Career Exploration

Health Field- An Overview

Introduction

On this page we will look at four focus areas in the health field: allied health, nursing, medical health and behavioral health. We will give examples of careers in each field and also graphically show you the amount of education needed for some of these professions. To give you an idea of the percentage of health jobs in each of these areas in Alaska, check out the graph below.

Source: Alaska Center for Rural Health-Alaska’s AHEC and Institute of Social & Economic Research, University of Alaska Anchorage. “2009 Alaska Health Workforce Vacancy Study.” http://acrh-ahec.uaa.alaska.edu/projects/index.html (Percentages based on statewide estimated positions)

Overview of Four Focus Areas in Health

Allied Health

Have you ever heard the term allied health and wondered what it meant? People who work in the allied health field are the professionals who work in collaboration with doctors, dentists, nurses or chiropractors. Allied health occupations include many skills that support the care of patients and completion of critical tasks used in diagnosis, treatment and care of patients. Some examples of allied health professionals include: dental hygienists, physical therapists, medical laboratory technologists, medical assistants, pharmacists and many other health care disciplines, including those who work in health information management. Within the allied health area, you will find:

• Assistants that are responsible for patient preparation and care under the direction of a physician, dentist, mid-level provider, or nurse. Activities may include greeting new patients and updating medical records, interacting with patients, preparing rooms and equipment, taking vital signs and histories, administering injections, and assisting providers. Positions require short term training and may require an occupational license.(Examples: Medical Assistant, Dental Assistant, Speech Language Pathologist Assistant, Physical Therapist Assistant, Clinical Lab Assistant)

• Technicians that perform technical procedures under the direct supervision of medical professionals. Certification or licensure may be required for some occupations. (Examples: Dental Laboratory Technician, Phlebotomist, Registered Health Information Technician, Pharmacy Technician, Optometric Technician)

• Technologists that perform advanced and specialized technical procedures with limited supervision and may be supervising technicians or assistants. Certification or licensure may be required for some occupations. (Examples: Radiologic Technologist, Medical Technologist, Dental Hygienists)

• Therapists that use special skills and talents to help ill or disabled people to become more independent.(Examples: Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Speech Language Pathologist)

Some other professions you might find in the Allied Health category are Pharmacists and Opticians and those that work in the Health Information field such as medical coders and billers.

Nursing

Nursing is one of the fastest growing health care fields and that growth is projected to continue through 2020 with anticipated retirements of the current workforce in Alaska and across the country. LPNs and RNs are being hired in record numbers to fill positions which present them with increased independence and job opportunities. Most nurses have no difficulty finding jobs in hospitals, long-term care, tribal health organizations, home care, and community health. There are a range of possibilities for advancement and specialization for nurses who have graduate degrees. Some examples of these include nurse educators, nurse administrators, clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners and public health nurses.

Medical Health

Medical health is probably what comes to mind when most people think of health care careers. Medical health includes those health professionals who have direct responsibility for preventing, diagnosing and treating chronic and acute diseases: the physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and in Alaska, the Community Health Aides and Practitioners (CHA/P). (We have also included dentists in this focus area.) Nurse practitioners and physician assistants are sometimes referred to as “mid-level providers”. These providers work under the direction of a physician and can provide direct patient care including diagnosis of illnesses, recommend procedures and prescribe medications. CHA/Ps work under the supervision of a referral physician who is employed by the Indian Health Service or one of the tribally managed hospitals or clinics.

Behavioral Health

Behavioral Health includes a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, human services, rehabilitation, or social work, that provide mental health services to individuals (children and adults), families and communities. Activities are varied and can include prevention and treatment of mental illness and substance abuse, and assistance with solving problems associated with mental or physical disabilities.

This page was last updated by Janice Troyer on January 25, 2012