Health Career Descriptions Allied Health Careers Athletic Trainer Certified Athletic Trainers are highly qualified health professionals who are trained in preventing, recognizing, managing, and rehabilitating injuries that result from physical activity. Athletic trainers can help you avoid unnecessary medical treatment and disruption of normal daily life; if you're injured, they are trained to work with your healthcare provider to get you on the mend and keep you on the move. Cardiovascular Technologist/ Technician Cardiovascular technologists and technicians assist physicians in diagnosing and treating cardiac (heart) and peripheral vascular (blood vessel) ailments. Cardiovascular technologists may specialize in three areas of practice: Invasive cardiology, echocardiography, and vascular technology. Cardiovascular technicians, who specialize in electrocardiograms (EKGs), stress testing, and Holter monitors are known as cardiographic or EKG technicians. Clinical Laboratory Technologist/ Technician Clinical Laboratory Science professionals (also sometimes called Medical Laboratorians) are highly skilled scientists who discover the presence or absence of disease and provide data that helps physicians determine the best treatment for the patient. Although they are not often personally involved with patients, lab technologists and technicians play a crucial role in the process of providing personalized care. They generate vitally important data for identifying and treating cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and many other health conditions. Cytotechnologist Cytotechnologists are laboratory professionals who study cells and cellular anomalies. Using a microscope, they examine slides of human cells for any indication that a cell is abnormal and/or diseased (i.e., cancerous or precancerous lesions, infectious agents, or inflammatory processes). Cytotechnologists often play a crucial role in helping patients to recover from illness, by identifying a disease while it is still at a treatable stage. Diagnostic Medical Sonographer Diagnostic medical sonographers work in a field (diagnostic imaging) that embraces several procedures that aid in diagnosing ailments, the most familiar being the X-ray. Another increasingly common diagnostic imaging method, called magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), uses giant magnets and radio waves rather than radiation to create an image. Not all imaging technologies use ionizing radiation or radio waves. However. sonography, or ultrasound, is the use of sound waves to generate an image used for assessment and diagnosis of various medical conditions. Many people associate sonography with obstetrics and the viewing of the fetus in the womb. But this technology has many other applications in the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions in the abdomen, breast, heart and vessels (vascular). Dietitian/ Nutritionist Registered Dietitians (RDs) work in the treatment and prevention of disease (often part of medical teams), in hospitals, private practice offices, or other health-care facilities. They promote healthy eating habits and advise on diet modifications, such as less salt for those with high blood pressure or reduced fat and caloric intake for those who are overweight. Many RDs work in community and public health settings, academia, and research. A growing number work in the food and nutrition industry. RDs also may work in non-traditional settings, such as in business, journalism, sports nutrition, or corporate wellness programs. Emergency Medical Technician/ Paramedic People's lives often depend on the quick reaction and competent care of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics, EMTs with additional advanced training to perform more difficult pre-hospital medical procedures. Incidents as varied as automobile accidents, heart attacks, drownings, childbirth, and gunshot wounds all require immediate medical attention. EMTs and paramedics provide this vital attention as they care for and transport the sick or injured to a medical facility. General Aide Nursing aides, also known as nursing assistants, geriatric aides, unlicensed assistive personnel, or hospital attendants, perform routine tasks under the supervision of nursing and medical staff. They answer patients' call bells, deliver messages, serve meals, make beds, and help patients eat, dress, and bathe. Aides also may provide skin care to patients; take temperatures, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure; and help patients get in and out of bed and walk. They also may escort patients to operating and examining rooms, keep patients' rooms neat, set up equipment, store and move supplies, or assist with some procedures. Aides observe patients' physical, mental, and emotional conditions and report any change to the nursing or medical staff. Health Information Manager Every time health care personnel treat a patient, they record what they observed and how the patient was treated medically. This record includes information the patient provides concerning his or her symptoms and medical history, as well as the results of examinations, reports of X-rays and laboratory tests, diagnoses, and treatment plans. Health Information Management professionals organize and evaluate these records for completeness and accuracy. 1 Home Care Assistant/ Aide Home care aides help care for physically or mentally ill, injured, disabled, or infirm individuals who are confined to their homes or living in residential care facilities. Medical Assistant Medical assistants perform routine administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices and clinics of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and optometrists running smoothly. Nuclear Medicine Technologist In nuclear medicine, radionuclides—unstable atoms that emit radiation spontaneously—are used to diagnose and treat disease. Radionuclides are purified and compounded like other drugs to form radiopharmaceuticals. Nuclear medicine technologists administer these radiopharmaceuticals to patients, and then monitor the characteristics and functions of tissues or organs in which they localize. Abnormal areas show higher or lower concentrations of radioactivity than normal. Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician Ophthalmic laboratory technicians—also known as manufacturing opticians, optical mechanics, or optical goods workers—make prescription eyeglass or contact lenses. Prescription lenses are curved in such a way that light is correctly focused onto the retina of the patient's eye, improving vision. Some ophthalmic laboratory technicians manufacture lenses for other optical instruments, such as telescopes and binoculars. Ophthalmic laboratory technicians cut, grind, edge, and finish lenses according to specifications provided by dispensing opticians, optometrists, or ophthalmologists. They also may insert lenses into frames to produce finished glasses. Although some lenses still are produced by hand, technicians increasingly use automated equipment to make lenses. Optician (Dispensing) Dispensing opticians fit eyeglasses and contact lenses, following prescriptions written by ophthalmologists or optometrists. Dispensing opticians examine written prescriptions to determine lens specifications. They recommend eyeglass frames, lenses, and lens coatings after considering the prescription and the customer's occupation, habits, and facial features. Dispensing opticians measure clients' eyes, including the distance between the centers of the pupils and the distance between the eye surface and the lens. For customers without prescriptions, dispensing opticians may use a lensometer to record the present eyeglass prescription. They also may obtain a customer's previous record, or verify a prescription with the examining optometrist or ophthalmologist. Pathologists’ Assistant A Pathologists’ Assistant is an intensively trained allied health professional who provides anatomic pathology services under the direction and supervision of a pathologist. A Pathologists’ Assistant is qualified to do all the work leading up to (but not including) diagnosis - including tissue banking, gross examination of surgical pathology specimens, and complex surgical resections and autopsies. Physician Assistant Physician assistants (PAs) provide healthcare services under the supervision of physicians. They should not be confused with medical assistants, who perform routine clinical and clerical tasks. PAs are formally trained to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive healthcare services, as delegated by a physician. Working as members of the healthcare team, they take medical histories, examine and treat patients, order and interpret laboratory tests and X-rays, make diagnoses, and prescribe medications. They also treat minor injuries by suturing, splinting, and casting. PAs record progress notes, instruct and counsel patients, and order or carry out therapy. Radiologic Technologist/ Technician Radiologic technologists are the health care professionals who perform diagnostic imaging procedures, such as X-ray examinations, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans, and Computed Tomography (CT) scans. According to the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, there are 257,000 registered radiologic technologists in the United States. Respiratory Therapist Advanced-Level Respiratory Therapists and Entry-Level Respiratory Therapists (also called Respiratory Care Practitioners) evaluate, treat and care for patients with breathing or other cardiopulmonary disorders. Practicing under physician direction, Advanced-Level Respiratory Therapists assume