Carpooling: Becoming a Productive Citizen
Healthcare Careers
If you are interested in helping others become and stay healthy, you can find numerous opportunities in the healthcare profession. Some careers allow employees to treat patients or clients; therefore they require specific education and licensing. As you learn more about healthcare career opportunities, you will also find that some jobs do not require education or licensure specific to healthcare. In this interactivity, you will learn about the five primary categories of healthcare. Click the player button to begin.
View a printable version of the interactivity.
Health Science
Health science refers to a large group of disciplines related to the delivery of healthcare to humans and animals through the application of science, engineering, mathematics and technology. In this field, knowledge is taken from science and other related sources, and applied to practical and clinical practices to maintain and improve the health of living beings. The day-to-day tasks and responsibilities of a person in a health science occupation vary significantly, but always require excellent communication skills and attention to detail.
Health Science Skills
The health science field encompasses many different professions. Most people realize that medical doctors and nurses are a part of the health science field, but it also includes medical technicians, rehabilitative therapists, clinical laboratory scientists, and healthcare administrators, to name a few. In this interactivity, you will examine some of the skills necessary for working in the health science field. Click the player button to begin.
View a printable version of the interactivity.
Educational Requirements
Education requirements for a successful career in Health Sciences depend heavily on an individual’s ultimate career goals. For example, people who want to become physicians will normally spend four years completing an undergraduate degree, followed by four years of medical school, and depending on their specialty, three to eight years of internship and residency programs. On the other hand, a career as a physician’s assistant normally requires an undergraduate degree followed by two-to-three years of post-graduate study that leads into a master’s degree. Almost all professional careers in health sciences mandate some level of postsecondary degree or certificate.
Health and Medical Science Industry Certifications
Diploma programs and certification programs both require students to spend less time preparing for a career than they would spend in a traditional college degree program. However, diploma and certification programs allow students to gain foundational skills and knowledge desired by employers looking to hire for entry-level healthcare positions. Some common entry-level careers available after completion of a certificate program include Certified Nursing Assistant or Certified Nurse Aide, X-Ray Technician, Dental Assistant, Medical Assistant, Medical Administrative Assistant, Medical Billing Specialist, Medical Coding Specialist, Patient Care Technician, Home Health Aide, Pharmacy Technician, Phlebotomy Technician, and Massage Therapist.
It is not too early to start preparing to get your own health science certifications by taking specific courses in high school. Take a moment to explore Virginia’s CTE Resource Center and WHRO’s SkillsOnline courses. As you look through the catalog of available courses, identify five that interest you and lead to health and medical science industry certifications. For comparison, you can do research on the Internet and find national programs that are also available.
Once you have an idea of a few strong options, consider the benefits of beginning your education toward a Health Science career now, as opposed to seeking it out in the future. Post your ideas in the discussion area. Then, return to the topic several times over the next few days to read your coursemates’ posts. Reply to at least two of them, making sure to offer new insights, ask questions, encourage further conversation, and help them make a decision about educating themselves in the health science field now or in the future.
Health Literacy
Whether or not you are interested in pursuing a career in the health science field, you should still possess knowledge about health literacy. Health literacy refers to a person’s ability to understand and obtain basic health information and services. At the individual level, it means being able to go to the doctor when you are sick; however, a community's health literacy also benefits its own health. Some examples include, campaigns to spread information about preventing communicable diseases, education on how to maintain proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, and immunization programs.
Becoming a Productive Citizen Review
Now that you have learned about health science, review your knowledge in this non-graded activity. Click the player button to get started.