Careers in Medicine and Allied Health

CHAPTER 12: CAREERS IN MEDICINE AND ALLIED HEALTH

Author: Chad Starkey

Chapter Objectives

  • Acquaint with professional opportunities in medicine and allied health.

  • Familiarize with purposes and types of work done by professionals in diagnosis and therapeutic interventions, including exercise.

  • Inform about educational requirements and experiences needed to become an active, competent professional in the area.

  • Help determine suitability of these professions concerning skills, aptitudes, and professional desires.

What Is Allied Health?

  • Definition: Allied health professionals incorporate diagnostics and apply exercise and movement experiences to enhance physical functioning.

  • Key Concepts:

    • Diagnostic: Identification of physiological, anatomical, or biomechanical limitations.

    • Interventions: Actions taken to correct identified problems.

    • Restoration of Function: Focus on rehabilitative therapeutic exercise to regain lost function.

    • Acquisition of Skills/Functions: Focus on habilitative therapeutic exercise to gain expected skills and functions.

Core Competencies

Core competencies developed by the Health and Medicine Division (formerly the Institute of Medicine):

  • Provide patient care.

  • Work in interdisciplinary teams.

  • Employ evidence-based practice.

  • Apply quality improvement.

  • Use informatics.

Reassessing Disability

  • Emphasis on patient capabilities, reducing stigma.

  • Uses the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) by WHO (2002).

  • Goals of therapeutic exercise professionals:

    • Restore lost function (rehabilitative therapeutic exercise).

    • Acquire skills/functions judged as normal (habilitative therapeutic exercise).

ICF Model

  • Components:

    • Body Functions and Structures

    • Environmental Factors

    • Health Condition (disorder or disease)

    • Activity

    • Participation

    • Contextual Factors

    • Personal Factors

Therapeutic Exercise

Rehabilitative Therapeutic Exercise

  • Refers to processes that restore previously acquired skills or functions lost due to:

    • Injury

    • Disease

    • Behavioral traits

  • Examples of applications:

    • Musculoskeletal injuries

    • Athletic injuries

    • Postsurgical trauma

    • Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation

    • Older populations

    • Mental health (focus on mind-body relationship)

Habilitative Therapeutic Exercise

  • Refers to processes that lead to acquiring skills/functions normal for an expected age/status.

  • Applications include:

    • Specialized habilitation exceeding general population standards (e.g., sport training, military training).

    • Overweight and obese populations.

    • Children with developmental disorders.

    • General fitness.

Sedentary Lifestyles

  • Societal changes leading to increased sedentary lifestyles have negatively impacted public health.

  • The information age fosters a predominantly sedentary population.

  • Therapeutic exercise can encourage a more balanced lifestyle, even in a recreational context.

Medical and Allied Health Settings

Types of Settings

  • Inpatient Facilities: e.g., hospitals, residential facilities.

  • Outpatient Clinic Settings: e.g., physical therapy offices.

  • Sport Team Settings: e.g., athletic training clinics.

  • Private Practice: entrepreneurial opportunities.

Collaborative Work

  • Collaboration in most health care facilities requires teamwork among various professionals to prepare and deliver patient care.

Roles for Medical and Allied Health Professionals

  • Credentials: Vary, overlap, and evolve regularly among professions.

  • Education and Licensure: Critical to preparation and success; check for updates in employment standards.

  • Increasing Demand for Multiskilled Professionals: Multiskilled and multicredentialed individuals will be needed as competition grows.

Primary Medical Professions

  • Characteristics:

    • Requires professional doctorate degree.

    • Must pass national board exams to practice.

  • Examples include:

    • Physicians

    • Dentists

    • Physician Assistants

    • Chiropractors

Allied Health Professions

  • Roles: Typically work under the direction or in cooperation with medical professionals.

  • Example:

    • Athletic Trainers.

Athletic Trainer (AT)

Responsibilities

  • Prevent, evaluate, manage, treat, and rehabilitate athletic injuries.

