Introduction to the Medical and Health Careers
H.S. 100
Introduction to the Medical and Health Careers
Fred R. Pearson, Ph.D.
Lesson 1
Health Science Department at Brigham Young University Idaho
What can I do with this Major?
During the last decade there has been a strong shift in emphasis toward well trained technical support for professionals at the Baccalaureate and Graduate level in the Health Sciences. To address this need, BYU-Idaho has developed a variety of courses designed to focus on the preparation of specialists in a variety of Health Care Services.
B.S. Health Science
A degree in Health Science provides a variety of employment opportunities. There are three major areas of emphasis.
Careers in Health Science
Public Health
Public Health is involved with the prevention and treatment of health problems in a population. A variety of careers are available for a graduate with this major.
Careers: Working for local, state, and federal government health agencies, volunteer health organizations, business and industrial entities, and other institutions that provide health and medical care to groups and individuals
Community and Worksite Wellness
Students will receive training in a diversity of areas: kinesiology, ergonomics, lifestyle management, health and fitness appraisal and prescription, nutrition, and exercise physiology.
Careers: Community Health Educator, Health Promotion Specialist, Corporate Wellness, Health Counseling, Resort Wellness, Fitness Center, Educational Health Promotion, Wilderness Health Promotion and Lifestyle Training Specialist.
Corporate Health and Safety
A degree in Corporate Health and Safety helps prepare students for working in the industrial and manufacturing industry. In this setting, graduates oversee and administer health and safety procedures relating to the industrial work environment.
Careers: Manage OSHA general industry standards within plants, Emergency medical service, wellness programs and activities, health benefits, outside auditing of facilities within the Campbell Network.
Health Care Administration
A degree in Health Care Administration is require for those who want to build a career in managing acute and long term health care facilities and clinical facilities.
Careers: Manage a nursing home, clinic, or small acute care hospital facility.
B.S. Minor in Health Education
The Health Science Education Major at BYU - Idaho requires completion of specific coursework in Health, BYU - Idaho General Education classes, and Education classes needed for certification as a secondary education teacher in the state of Idaho (Idaho certification qualifies graduates to teach in 49 states). The Health Science Education major at BYU - Idaho also requires the completion of an Education Minor.
Students who graduate from this program are eligible for teacher certification in health science and in their chosen education minor.
For a listing of approved Secondary Education majors and minors, see the Teacher Education section of this catalog.
Careers: Teach Health Science 6-12
Safety Management/Fire Safety
A new B.S in Safety Management/Fire Safety is being created for the Health Science Department. It will be accepting students in The Fall Semester 2008.
AAS Paramedicine
Paramedicine degree is designed for those who desire to become Paramedics and who desire to take the examinations necessary to certify through the National Registry of emergency Medical Technicians. Course work is approved for those wanting Idaho certification and who can satisfy necessary requirements.
Careers: Paramedic
AAS Medical Assisting
Careers: Medical Assistant
Minor - Health Science
Minor - Health Education
More about the careers offer by graduating from one of the above programs can be found in the specific field listed in the lessons that cover those fields of study.
Introduction to Careers in Health Care
Health careers are in a constant stage of change. This is because of changing reimbursement methods, governmental interaction, needs of the U.S. population, and many other smaller factors. Health training has changed from hospital-based training to college and university level training. In most States, health professions must be licensed to practice their training skills. This includes the certification by State's Regulation Boards of Health. National and State examinations must be completed before certification is given.
Training has changed greatly in the past 50 years. Health care professionals must go through an extensive training program including classes in the understanding of body structure and function and other difficult college level science courses. Generally, at least an associate's degree is needed to practice in the health professions. This is quickly changing with more and higher levels of college courses required. There is a long list of prerequisite courses to be taken before one can apply to these professional programs.
Admission to professional health care programs is very competitive. Some require very high grade point averages (GPA's) for the prerequisite courses. Many applications are received and reviewed. Those accepted must meet all of the prerequisite requirements or their applications will be rejected. One may apply again and again. It is usually best to work closely with a professional to make the application process easier. A person seeking these professionals may find them in the admission office of the school the person is applying to or an advisor at the school where the prerequisite classes are taken. Good advising makes the difference between getting into one of the professional programs and being rejected. It is generally best to have a combination of advising from both the school where you are taking course work, and the professional program's admission advisors.
