PLANNING FOR A HEALTH CAREER HEALTH CAREER PATHWAYS

CAREER PATHWAYS are clusters occupations that are

WHAT IS A CAREER? grouped because of shared skills.
CAREER is an occupation or profession that requires WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF HEALTH CAREER
special training
PATHWAYS?
HEALTH CAREERS are designed to familiarize students
with the various careers in the medical profession and 1. DISEASE PREVENTION AND CONTROL
allied health services.
People who specialize in this career path focus on
HEALTH CAREER PLANNING refers to an individual’s communicable and non-communicable diseases.
plan to make a career choice, growing in the chosen Their work includes immunization, screening of
career or making a career shift. newborns, promotion of breastfeeding, infant
diseases prevention, adolescent healthcare, and
WHY PURSUE A HEALTH CAREER? life skills.
Sample Careers:
o Good salary
o Job Security o Community Health Work
o Do work that interests you o Education and Research
o Find a health career that fits your educational 2. PERSONAL HEALTHCARE
plans
o A clear path to advancement Professionals in this field perform healthcare
related tasks in a personal care level. These
o Work with people (or not)
include monitoring patients; administering and
assisting in personal care and hygiene;
WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS AND STEPS
performing housekeeping duties; and advising
IN MAKING A HEALTH CAREER PLAN? clients on related healthcare issues like infant
care, hygiene and nutrition.
1. Self-Assessment
Discover your personal strengths through self- 3. MATERNAL AND CHILD CARE
assessments (values, interests, personality, These health workers deal with complex public
testing, skills, etc. health issues that affect women, children and
2. Career Exploration their families. These include providing
You can explore different careers and work information on reproductive health, family
environments through career fairs, online planning, healthcare of pregnant women and
research, meetings, internships, alumni their children, and improvement of health
delivery system through advocacy, education and
connections, professional resources
research.
3. Decision Making
Before you decide on taking a career that works Sample Careers:
for you, you can evaluate and narrow down your
options through listing the pros and cons, o Midwifery
comparing your personal strengths and interests, o Community Health Educator
and deciding which career fulfills both current o Outreach Specialist
and future goals. 4. MENTAL HEALTHCARE
4. Plan of Action Plan
These medical professionals specialize in dealing
achievable goals and develop strategies to reach
with interpersonal and intrapersonal
your goals, organize your goals into smaller steps,
relationships and life skills. These include
identify actions for each step, utilize helpful cognitive and psychosocial development,
people and resources, review and adapt your promotion of healthy self-esteem through
plan regularly
 feelings and anger management and identifying o Clinical Dietetics
warning signs or red flags of learning disorders, o Food and Nutrition Management
such as ADHD, anxiety, mood disorders, stress, o Public Health Nutrition
and bullying. o Education and Research
Sample Careers: 9. HEALTH EDUCATION

o Social Work Those who work in this field are tasked with
o Clinical Psychology promotion of healthcare and training of health
o Psychiatry workers on managing change in healthcare. Their
o Guidance Counseling work involves assessing individual and
5. COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE community needs, planning, implementing and
evaluating health programs, promoting the
Specialists in this area focus on the maintenance, understanding of various health-related
protection, and improvement of the health of all bahaviors plus coordinating health education
community members services.
Sample Careers: Sample Careers:

o Barangay/Community Health Work o Education and Research

o Rural Sanitary Inspection o Community Health Work
6. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTHCARE 10. DENTAL HEALTH
MANAGEMENT
These health workers try to establish the Dental health workers deal with various oral
correlation between and among the physical, conditions which include chronic mouth and
chemical, biological, social, and psychosocial factors facial pain, oral sores, periodontal (gum) disease,
in the surrounding environment. These include tooth decay and tooth loss, other diseases and
monitoring the quality of environment and impact disorders that affect the oral cavity, and risk
of human activities on ecosystems and developing factors for oral diseases which include unhealthy
strategies for restoring ecosystems. diet, tobacco use, harmful alcohol use, and poor
oral hygiene.
Sample Careers: Sample Careers:

o Air quality monitoring o Dental Hygiene

o Soil science analysis o Dental Nursing
o Hazardous and solid waste management o Dental health support
o Environmental noise control 11. OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
o Radiological assessment
7. DRUG PREVENTION AND CONTROL Careers in this path are related to the
safety, health and welfare of people engaged in
People whose careers revolve around this area seek work or employment. These include protecting
to reduce community and individual problems workers from sickness, disease, and injury arising
related to alcohol and drug abuse through from possible hazards of their employment and
evidence-based programs and policy advocacy. workplace.
Sample Careers: Sample Careers:

