1. Health Service Professionals:
Other Health Care Professionals

2. Learning Objectives Understand the role of non physician providers
Identify allied health professionals and their roles
Understand the functions and qualifications of health service administrators

3. Types of Health Care Personnel
Dentists
Dental Hygienists
Dental Assistants
Pharmacists
Other Doctoral-Level Health Professionals
Optometrists
Psychologists
Podiatrists
Chiropractors
Nurses
Registered Nurses
Licensed Practical Nurses
Advanced Practice Nurses
Non Physician Practitioners
Physician Assistants
Nurse Practitioners
Certified Nurse Midwives
AH Professionals
(includes many health-related professionals)
See Chart 4-2, page 144
Health Services Administrators

4. Dentists Major role: Must be licensed to practice
Diagnose and treat dental problems related to teeth, gums and mouth
Must be licensed to practice
DDS – Doctor of Dental Surgery
DDM – Doctor of Dental Medicine
Eight specialties recognized by American Dentist Association
Orthodontics – straighten teeth
Oral/maxillofacial surgery – mouth and jaw
Pediatric dentistry
Periodontics – treat gums
Prosthodontics – artificial teeth or dentures
Endodontics – root canals
Public health dentistry – community
Oral pathology – disease of the mouth

5. Other Dental Professionals
Dental hygienists
Do preventative dental care
Clean, educate
Must be licensed
Dental Assistants
Help in the preparation, exam and treating of patients
Do not need licensure

6. Pharmacists Role: Need license to practice $84,900 income in 2004
Dispense medicine prescribed by doctors, dentists, podiatrists, psychiatrists
Consult on selected uses of medicine
Need license to practice
PharmD degree, 6 years of education
$84,900 income in 2004

7. Other Doctoral-Level Health Professionals
These are not M.D.s or D.O.s
Optometrists
Psychologists
Podiatrists
Chiropractors

8. Optometrists Role Need license Usually work in solo or group practices
Provide vision care with:
Exams, diagnostics, correction
Need license
Doctor of Optometry (OD)
Usually work in solo or group practices

9. Psychologists Role Need license
Provide patients with mental health care
Need license
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

10. Podiatrists Role Need a license
Treat diseases or deformities of the feet
Includes surgeries, medicine, corrective devises
Need a license
Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM)

11. Chiropractors Role Need license to practice
Treatment by hand manipulation, physiotherapy and dietary counseling
Help patients with neurological, muscular, vascular problems
Believe body is self-healing
Do not prescribe medicine or do surgery
Need license to practice
Doctor of Chiropractic (DC), 4 years

12. Nurses The largest group of health care professionals
Profession developed after World War I
The major caregivers of sick and injured patients
Address physical, mental and emotional needs
Need to be licensed to practice
2 levels:
Registered Nurses (RN)
Licensed practical nurses (LPN)

13. Nurse Shortage
As average length of stay decreased, demand for nursing fell,
but patients are sicker and more nurses are needed
work more intensive
Shortfall of 110,000 nurses
120,000 are trained but not working
In 2020, shortfall will be 340,000 RNs if current trends continue!

14. Reasons for Shortfall Reasons for shortfall: Sluggish wages
Low job satisfaction
Inadequate career mobility
Falling nursing enrollments
Demand from other alternative hospital sites

15. Nurse Reinvestment Act
Nurse Reinvestment Act of 2002
Grants and scholarships to attract and keep in the field
Most money goes to nursing schools, but hospitals will benefit
Encouraging nurses to get:
higher education
training
internships
retention
to enhance role of nurses

16. Advanced Practice Nurses
Education and clinical experience is required for a Registered Nurse
4 Areas of Specialization:
Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) – hospital
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
Nurse Practitioners (NP) - primary care
Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM)

17. Nonphysician Practioners (NPP)
NPPs are:
Clinical professionals who practice in many areas similar to a physician, but do not have a physician or DO degree
“Delivery extenders”

18. Physician’s Assistants
Role:
Part of the health care team who works in a dependent relationship with a supervising physician to provide comprehensive care
Licensed to do medical procedures under supervision of a physician
supervision can be on or off-site
Duties include:
evaluation, monitor, diagnostics, therapy, counseling, referral
Follows a medical model
Focuses on disease

19. Nurse Practitioners
Have completed study with competence of an RN in an expanded role
Largest group of NPPs that has most growth, but may be declining
Follow a nursing model with health promotion and education

20. Allied Health Professionals
Includes many health-related areas
Constitutes 60% of U.S. health care workforce
2 Broad Categories:
Technicians/assistants
Therapists/technologists
Look at Exh 4-2, page 144

21. Health Service Administrators
Employed at various levels of organizations
Manage complex integrated delivery organizations
Educational qualifications:
MHA - Master in Health Administration
MHSA - Master in Health Serv Admin
MBA – Master in Business Administration
MPH – Master in Public Health
MPA - Master in Public Administration/Affairs

22. Administrative Challenges
Challenges for health service administrators :
Financing and payment structures
Working with decreasing levels of reimbursement
Pressure of uncompensated care
High quality
Community health service
Demands by both public and private payers
New policy developments
Changing competitive environment
Maintaining integrity

23. Summary Health care professions influenced by:
Demographic trends
Advances in research and technology
Disease and illness trends
Changing environment
Click Topic 4 within Lesson 4 to continue.