How to get the job? The best specialists are a combination of nurse, leader, educator and researcher. A big part of the role involves teaching and motivating others to adopt new practices and innovations. Graduate-level training in a nursing specialty is a must.

What's great? What's not? It can be extremely satisfying to mentor other staff members and have a real impact on patient care. But trying to persuade experienced staffers to embrace new procedures can be tough. --Grace Wong

What they do all day? With Obamacare raising the pressure to control health costs, it's no surprise this is a hot healthcare career. These change agents use their clinical expertise and organizational influence to develop policies designed to improve patient outcomes and deliver health care more efficiently. --Grace Wong