Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENT..............................................................................................................3 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................4 HEALTH CARE CAREER TERMINOLOGY...........................................................................6 FINANCIAL AID........................................................................................................................9 HOW TO EXPLORE HEALTH CARE CAREERS .................................................................11 ON-THE-JOB TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES ........................................................................13 ATHLETIC TRAINER..............................................................................................................14 AUDIOLOGIST AND SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST ...........................................17 CARDIOVASCULAR TECHNOLOGIST AND TECHNICIAN ............................................19 CENTRAL STERILE TECHNICIAN.......................................................................................21 CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT (CNA)..........................................................................22 CERTIFIED SURGICAL TECHNOLOGIST (CST)................................................................23 CHAPLAIN/PASTORAL COUNSELOR.................................................................................25 CLINICAL NURSE SPECIALIST (CNS) ................................................................................26 CODING SPECIALIST/CODER ..............................................................................................28 COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY TECHNOLOGIST (CT TECH)....................................30 DIETETIC TECHNICIAN ........................................................................................................31 DIETITIAN................................................................................................................................32 EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN (EMT) AND PARAMEDIC................................35 EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGIST...................................................................................................39 HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATOR......................................................................................41 HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT TECHNICIAN (HIM TECH) ........................44 HOME HEALTH AIDE ............................................................................................................45 HUMAN RESOURCES PROFESSIONAL ..............................................................................47 LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE (LPN)................................................................................48 MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING TECHNOLOGIST (MRI TECH).............................50 MASSAGE THERAPIST..........................................................................................................51 MEDICAL ASSISTANT (MA).................................................................................................54 MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGIST AND TECHNICIAN...................................60 MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST...........................................................................................64 MENTAL HEALTH TECHNICIAN (MHT)............................................................................66 NETWORK OR COMPUTER SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR .............................................67 NUCLEAR MEDICINE TECHNOLOGIST.............................................................................69 NURSE ANESTHETIST...........................................................................................................71 NURSE MIDWIFE....................................................................................................................72 NURSE PRACTITIONER.........................................................................................................74 OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST (OT).....................................................................................78 PHARMACIST..........................................................................................................................80 PHARMACY TECHNICIAN....................................................................................................82 PHLEBOTOMIST .....................................................................................................................84 PHYSICAL THERAPIST (PT) .................................................................................................86 PHYSICAL THERAPY/OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AIDE (PT/OT AIDE) .....................88 PHYSICAL THERAPY ASSISTANT (PTA)...........................................................................89 PHYSICIAN ..............................................................................................................................91 PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT (PA)...............................................................................................94 POLYSOMNOGRAPHIC TECHNOLOGIST..........................................................................96 1 PSYCHOLOGIST......................................................................................................................97 RADIATION ONCOLOGY TECHNOLOGIST (RTT) ...........................................................98 RADIOLOGICAL TECHNOLOGIST....................................................................................100 REGISTERED NURSE (RN)..................................................................................................104 RESPIRATORY THERAPIST (RT).......................................................................................111 SOCIAL WORKER.................................................................................................................114 ULTRASOUND TECHNOLOGIST (DIAGNOSTIC MEDICAL SONOGRAPHER) .........116 UNIT CLERK/SECRETARY..................................................................................................118 2 ACKNOWLEDGMENT The information in the guidebook was originally collected and developed by the Indiana Hospital & Health Association (IHHA) and a committee of healthcare professionals. All information was revised and updated in 1997, 2000, and again in 2003 by Bloomington Hospital, and now, in 2010. The Health Care Career Guidebook is a compilation of various resources. Sources include: • Professional and Health Oriented Agencies and Organizations (listed under careers throughout the guidebook) o http://www.healthcarejobs.org o http://www.explorehealthcareers.org • American Medical Association/Health Professions Career and Education Directory o http://www.ama-assn.org/go/alliedhealth • Indiana Hospital & Health Association • U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics o http://stats.bls.gov/ o http://stats.bls.gov/oco/home.htm • Occupational Outlook Handbook • National Center for Health Statistics o http://www.cdc.gov/nchs • U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration • Bloomington Hospital’s Health Careers Guidebook (1994, 1997, 2000, 2003 editions) • Cardinal Health System Healthcare Career Guidebook • Nursing 2000 of Central Indiana A special thanks should be given to the Bloomington Hospital public relations, human resources, marketing, and duplicating staffs for their extensive work in the revision and production of the 1994 Healthcare Opportunities Guidebook, which served as a foundation for the Hendricks Regional Health 2003, 2004-2005, and 2006-2007 Guidebook. The Occupational Outlook Handbook, produced by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, was used in the compilation of the information in this book and it is an excellent resource for career information and highly recommend to anyone who wishes to learn more about specific careers – health related or not. Please note that the list of educational programs for each career may not be exhaustive because of additions or closing of academic programs. Students should consult the academic facility for specific information about its programs if considering enrollment. 3 INTRODUCTION Health care is one of the fastest growing industries in the nation. Health care provided 14.3 million wage and salary workers in 2010. Of those 14.3 million, about 40 percent of these workers were in hospitals; another 21 percent were in nursing and residential care facilities; and 16 percent were in offices of physicians. Ten of the twenty fastest growing occupations are health care related. Health care will generate 3.2 million new wage and salary jobs between 2008 and 2018, more than any other industry, largely in response to rapid growth in the elderly population. Wage and salary employment in the health care industry is projected to increase 22 percent through 2018, compared with 11 percent for all industries combined. The impact of scientific progress, improvements in technology, an aging population, and variations throughout health careers are all factors that have had a great effect on different types of health care providers, who are required to render preventive, restorative, and rehabilitative services. Hendricks Regional Health created the Health Care Career Guidebook to assist people interested in a health career and those who want more information on continuing a career. School counselors, students of all ages, and parents should find this directory useful in their search for appropriate and meaningful