o Drug Enforcement o Occupational Health and Safety Technician

o Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation o Health Inspector
8. NUTRITION o Industrial Hygienist
12. EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES
Specialists in this area find ways to balance
individuals’ food and nutrition and their impact People assigned in this work specialize in out-of-
on patients’ health. These include meal planning, hospital medical care. Their skills include first-aid
food preparation and economics. procedures, emergency medical treatment and
Sample Careers:
 transport of patients, rapid emergency medical b. ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION - appraisal of the
response and immediate medical attention. condition based on the patient’s subjective report
Sample Careers:
c. IDENTIFICATION/DIAGNOSIS - analysis based
o Emergency Medical Aid on signs, symptoms, and laboratory findings
o Paramedic
d. TREATMENT - management and care of a
MEDICAL AND ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSION patient or the combating of disease or disorder

e. REHABILITATION/HABILITATION - treatment
MEDICAL PROFESSION is a group of individuals designed to recover from injury, illness, or
qualified to practice medicine. disease towards a normal condition as possible
ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS are lines of work that f. ADVOCACY - a method by which patients, their
still deal with healthcare but are distinct from medicine. families, attorneys, health professionals, and
citizens’ groups can work together to develop
WHO ARE THE MEDICAL AND ALLIED programs that ensure the availability of high-
HEALTH PROFESSIONALS? quality healthcare for a community

ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS are healthcare g. PROMOTION OF HEALTH AND WELL-BEING -

the process of enabling people to increase
practitioners with formal education and clinical training
control over their health and its determinants,
credentials through certification, registration and/or
and thereby improving their health
licensure.
h. EDUCATION - the process of sharing and gaining
ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS collaborate with knowledge
physicians and other members of the healthcare team to
deliver high quality patient care services for the i. RESEARCH - the diligent inquiry or examination
identification, prevention, and treatment of diseases, of data, reports, and observations in a search for
disabilities, and disorders. facts or principles

TECHNICIANS are those who undergo training to WHAT ARE THE ALLIED HEALTH
perform specific procedures. They are required to work PROFESSIONS THAT WE PRESENTLY HAVE IN
under the supervision of technologists or therapists THE PHILIPPINES?
THERAPISTS or TECHNOLOGISTS have more intensive
These are the common allied health professionals
training, which includes acquiring procedural skills.
practicing in the country with available education and
THERAPISTS or TECHNOLOGISTS evaluate patients, professional training.
diagnose conditions, develop treatment plans, and
understand the rationale behind various treatments in 1. AUDIOLOGIST – identifies and rehabilitates
hearing impairments and related disorders
order to judge their appropriateness and potential side
effects.
2. CHIROPRACTOR - diagnoses and treats
THERAPISTS or TECHNOLOGISTS also assess patients’ neuromuscular disorders, with emphasis on
responses to therapy and make appropriate decisions treatment through manual adjustment and/or
manipulation of the spine.
about continued treatment or modification of treatment
plans. Furthermore, they are licensed to perform these
3. CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST - assesses, diagnoses,
tasks. treats and helps prevent mental disorders
Allied health professionals provide services and engage in
activities which include: 4. DIETITIAN / NUTRITIONIST - promotes good
health through proper diet and treatment of
a. PREVENTION - keep illness or injury from diseases
happening
5. EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN – also impairment, psychosocial dysfunction, mental
known as ambulance technician; responds quickly illness, or learning disability
to any emergency and life-threatening situation
to immediately treat serious injuries, physical or 14. ORTHOTIST/PROSTHETIST – makes and fits
mental trauma to increase a patient’s chances of prosthetics or artificial parts for the human body
survival
15. PARAMEDIC - gives emergency medical
6. GUIDANCE COUNSELOR - assists students with treatment or assists medical professionals in
personal, family, education, and career decisions emergency situations
and concerns; also helps them develop job-
finding skills and other life skills needed to 16. PHARMACIST - prepares and dispenses
prevent and deal with problems medication prescribed by licensed health
professionals; also provides information to
7. HEALTH EDUCATOR - specializes in health patients regarding drugs, and consults with
education and promotes the development of healthcare professionals on advances in drugs or
health knowledge, life skills, and positive medicine
attitudes toward the health and well-being of
students 17. RADIOLOGIC
TECHNOLOGIST/RADIOGRAPHER - healthcare
8. MASSAGE THERAPIST - performs the scientific professionals who perform imaging procedures,
manipulation of the soft tissues of the body for such as x-ray examinations, Magnetic Resonance
the purpose of normalizing those tissues; uses Imaging (MRI) scans and Computed Tomography
manual techniques that include applying fixed or (CT) scans (health careers.org)
movable pressure on affected parts of the body
18. PHYSICAL THERAPIST - examines, evaluates,
9. MEDICAL ASSISTANT – performs, under the and treats physical impairments through use of
direction of a physician, various routine special exercise, application of heat or cold, and
administrative and nontechnical clinical tasks in other physical modalities
hospitals, clinics, and other similar facilities
19. SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST -
10. MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIST – performs a variety diagnoses and treats patients with functional and
of tasks on body fluids, from simple blood tests to organic speech defects and disorders
more complex tests to uncover abnormalities in
the body, and underlying causes of illnesses, such 20. PHLEBOTOMIST - professionals with special
as HIV/AIDS, diabetes, and cancer which are not training in phlebotomy or drawing blood from
easily detected through physical examination patients

