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Allied Health Profession Overview
The term Allied Health (or Health-Related Professions, at some institutions) is
used to identify a cluster of health professions, encompassing as many as 200
health careers. There are
5 million allied health care providers in the U.S.,
who work in more than 80 different professions and represent approximately 60%
of all health care providers -- but this is just a drop in the bucket in terms
of how many allied health care workers are needed to meet current and future
healthcare needs in America.
When you work in allied health, you are involved (directly or indirectly) with
patient health, and you are regarded as an expert in your field. Some
allied health professionals practice independently; others work as part of a
health care
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team,
providing continual evaluation and assessment of patient
needs. They also play a major role in informing the attending clinician of the
patient's progress and response to treatment.
The allied health professions fall into two broad categories: technicians
(assistants) and therapists/technologists. Technicians are trained to perform
procedures, and their education lasts less than two years. They are required to
work under the supervision of technologists or therapists. This part of the
allied health field includes physical therapy assistants, medical laboratory
technicians, radiological technicians, occupational therapy assistants,
recreation therapy assistants, and respiratory therapy technicians.
The educational process for therapists or technologists is more intensive and
includes acquiring procedural skills. In addition, students of
therapy/technology 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. Educational curricula
teach students to evaluate patients’ responses to therapy and make appropriate
decisions about continued treatment or modification of treatment plans.
For more information about Allied Health, see the
Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions Website. The U.S. Department of Labor has a whole
section on allied health professions on its
Career Voyages Website. Another
useful resource is the
American Medical Association (AMA)'s overview of selected
Allied Health careers, including an overview of selected
allied health career salaries. |
