Requirements for applying to allied health jobs
Before beginning professional training, you should thoroughly investigate the institution you plan to attend. The importance of attending an accredited program is paramount, because many employers will fill their allied health job openings only with those who have received their education from a program that has a specific accreditation. There are many institutes that provide these accredited programs. For example, there is the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Also, there is the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions, which is a not-for-profit professional association for members who include administrators, educators, and others who are concerned with issues that affect allied health education. Finally, there is the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, which is also a non-profit agency. Generally, the educational process for therapists or technologists is more intensive and includes acquiring procedural skills. In addition, students of therapy/technology who fulfill the requirement for allied health jobs learn to evaluate patients, diagnose conditions, develop treatment plans, and understand the rationale behind various treatments in order to judge their appropriateness and potential side effects. The students learn to evaluate patients' responses to therapy and make appropriate decisions about continued treatment or modification of treatment plans from their educational curricula.
Nature of work involved in an allied health job
The allied health job requires the employee to work in close proximity (directly or indirectly) with the patient. These workers also have responsibility for patient health. Once an individual enters into an allied health job, he or she is regarded as an expert in the field. Allied health jobs can be performed as independent contractors or as part of a larger team. This work as a single unit or a part of team depends on the necessity of the allied health jobs and by this, allied health professionals provide continual evaluation and assessment of patient needs. Their job also demands a major role in informing the attending clinician of the patients' progress and response to treatment. There are also allied health travel jobs available for those who have an interest in traveling. According to allied health travel job needs, these professionals have to travel from place to place to meet their clients.
The allied health jobs fall into two broad categories: technician (assistants) jobs and therapists/technologists job. As the name suggests, this group provides job for technicians and therapists/ technologists, respectively. Technician jobs are for professionals trained to perform procedures; their education lasts less than two years. Generally, they are required to work under the supervision of technologists or therapists.
Types of allied health jobs available
There are more than eighty types of allied health jobs available and in each field of expertise several professionals are working. According to the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions, allied health includes the following careers:
- Athletic training
- Cardiovascular perfusion technology
- Cytotechnology
- Dental hygiene
- Diagnostic medical sonography
- Dietetics
- Emergency medical sciences
- Health administration
- Health information management
- Industrial hygienist
- Medical technology
- Medical transcriptions
- Nuclear medicine technology
- Nursing (not part of allied health but frequently offered at schools that also train allied health providers)
- Occupational therapy
- Orthotics and prosthetics
- Physical therapy
- Physician assistance
- Radiation therapy technology
- Radiography
- Rehabilitation counseling
- Respiratory therapy
- Respiratory therapy technology
- Speech-language pathology and audiology
As with healthcare jobs, the allied healthcare jobs are very lucrative, and individuals who are trained for allied health professions are in high demand, and this demand will continue in the future. The top thirty fastest-growing jobs in the United States predicted through 2010 are in allied health occupations. Over five million healthcare providers in the United States work in more than eighty allied health professions. Allied health jobs have a huge potential in terms of attractiveness and service to the society of healthcare.