Health care is a multibillion-dollar industry with more employers and employees than any other industry in the United States. Health care usually pays extremely well compared to most other professions. The average is $19-28 dollars per hour or about $36,000 to $70,000 per year. Some earn much less and many earn much more than this. Health care consumes more of the Gross National Product (GNP) than any other industry or about 10-15 percent of the GNP.
New information and discoveries are at an explosive level in health care. Health professionals need to be constantly learning new and changing information. The techniques, tools, and instruments developed in response to the new information are very important. These new technologies are changing drastically the educational programs that train health professionals. Current health professionals must return to the educational process to keep up with these new technologies.
The health care system offers many opportunities for employment and training. Hospitals are the largest employers in health care followed by nursing homes and outpatient facilities. These and other areas of employment are discussed in this chapter.
HOSPITALS
Hospitals provide about 70 percent of all jobs in health care. Jobs include everything from medical doctors and hospital administrators to sanitation or maintenance workers, and those who sanitize the rooms, and halls. General hospitals make up about 90 percent of all hospitals. Hospitals are in nearly every community in the United States and it is to these local hospitals that most people go for medical treatment. Patients in these hospitals stay from a few hours to a few weeks.
Specialty hospitals are usually for long-term stays and for specialized treatment and surgeries. Specialty hospitals range from care for the mentally ill to those with chronic disorders that need specialized treatment and medical professionals. Specialty hospitals are usually identified as long-term care centers because their facilities treat patients for from a few weeks to several months. Specialty hospitals are usually located in larger metropolitan areas and provide care to a larger number of people from outside their specific areas. For example, the hospitals in Boston provide care to many individuals from throughout the New England States.
NURSING HOMES
Nursing homes have been around since the late 1920's. Currently there are more than 30,000 long-term care facilities that are called nursing homes and they provide jobs for about one million people. The level of care given to their individual patients usually classifies nursing homes. Although nursing homes are generally set up to serve the elderly and aged, they serve adults of any age. Nursing homes usually have different units based on the amount of nursing or other care the patient needs. Nursing home care costs vary, and range from $2500 to $6000 for each month of care; the national average is more than $78,000 per year. Medicaid funds are the main source of reimbursement followed by Medicare and private insurance for their patients. A few patients or their families pay for the costs of nursing home care, although these funds are quickly used up. Government funds are used to provide care and treatment of most nursing home patients. Before public funds can be used, all the finances and investments, such as the patient's homes, will be taken and sold by the State's government officials. Many try to avoid this by having the home transferred into the name of the patient's children, but current laws carefully restrict such practices.
Other long-term care facilities provide care for ill individuals. These include facilities that treat mental, emotional, and physical illness, residential homes for the mentally retarded, centers for drug and alcohol abuse, as well as special education centers for the deaf and blind. About 50 percent of these facilities treat mental and emotional illness. Currently about 5 percent of the U.S. population needs mental or emotional health treatment inside health care facilities. These centers are usually full with waiting lists for new patients. The numbers are growing but more outpatient therapy has dramatically slowed the growth for the need of new mental and emotional health institutional care facilities.
OUTPATIENT CARE FACILITIES
More than 700,000 health care jobs are found in outpatient care facilities. The following is a description of some of these facilities.
1.AMBULANCE SERVICE provides emergency transportation to hospitals. They provide for immediate care until the medical personnel at the hospital can take over. Most communities provide for ambulance service. There is usually a charge for such service that is very expensive; the average cost is more than $350 for a 5-minute ride.
2.BLOOD BANKS provide services to withdraw, process, store, and distribute whole blood and its parts to a wide variety of institutions. Blood banks are usually located in most communities. In smaller communities, blood drives are held to collect blood and then it is processed and stored at the blood bank. Blood banks sell the blood for between $100 and $250 per unit depending on their location and blood type.
3.CLINICAL LABORATORIES provide for the testing of body samples such as blood, urine and tissue. These are then used in the diagnostic procedures of medicine. Costs vary greatly by tests performed.
4.DENTAL LABORATORIES provide service to dentists. They usually make and repair dental fixtures such as artificial teeth or other dental appliances.
5.FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES provide for the testing and counseling used in family planning. Some centers also provide birth control medications and abortion services.
