MedlinePlus: Health Occupations

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Photograph of various healthcare professionals

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- Choosing a Doctor or Health Care Service
- Health System
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Health Occupations

Also called: Health professions, Medical occupations, Medical professions

Every day, around the clock, people who work in the healthcare industry provide care for millions of people, from newborns to the very ill. In fact, the health care industry is one of largest providers of jobs in the United States. Many health jobs are in hospitals. Others are in nursing homes, doctors' offices, dentists' offices, outpatient clinics and laboratories.

To work in a health occupation, you often must have special training. Some, like doctors, must have more than 4 years of college.

Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Choosing a Career(American Medical Association)
LifeWorks(National Institutes of Health, Office of Science Education)

Basics	Learn More	Multimedia & Cool Tools
Overviews Latest News Diagnosis/Symptoms	Nutrition Rehabilitation/Recovery Specific Conditions Related Issues	No links available
Research	Reference Shelf	For You
Financial Issues Genetics Journal Articles	Medical Encyclopedia Dictionaries/Glossaries Directories Organizations Newsletters/Print Publications Statistics	Children Teenagers Seniors

Overviews
- Career Voyages - Health Care(Dept. of Education, Dept. of Labor)
  Also available in Spanish
Latest News
- Prescription Training Puts Docs in Shoes of Older Patients(05/01/2009, HealthDay)
- Doctor's Training Affects Defibrillator Implant Results(04/21/2009, HealthDay)
- Most New EMS Recruits Overweight or Obese(03/20/2009, HealthDay)
- More News on Health Occupations
Diagnosis/Symptoms
- Careers in Diagnostic Radiology(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)
- Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Cytotechnologist(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographers(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Electroneurodiagnostic Technologist(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF
- Orthoptist(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF
- Polysomnographic Technologist(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF
- Who's Who in the Lab: A Look at Laboratory Professionals(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
Nutrition
- Dietitians and Nutritionists(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Frequently Asked Questions about Careers in Dietetics(American Dietetic Association)
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Rehabilitation/Recovery
- Art Therapist(American Medical Association)
- Dance/Movement Therapist(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF
- Kinesiotherapist(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF
- Massage Therapist(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF
- Music Therapist(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF
- Occupational Therapist Assistants and Aides(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Occupational Therapists(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Physical Therapist Assistants and Aides(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Physical Therapists(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Recreational Therapists(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Rehabilitation Counselor(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF
- Speech-Language Pathologists(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- What Is a Physiatrist?(American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)
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Specific Conditions
- About Critical Care Nursing(American Association of Critical-Care Nurses)
- Anesthesiologist Assistant(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF
- AspiringDocs.org(Association of American Medical Colleges)
- Athletic Trainers(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Audiologists(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Becoming a D.O.(American Osteopathic Association)
- Becoming an MD(American Medical Association)
- Biological Scientists(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Blindness and Visual Impairment Professions(American Medical Association)
- Blood Bank Technology-Specialist(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF
- Cardiovascular Specialists and Your Health Care(American College of Cardiology)
- Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Career Information: Nuclear Medicine(Society of Nuclear Medicine)
- Careers in Dentistry: Be a Dentist(American Dental Association)
- Careers in Public Health(Association of Schools of Public Health)
- Careers in Radiation Therapy(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)
- Careers in Sports Medicine and Exercise Science(American College of Sports Medicine) - Links to PDF
- Chiropractors(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Considering a Career in Long Term Care(American Health Care Association)
- Considering a Career in Medical Research(Association of American Medical Colleges)
- Counselors(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Dental Assistants(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Dental Hygienists(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Dentists(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Infection Control and Epidemiology--The Profession(Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology) - Links to PDF
- International/Global Health(Association of Schools of Public Health)
- JAMA Patient Pages: Medical Specialties(American Medical Association)
  Also available in Spanish
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Medical and Health Services Managers(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Medical Assistants(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Medical Librarianship: A Career Beyond the Cutting Edge(Medical Library Association) - Links to PDF
- Medical Records and Health Information Technicians(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Medical Scientists(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Medical Specialty of Anesthesiology(American Society of Anesthesiologists)
- Medical Transcriptionists(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Nursing, Psychiatric, and Home Health Aides(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Occupational Health and Safety Specialists and Technicians(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Opticians, Dispensing(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Optometrists(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Orthotist and Prosthetist(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF
- Osteopathic Medicine(American Osteopathic Association)
- Perfusionist(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF
- Personal and Home Care Aides(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Pharmacists(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Pharmacy Aides(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Pharmacy Technicians(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Physician Assistants(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Physicians and Surgeons(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Podiatrists(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Psychologists(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Public Affairs Specialists: On the FDA's Front Line(Food and Drug Administration)
- Registered Nurses(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Resource Guide to Careers in Toxicology(Society of Toxicology)
- Respiratory Therapists(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Science Technicians(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- So You Want to Be a Forensic Scientist!(American Academy of Forensic Sciences)
- Social and Human Service Assistants(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Staff Career Opportunities in Orthodontics(American Association of Orthodontists)
- Surgical Assistant(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF
- Surgical Technologists(Bureau of Health Professions)
- Veterinarians(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Veterinary Technologists and Technicians(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- What Is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)?(American Osteopathic Association)
- What Is a Rheumatologist?(American College of Rheumatology)
  Also available in Spanish
- What Is an Endocrinologist?(Hormone Foundation)
  Also available in Spanish
- What Is an Otolaryngologist?(American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
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Related Issues
- Ergonomics: Occupational Therapy in the Workplace(American Occupational Therapy Association)
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Financial Issues
- Paying for Medical School(American Medical Association)
- Scholarships and Financial Aid Resources for Nursing Students(American Association of Colleges of Nursing)
- Student Assistance Programs(Bureau of Health Professions)
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Genetics
- Career in Genetic Counseling(National Society of Genetic Counselors)
- Careers in Human Genetics(American Society of Human Genetics)
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Medical Encyclopedia
- Health Occupations
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Dictionaries/Glossaries
- Glossary for Program Information(American Medical Association)
- Glossary of Osteopathic Terminology(American Osteopathic Association)
- How a Physician Becomes Board Certified(American Board of Medical Specialties)
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Directories
- American Association of Colleges of Nursing Member Schools(American Association of Colleges of Nursing)
- CAAHEP Accredited Program Search (Allied Health)(Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs)
- Member Medical Schools(Association of American Medical Colleges)
- Search for NLNAC Accredited Nursing Programs(National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission)
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Organizations
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Newsletters/Print Publications
- Health Careers e-Letter(American Medical Association)
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Statistics
- Fastest Growing Occupations(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Health Care(Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- United States Health Workforce Personnel Factbook(Dept. of Health and Human Services)
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Children
- Learn More about Pediatric Subspecialists(American Academy of Pediatrics)
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Teenagers
- Snapshots of Science and Medicine: People Doing Science(National Institutes of Health)
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Seniors
- Careers in Aging(Gerontological Society of America)
- Role of the Geriatric Psychiatrist(Geriatric Mental Health Foundation)
  Also available in Spanish
- Why Geriatrics as a Career Choice?(American Geriatrics Society) - Links to PDF
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