The healthcare industry in the US stands second in terms of growth and thus presents ample career opportunities. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, between 2002 and 2012, there will be a 30% increase in the number of jobs in the healthcare industry, creating nearly 3.5 million new jobs in the healthcare sector.
What is Allied Health?
A number of health and health related jobs fall in the allied health services bracket. An allied health professional provides functional support to medical practitioners. Allied health professionals, as the name suggests are allied to the healthcare providers working in tandem to provide medical care to patients. They are certified professionals providing restricted medical care to patients. An estimated 2 million allied health professional work in the US which amount to 60 percent of the total healthcare workforce.
Allied health services are an ever increasing group and include a wide range, as many as 100 health and health related services. These services, to name a few include
? Athletic Training
? Administrative and Management Services
? Dental Hygiene
? Health care assistants (auxiliary nurse, clinical support worker, therapy assistant)
? Health Information Management
? Laboratory Services
? Massage Therapy
? Medical Technologists
? Nutrition Specialists / Dieticians
? Occupational / Physical / Respiratory / Speech and Language Therapy
? Optometry / Orthoptics
? Orthotics / Prosthetics
? Pre-hospital Services such as Ambulance and Paramedical Services
? Podiatry
? Radiology
Eligibility
The eligibility criteria for allied health courses are as varied as the services. A number of post-high school programs are available to students which provide specialized training and prepare the students for health services jobs. Some universities and colleges offer Baccalaureate / Masters four-year programs while some colleges offer two-year associate degree programs. Certain proprietary institutions and hospitals offer two-year certification programs. A two-year associate degree or certification is the minimum requirement for occupations such as radiological technologist or dental hygienist.
For nursing and healthcare assistants no minimum qualification is required. Most of the workers in nursing, residential care facilities and hospitals have a high school diploma or less.
It is important to enroll in an accredited program to ensure that the program meets certain quality standards. Since allied health services are a specialized area of work, an accredited program ensures both the prospective employer and the public of quality and knowledgeable professional entering the line of work.
Allied Health, being an extensive area of specialized work, research and study requires high academic and training inputs. Allied health professionals need to be adept in many key skills which include
? Use of electronic equipment and technology
? An understanding of human behavior; excellent interpersonal skills and ability to deal tactfully with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds
? Good team worker
? Operate in stressful situations
? Aptitude for science, medical terminology, spelling and acronym
Job Prospects
Job Opportunities in the allied health sector is excellent. According to the estimates of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics between 2002 and 2012, 10 out of the 20 occupations expected to grow the fastest are from the healthcare sector which includes home health aides, medical assistants, medical record technicians, physician assistants and health information assistants. The wage and salary in the healthcare industry is projected to increase 27 percent by 2014 which is higher than the 14 percent increase in all other industries. Thus, the demand for healthcare workers at all levels of educations and training will continue to increase.
Institutions
A variety of educational programs are available to aspiring students all across the US. There are a number of schools offering courses and programs in Allied health. A complete list of schools offering allied health courses from www.medicalschools.com.
A list of the best schools offering courses in allied health services can be obtained from www.usanews.com.
What is Allied Health?
A number of health and health related jobs fall in the allied health services bracket. An allied health professional provides functional support to medical practitioners. Allied health professionals, as the name suggests are allied to the healthcare providers working in tandem to provide medical care to patients. They are certified professionals providing restricted medical care to patients. An estimated 2 million allied health professional work in the US which amount to 60 percent of the total healthcare workforce.
Allied health services are an ever increasing group and include a wide range, as many as 100 health and health related services. These services, to name a few include
? Athletic Training
? Administrative and Management Services
? Dental Hygiene
? Health care assistants (auxiliary nurse, clinical support worker, therapy assistant)
? Health Information Management
? Laboratory Services
? Massage Therapy
? Medical Technologists
? Nutrition Specialists / Dieticians
? Occupational / Physical / Respiratory / Speech and Language Therapy
? Optometry / Orthoptics
? Orthotics / Prosthetics
? Pre-hospital Services such as Ambulance and Paramedical Services
? Podiatry
? Radiology
Eligibility
The eligibility criteria for allied health courses are as varied as the services. A number of post-high school programs are available to students which provide specialized training and prepare the students for health services jobs. Some universities and colleges offer Baccalaureate / Masters four-year programs while some colleges offer two-year associate degree programs. Certain proprietary institutions and hospitals offer two-year certification programs. A two-year associate degree or certification is the minimum requirement for occupations such as radiological technologist or dental hygienist.
For nursing and healthcare assistants no minimum qualification is required. Most of the workers in nursing, residential care facilities and hospitals have a high school diploma or less.
It is important to enroll in an accredited program to ensure that the program meets certain quality standards. Since allied health services are a specialized area of work, an accredited program ensures both the prospective employer and the public of quality and knowledgeable professional entering the line of work.
Allied Health, being an extensive area of specialized work, research and study requires high academic and training inputs. Allied health professionals need to be adept in many key skills which include
? Use of electronic equipment and technology
? An understanding of human behavior; excellent interpersonal skills and ability to deal tactfully with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds
? Good team worker
? Operate in stressful situations
? Aptitude for science, medical terminology, spelling and acronym
Job Prospects
Job Opportunities in the allied health sector is excellent. According to the estimates of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics between 2002 and 2012, 10 out of the 20 occupations expected to grow the fastest are from the healthcare sector which includes home health aides, medical assistants, medical record technicians, physician assistants and health information assistants. The wage and salary in the healthcare industry is projected to increase 27 percent by 2014 which is higher than the 14 percent increase in all other industries. Thus, the demand for healthcare workers at all levels of educations and training will continue to increase.
Institutions
A variety of educational programs are available to aspiring students all across the US. There are a number of schools offering courses and programs in Allied health. A complete list of schools offering allied health courses from www.medicalschools.com.
A list of the best schools offering courses in allied health services can be obtained from www.usanews.com.
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