Allied health care disciplines set to grow
A career in the booming medical industry can be found in the allied health care disciplines and runs across the gamut of professions.
ExploreHealthCareers.org reported allied health care providers will increase as jobs in the health care industry will grow from 15.6 million to 19.8 million between 2010 and 2020. In addition, bachelor’s and graduate degrees will be required by an increasing number of these positions.
According to Dr. Christina Hagerty, Lone Star College Cy Fair dean, Public Service, Health and Behavioral Sciences, allied health professionals are involved in providing health-related services pertaining to the identification, assessment and prevention of diseases and disorders as well as providing dietary and nutrition services; rehabilitation and health systems management.
Allied health professionals include dental hygienists, diagnostic medical sonographers, dietitians, medical technologists, occupational therapists’ assistants, physical therapists’ assistants, radiographers, respiratory therapists and medical assistants, among others.
“LSC offers a multitude of Associate of Science degrees relating to allied health professions including Dental Hygiene, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapist Assistant, Medical Radiologic Technology and Respiratory Care Therapist. In addition to the AAS degrees, Lone Star College also offers many related certifications in these disciplines,” Hagerty said.
Specializations in high demand as reported by The Texas Workforce Commission are dental hygienists, diagnostic medical sonographers, occupational therapists assistants and physical therapist assistants will be in high demand in the Gulf Coast region through 2026.
LSC’s top three allied health programs are Medical Radiologic Technology, Respiratory Therapy and Diagnostic Medical Sonography.
Education is key to employment.
“Most allied health jobs require a degree or certification, potentially putting students into the workforce faster than other health-care related positions that may require longer training periods. The allied health disciplines offer students the opportunity to earn competitive salaries,” said Hagerty.
LSC allied health program graduates have the option to go directly into the workforce while many stay in their field for their entire professional career. There is also a population of our graduates who decide to further their education along their career path Hagerty said.
The University of Houston also offers allied health options.
“The University of Houston offers numerous programs to prepare students for employment in health and allied health fields. We remain steadfast in our commitment to improve the health of communities in our city, state and beyond by training the health care leaders of tomorrow,” said Chris Stipes, director of media relations at the University of Houston.
Academic advisors at the University of Houston can assist students interested in careers ranging from medicine to dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, optometry, veterinary, physician assistant, physical therapist, and occupational therapist. Those generally categorized as “allied health” fields are physician assistant (PA), physical therapist (PT), and occupational therapist (OT).
All of the fields mentioned above, with the exception of nursing, require graduate/professional degrees and training. The University of Houston currently offers the (BSN) nursing degree. The University of Houston schools of Pharmacy and Optometry offer graduate degrees in those fields.
Further details
For more information in Lone Star College, visit www.lonestar.edu/cluster-health-sciences.htm.
For details on programs offered by the The University of Houston, go online to www.uh.edu/nsm/students/undergraduate/health-professions.