11. MIDWIFE - professionals with the expertise and 21. RADIATION THERAPIST - administers radiation
skills in helping women maintain healthy therapy services to patients and observes
pregnancies, assist in or perform childbirth patients during treatment; other duties may
delivery, and help in women’s recovery process include tumor localization, patient follow-up,
through the postpartum period patient education, and record keeping

12. NURSE - trained to provide care for people who 22. RESPIRATORY THERAPIST - specializes in the
are sick or injured; monitors patients’ health and promotion of optimum cardiopulmonary function
records symptoms, assists physicians during and health; regularly deals with various chronic
examinations and treatment, and administers respiratory diseases, such as asthma and
medications. emphysema

13. OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST - uses purposeful 23. SOCIAL WORKER - investigates, treats, and
activity and interventions to maximize the gives aid to people with social problems and
independence and health of any client who is helps people with mental illness, serious health
limited by physical injury or illness, cognitive conditions, financial difficulties, substance abuse
 problems, domestic or child abuse, unwanted 10. NUCLEAR MEDICINE TECHNOLOGIST -
pregnancy and other social problems performs imaging procedures using radioactive
drugs and materials to make diagnostic
There are also allied medical professions whose
evaluations of the anatomic or physiologic
specialized training is available in other countries.
conditions of the patient’s body, and facilitates
1. CARDIOVASCULAR TECHNOLOGIST - uses therapy with the use of unsealed radioactive
imaging technology to help physicians diagnose sources
patients with cardiac (heart) and peripheral 11. ORTHOPTIST - investigates, diagnoses and treats
vascular (blood vessel) ailments defects of binocular vision and abnormalities
2. CLINICAL OFFICER - performs general medical related to eye movement; involves seeing
duties such as the diagnosis and treatment of patients of all ages from infants to the elderly
disease and injury, recommendation and 12. PEDORTHIST - are foot orthotic and orthopedic
interpretation of medical tests, performance of footwear experts trained in the assessment of
routine medical and surgical procedures, and lower limb anatomy and muscle and joint
referral of patients to other practitioners function
3. DENTAL HYGIENIST - specializes in the removal 13. PERFUSIONIST - assists in performing
of calcaneous deposits and stains from patients’ procedures that involve extracorporeal
and provides additional services and information circulation, such as during open-heart surgery or
on prevention of oral diseases hypothermia
4. DIAGNOSTIC MEDICAL SONOGRAPHIST - uses 14. SURGICAL TECHNOLOGIST - a member of the
ultrasonic imaging devices to produce diagnostic surgical team who serves as a scrub technician or
images, scans, videos, or 3D volumes of patients’ as a circulator
anatomy
HEALTH CAREER ORIENTATION PROGRAM
5. KINESIOTHERAPIST - develops and monitors
exercise programs to help people regain muscle HEALTH CAREER ORIENTATION is an activity –based
strength and function lost due to injury or disease career exploration to broaden your knowledge about
6. NEUROPHYSIOLOGIST - specializes in the careers in the health field. Health career orientation helps
diagnosis of conditions affecting the nervous you to:
system such as neuromuscular diseases, epilepsy, o evaluate and assess such factors as personal
and nerve entrapments needs, interests and skills
7. MEDICAL DOSIMETRIST - designs treatment o provide an opportunity to identify and explore
plans for patients by means of computer and/or health careers • learn about the duties and
manual computation to determine a treatment responsibilities of health professionals
field technique that will deliver the prescribed o acquire an awareness of a wide variety of
radiation dose while taking into consideration the educational training and resources for both
dose-limiting structures academic and vocational fields
o pursue health career pathways for future
8. MEDICAL RADIATION SCIENTIST - performs education/ training
complex diagnostic imaging studies on patients
and plans and administers radiation treatments

9. MUSIC THERAPIST - uses music within a

therapeutic relationship to address a client’s
needs, such as facilitating movement and physical
rehabilitation, motivating the client to cope with
treatment, providing emotional support, such as
an outlet for expressing their feelings through
music