Careers in Health Science

Answer 1

The health science are one of the fastest expanding areas of the economy with high demand for qualified individuals. They also offer a broad range of opportunities and types of jobs that a person can do. This article will provide an overview of some of the major areas where career opportunities are available.

The Allied Health Professions encompass over two hundred different health related careers. People in these professions will work independently or in teams in a variety of settings. There are two main categories of work that people in the allied health professions fall into: technicians or therapists / technologists. Technicians, sometimes called assistants, typically need two or fewer years of training and are skilled at performing certain procedures. They work under the supervision of therapists or technologists. Examples of technician careers include physical therapy assistants, radiology assistants, respiratory therapy technicians, or occupational therapy assistants.

Therapists require more extensive training and also develop greater skill sets. In addition to performing procedures, they learn to evaluate and diagnose conditions, understand treatment protocols, and assess and develop proper treatment plans for patients. Jobs here include physical therapists, laboratory technologists, emergency medical technicians, and genetic counselors to name a few.

Forensic science is another exciting space of the health science professions where demand is increasing and there are interesting careers. Forensic science combines medical science and law, and is a space where science is used to further legal investigations. In addition to the forensic science jobs done with law enforcement, as popularized by television shows like CSI, forensic scientists will also pursue investigations into athlete doping, drug use in the work place, or public health emergencies like outbreaks of contagious disease or food-borne illnesses. Careers can include forensic chemistry, Biology, odontology (the study of teeth and bite marks), toxicology (the study of drugs or poisons in the system), and pathology (the study of disease).

Health informatics is an emerging field where individuals will look at the information systems to support patient care and medical science. The move to electronic patient records is a prime example of the huge future demand for people with specialties in this sub-field of the health sciences.