6.HOME HEALTH provides for care in the home and support service usually for a short period of time after leaving a hospital. Some home health services provide long-term for the severely disabled individual.
7.OPTICIAN AND OPTOMETRY provide service for vision problems and correction by the use of glasses and contacts, usually administered by an optometrist or by an ophthalmologist.
8.POISON CONTROL CENTER provides service over the telephone to individuals and physicians for the toxic effects of various substances, plants, and medications.
9.COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS provide a variety of services to community members from medical services to day care centers both for the young and elderly. Some centers are mostly concerned with mental and emotional health issues. Centers in large communities may provide services at night and on the weekend
10.MIGRANT WORKERS HEALTH CENTERS provide service for all types of migrant workers living for a short period of time within the community. Some are illegal aliens and will not go to regular centers for fear of being deported.
11.HEALTH MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATIONS provide the full range of medical, dental, pharmaceutical, mental health, and ophthalmic services to a group of individuals who have paid a monthly premium or their employer has paid such a monthly premium.
12.CLINICS provide service on an outpatient basis for medical services of many types. Some clinics have a single doctor and many have a large team of doctors such as the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
VOLUNTARY HEALTH AGENCIES
Voluntary Health Agencies provide services at the national, State, and local levels. They are generally concerned with specific health problems of health services. Some of the agencies are involved in fund raising efforts for medical research and providing services at the local level. Most also provide health education through numerous sources such as providing literature and Internet information sites. Some may even support specialty hospitals where patients may go to receive care and other services. The March of Dimes, the National Cancer Society, and the American Heart Association are some of the oldest and best known of these voluntary health agencies.
PROFESSIONAL HEALTH ASSOCIATIONS
Professional Health Associations provide information to their members and others interested in learning of these professions. Their activities are generally designed to promote the profession and the members of the association. Examples are the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, and the various associations of the different health careers such as the American Occupational Therapy Association.
GOVERNMENTAL OPPORTUNITIES
Government service organizations provide a wide variety of services such as the certification to practice in a State and providing services through local health departments. There are many jobs at the Federal, State, and local areas for health care professionals including the military and veteran's affair branches of the government. Jobs are also found in the inspection areas of governments such as the public health inspectors that visit health care institutions and establishments that prepare and serve food or manufacture medicines or equipment used in health care. The United States Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) also provide jobs in the areas of enforcement of health and safety requirements inside industrial or business settings.
INDUSTRIAL AND BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
Industrial and business provide many new jobs for health professionals and is probably the fastest growing segment of the health care market. These jobs usually provide services, such as clinics for the employees and sometimes for their families. There are thousands of jobs dealing with the research and development of new products for the health care industry.
CAREER EXPLORATION IN HEALTH CARE
There are more than 900 health careers. This online textbook tries to describe the ones that tend to have more career opportunities in the Allied Health Professions.
Questions
What are some of the career offered by the Health Science Department at BYUI?
Where are most jobs found for those thinking of working in the health careers?
In most states one must be ______before they begin a health career.
One must maintain what kind of GPA if you wish to work in the health careers?
Where do most of the funds come from in the support of nursing home residents?
What are some of the facilities or agencies the serve as outpatient care givers?
What is the average pay for a Healthcare worker in the United States?
History of Health Care
The healing arts have been around since mankind began keeping records. In the beginning, medicine men or witch doctors handled health problems. Later, religious men developed an interest in healing and became the major providers of health care. Some of their contributions still influence medical practices today.
The Egyptians of 5,000 years ago had both religious and medical cults. Magic symbols and amulets were part of a type of medical treatment based on the belief that the world was full of ghosts and evil spirits. According to belief evil spirits sometimes entered the human body when someone did a bad deed and could enact curses upon the person.
They believed in gods who protected humans against illness. Two of these gods were Thoth and Imhotep. Thoth was held to be the inventor of writing in the Egyptian world, and was considered to be the advisor to the other Egyptian Gods. During the pregnancy of Isis, Thoth protected her from harm and afterwards healed her son. Imhotep was a physician to the pharaoh Zoser around 3000 B.C. He was worshiped after his death as the Egyptian god of medicine and many cures and treatments were attributed to his teachings. There were many gods who had power over individual parts of the human body. The physicians of this time would try to persuade one of these gods to protect their patients or to persuade the evil spirits to leave the patient's body.