Work Settings

  • Operate in both athletic and clinical settings.

Education and Credentials

  • As of 2022, entry-level ATs must graduate from a master’s degree program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).

  • Must pass the Board of Certification (BOC) exam.

  • May also need the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association (CATA) certification.

Employment Opportunities

  • Opportunities include:

    • High schools, colleges/universities

    • Professional sports teams

    • Hospitals, sports medicine clinics

    • Industrial rehabilitation

    • Other allied medical settings

Clinical Exercise Physiologist

Responsibilities

  • Care for individuals with cardiac, pulmonary, and metabolic diseases.

  • Conduct exercise testing and prescription, and program administration.

Education and Credentials

  • Recommended degrees: Undergraduate and graduate level.

  • Specialized courses and certifications: Examples include:

    • American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

    • Exercise Specialist (ES).

    • Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist (RCEP).

  • Credentials may vary by state.

Employment Opportunities

  • Anticipated growth due to the aging population leading to increased job prospects.

Occupational Therapist (OT)

Responsibilities

  • Aid individuals with physical, emotional, or mental disabilities in achieving independence by emphasizing functional skill acquisition and retention.

  • Skills improvement: Concentration, motor skills, problem-solving.

Education and Credentials

  • National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.

  • Physical therapy specialty certifications may be required.

  • Licensure dictated by state laws.

  • Required Degrees: Master’s degree, with some pursuing doctoral degrees.

  • COTA: Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants complete a two-year degree program.

Physical Therapist (PT)

Responsibilities

  • Provide rehabilitative care for diverse injuries, illnesses, and diseases.

Education and Credentials

  • Required to plan, direct, and implement patient care.

  • Accredited Degree Requirements: As of 2020, a doctorate in Physical Therapy is mandated.

  • State licensure required, alongside specialty certifications.

  • ABET accredited programs include Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) and National Physical Therapy Association (NPTA).

Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA)

  • Responsibilities: Deliver care under the direction of PT.

  • Education: Complete an accredited two-year program.

  • Licensure: Required by state law.

Therapeutic Recreation Specialist

Responsibilities

  • Assist individuals with physical, cognitive, emotional, or behavioral disabilities by restoring function, reducing disability effects, and prioritizing independence through leisure activities.

Education and Credentials

  • Degree Requirements: Bachelor’s in therapeutic recreation required.

  • Internship under a certified recreation specialist necessary.

  • National certification available: certified therapeutic recreation specialists (CTRS) by NCTRC.

Employment Opportunities

  • Limited growth potential due to cutbacks in hospital settings.

Orthotists and Prosthetists

Responsibilities

  • Merging healthcare, engineering, and fabrication to support patients with mobility impairments.

Education and Credentials

  • Degree Requirements: Master’s degree required (2 years).

  • Residency: 1-year residency needed.

  • National certification examination by the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics, and Pedorthics.

Employment Opportunities

  • Growing potential in the job market.

Are You Clinically or Technically Oriented?

Self-Assessment

  • Consider whether preference is for independent problem-solving or following structured protocols.

  • Clinicians: Develop therapeutic exercise plans, solve complex problems, and make decisions.

  • Technicians: Specialized in executing specific skill sets (e.g., Physical Therapist Assistants, Occupational Therapist Assistants).

  • Reflect on how these preferences could influence career path choices.

Trends and Opportunities in Medicine and Allied Health

Purpose-Round Opportunities

  • Address societal health needs.

  • Assist individuals in achieving desired levels of fitness (habilitation).

  • Help regain lost functions (rehabilitation).

  • Service a diverse population, ranging from newborns to geriatrics, promoting increased remote home health care.

  • Cater to athletes as well as unskilled performers.

  • All professions mentioned in the chapter emphasize identifying physical barriers to activity, including strength issues, range of motion restrictions, cardiovascular limitations, and biomechanical factors that heighten injury risks.