1. Health Care Careers

2. Standard 2
Prepare a paper or electronic career profile for at least one occupation in each of the five
health science career areas (biotechnology research, therapeutic services, support services,
health informatics, and diagnostic services), to be included in the student’s health science
portfolio. Draw on print and online sources, such as government occupational profiles,
and/or interviews with health care professionals to capture at minimum the following:
a. Job description
b. Roles and responsibilities
c. Essential knowledge and skills needed for the career
d. Programs or paths of study available to reach occupational goals, beginning with
high school and proceeding through postsecondary
e. Required personality traits for the career
f. Licensure and credentialing requirements
g. Non-educational job requirements such as physical fitness tests, minimum age, and psychological evaluations
h. Photographs or digital prints of each career (refer to HOSA Medical Photography
guidelines)

3. What are career pathways?
Clusters of occupations or careers
Grouped together based on commonalities
Share similar interests and strengths

4. What do they include? Variety of occupations
Require different levels of education and training
Identify pathways from secondary school to 2- and 4- year colleges, graduate school, and the workplace

5. How can they help me? Choices at school
Focus on an area of interest or a possible career path
Part-time employment
School-to-work
Internship
Cooperative Education

6. What are
the five
career
pathways?

7. 5 Health Care Pathways THERAPEUTIC SERVICES DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES
All Health Care occupations are organized into 5 pathways.
THERAPEUTIC SERVICES
DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES
HEALTH INFORMATICS
SUPPORT SERVICES
BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
All Health care careers are organized into these 5 pathways. You will study various Health Care occupations to help you figure out what level of education is required for these occupations and if you may be interested in finding out more.

8. Therapeutic Services Diagnostic Services Health Informatics
Anesthesiologist Assistant
Art/Music/Dance Therapist(s)
Athletic Trainer
Audiologist
Certified Nursing Assistant
Chiropractor
Dental Assistant
Dental Hygienist
Dental Lab Technician
Dentist
Dietician
EMT/ Paramedic
Home Health Aide
Licensed Practical Nurse
Massage Therapist
Medical Assistant
Mortician
Occupational Therapist
Occupational Therapy Asst
Optometrist
Pharmacist
Pharmacy Technician
Physical Therapist
Physical Therapy Assistant
Physician (MD/DO)
Physician’s Assistant
Psychologist
Recreation Therapist
Registered Nurse
Respiratory Therapist
Social Worker
Speech Language Pathologist
Surgical Technician
Veterinarian
Veterinarian Technician
Cardiovascular
Technologist
Clinical Lab Technician
Computer Tomography
(CT) Technologist
Diagnostic Medical
Sonographers
Electrocardiographic
(ECG) Technician
Electronic Diagnostic
(EEG) Technologist
Exercise Physiologist
Magnetic Resonance (MR)
Mammographer
Medical Technologist/
Clinical Laboratory
Scientist
Nuclear Medicine
Nutritionist
Orthotist/Prosthetist
Pathologist
Pathology Assistant
Phlebotomist
Positron Emission
Tomography (PET)
Radiologic
Technologist/Radiographer
Radiologist
Admitting Clerk
Applied Researcher
Community Services Specialists
Data Analyst
Epidemiologist
Ethicist
Health Educator
Health Information Coder
Health Information Services
Healthcare Administrator
Medical Biller/Patient Financial
Services
Medical Information Technologist
Medical Librarian/Cybrarian
Patient Advocates
Public Health Educator
Reimbursement Specialist (HFMA)
Risk Management
Transcriptionist
Unit Coordinator
Utilization Manager
Biomedical / Clinical
Engineer
Technician
Central Services
Environmental Health and
Safety
Environmental Services
Facilities Manager
Food Services
Hospital Maintenance
Industrial Hygienist
Materials Management
Transport Technician
Biochemist
Bioinformatics Associate
Bioinformatics Scientist
Bioinformatics Specialist
Biomedical Chemist
Biostatistician
Cell Biologist
Clinical Trials Research Associate
Clinical Trials Research Coordinator
Geneticist
Lab Assistant-Genetics
Lab Technician
Microbiologist
Molecular Biologist
Pharmaceutical Scientist
Quality Assurance Technician
Quality Control Technician
Regulatory Affairs Specialist
Research Assistant
Research Associate
Research Scientist
Toxicologist
Therapeutic Services
Diagnostic Services
Health Informatics
Support Services
Biotechnology Research & Development
Here is a list of Health Care occupations which are organized into 5 pathways. You will be exploring the colored occupations during your TLC classes.

9. THERAPEUTIC SERVICES
Maintain or change the health status of the patient over time.
SAMPLE CAREERS:
EMT/Paramedic
Nursing
Certified Nursing Assisting
Licensed Practical Nurse
Registered Nurse
Medical Assistant
Optometrist
Physician or Doctor
Cardiovascular Technologist
Surgical Technician
Therapeutic Service Pathway are those occupations which treat illnesses and conditions of patients.
Sample Therapeutic Occupations:
Dentists – are doctors who specialize in the care of the teeth and mouth tissues. They diagnose disease, perform surgery on the teeth, gums, and mouth tissues and try to help prevent further mouth disease.
Certified Nursing Assistants – may be also called nurse aides or nurse technicians. They work under the direction of a nurse and help provide direct patient care such as assistance with bathing, feeding, walking, and taking vital signs.
Licensed Practical Nurse – is a mid-level nurse who is not required to know as much as a Registered Nurse. They provide direct patient care and can give medications, perform dressing changes, and other treatments as ordered by the physician, physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner.
Registered Nurse – is able to provide total patient care by assessing a patient’s condition, administering medications, dressing changes, starting IVs, giving blood, patient teaching, and other treatments. An RN can specialize with advanced training to become a nurse practitioner or a nurse midwife.
Medical Assistants – work under the direction of a physician to prepare patients for examinations by taking vital signs, medical histories, performing basic laboratory tests, administering medications, assisting with procedures such as EKGs, and/or receptionist duties.
Optometrist – examines eyes for vision problems and defects, and prescribes glasses for the treatment of those vision problems.
Physicians (Doctors) – examine patients, obtain medical histories, order laboratory and other diagnostic tests, make diagnoses of diseases and conditions, perform surgery, treat diseases and disorders, and teach preventative health. There are numerous specialties a physician may choose such as a pediatrician or a surgeon.
Cardiovascular Technologist – assists with heart procedures to remove blockages in the heart’s blood vessels, monitor patients during open-heart surgery, assist with the implantation of pacemakers, and perform tests to check for the flow of blood.

10. DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES
Create a picture of patient health at a single point of time.
SAMPLE CAREERS:
Clinical Laboratory Technician
Exercise Physiologist
Orthotist/Prosthetist
Pathologist
Phlebotomist
Radiologic Technicians
Diagnostic Services Pathway are those occupations which help to determine what is wrong with the patient – creating a picture of that patient at a certain point in time.
Sample Diagnostic Services Occupations:
Clinical Laboratory Technicians - work under the direction of a pathologist to study tissues, body fluids, and cells to determine the presence of disease. They use microscopes and computers when performing tests.
Geneticist – is a scientist that studies human genes and chromosomes, disorders that are inherited, as well as patterns of inheritance.
Nuclear Medicine Technologists – is a specialty of radiologic technologists who prepare radioactive substances for administration to patients for the diagnosis of disease. They radioactive substances may show the flow of urine through the kidneys, image blood vessels or show stones in the gallbladder.
Pathologist – is a physician specialty who specializes in the diagnosis of diseases and infections by examining cells, tissues, and body fluids of patients.
Phlebotomists – are responsible for drawing patient’s blood which will be used for laboratory testing.
Radiologic Technicians – work under the supervision of doctors to use x-rays, radiation, nuclear medicine, ultrasounds, and MRIs to diagnose (and sometimes treat) disease.

11. HEALTH INFORMATICS
Provide functions that support and document patient care
SAMPLE CAREERS:
Admitting Clerk
Coder
Epidemiologist
Community Health Specialist
Ethicist
Health Care Administrator
Health Educator
Transcriptionist
Health Informatics Pathway are those occupations which process, document, and store data.
Sample Health Informatics Services Occupations:
Coders – are responsible for converting diseases and other medical conditions as well as procedures to numbers on insurance forms for processing and reimbursement of payment.
Community Health Specialists – are responsible for the promotion and teaching of health principles and wellness in the local area.
Epidemiologists – are responsible for tracking the outbreak of diseases and infections in a community as well as coming up with prevention strategies to reduce the risk of diseases and infection.
Ethicists – help to determine what is morally right and wrong in order to make decisions regarding the behavior of its associated members, or treatment options for sick patients.
Health Care Administrators – are responsible for the daily operations of the hospital. Their responsibilities include all facilities, personnel, and budgeting.
Health Educators – are responsible for teaching the community about issues relating to health and wellness.
Transcriptionists – use computers to enter information that has been dictated by a physician or other health care worker.

12. SUPPORT SERVICES
Provide a therapeutic environment for the delivery of health care.
SAMPLE CAREERS:
Biomedical Engineer
Central Services Technician
Dietician
Facilities Manager
Food Services
Purchasing Agent
Transport Technician
Support Services Pathway are those occupations which help to provide a therapeutic environment for health care workers and their patients.
Support Services Careers:
Biomedical Engineers – work with many different machines used to diagnose, treat, and monitor patients. They install, test, service, and repair the equipment.
Central Services Technicians – are involved in ordering, maintaining, and supplying all equipment and supplies to all departments of the hospital. They are also responsible for sterilizing instruments for use in the operating room and other departments.
Dieticians – are responsible for planning individual, therapeutic meals to help promote healing.
Facilities Managers – are responsible for the physical upkeep of the health care facility.
Purchasing Agents – are responsible for purchasing high quality equipment and supplies for the best prices possible.
Transport Technicians – are responsible for moving patients from one place to another. For example, a transport tech would take a patient from their hospital room to x-ray and back again.

13. BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Use scientific and technical advancements to enhance diagnostic and therapeutic abilities in health care
SAMPLE CAREERS:
Biomedical Chemist
Biostatistician
Geneticist
Molecular Biologist
Pharmacist
Quality Control Technician
Toxicologist
Biotechnology Research and Development are those occupations which use explore and create scientific technologies to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of patients.
Sample Biotechnology Research and Development Occupations:
Biomedical Chemist – se knowledge of atoms, molecules, and chemistry to help treat diseases by creating new treatments and medications.
Biostatisticians – use data to measure the effectiveness of various treatments.
Microbiologists – study unicellular organisms and infectious diseases.
Pharmacists – dispense and suggest medications to be used in the treatment of diseases and disorders.
Quality Control Technicians – help to check the effectiveness of treatments and care delivered to patients.
Toxicologists – study the poisonous effects of drugs and chemicals on the body and the environment.

14. Health Care Exploration
Business
Health Informatics
Family and Consumer Sciences
Therapeutic Services
Support Services
Technology Education
Diagnostic Services
Biotechnology Research and Development

15. Deciding a Career Pathway#1
Identify your interests, abilities, and talents.

16. Deciding a Career Pathway#2
Consider relationship to your interests, abilities, and talents.

17. Deciding a Career Pathway#3
Which career pathway fits you best?

18. Deciding a Career Pathway#4
Investigate and think about how each matches your interests, abilities, and talents.