Study Notes for Careers in Medicine and Allied Health

Careers in Medicine and Allied Health

Chapter 12

What Is Allied Health?

• Definition: Allied health professionals integrate diagnostics and use exercise and movement to enhance physical functioning.

  • Diagnostics: Identify physiological, anatomical, or biomechanical limitations.

  • Interventions: Address the identified problems through rehabilitation or habilitation.

  • Restoration of Function:

  • Rehabilitative Therapeutic Exercise: Aims to restore lost function.

  • Habilitative Therapeutic Exercise: Aims to help individuals acquire skills/functions considered normal or expected for specialized fitness.

Core Competencies

• Overview: Core competencies outlined by the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for individuals providing patient care, including:

  1. Provide patient care.

  2. Work in interdisciplinary teams.

  3. Employ evidence-based practice.

  4. Apply quality improvement.

  5. Use informatics.

Reassessing Disability

• Focus: Highlights patient capabilities rather than limitations, aiming to reduce stigma.

• International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health: A framework for understanding disability and health.

• Goal: Assist patients in restoring lost functions (rehabilitation) or acquiring expected skills and functions (habilitation).

Rehabilitative Therapeutic Exercise

• Application Areas:

  • Exercise Therapy for Rehabilitation: Used for:

  • Musculoskeletal injuries

  • Athletic injuries (includes sports medicine and prehabilitation)

  • Postsurgical trauma

  • Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation

  • Older populations

  • Psychological disorders focusing on the mind–body relationship.

Habilitative Therapeutic Exercise

• Application Areas:

  • Exercise Therapy for Habilitation: Used for:

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

  • Overweight and obese individuals

  • Children with developmental disorders

  • General fitness promotion.

Sedentary Lifestyles

• Societal Impact: The shift toward a sedentary lifestyle has adversely affected public health.

• Solution: Therapeutic exercise, even in casual recreation forms, is promoted as a means to achieve a more balanced lifestyle.

Settings for Therapeutic Exercise

• Types of Settings:

  1. Inpatient facilities (e.g., hospitals, residential facilities).

  2. Outpatient clinic settings (e.g., physical therapy offices).

  3. Sport team settings (e.g., athletic training clinics).

  4. Private practice settings (entrepreneurial).

Roles for Medical and Allied Health Professionals

• Credentials:**

  • Varied, overlapping, and subject to change regularly across professions.

  • Important to pay attention to shifting employment standards regarding education and licensure.

  • A strong foundation in sciences and active clinical education are critical for preparation and success.

  • There is an increasing demand for multiskilled and multicredentialed individuals in the competitive healthcare landscape.

Skills Matrix Table 13.1

• Skill Matrix Overview: Lists competencies needed in various allied health professions, focusing on habilitation and rehabilitation roles. The following are involved:

  • Athletic Trainers

  • Clinical Exercise Physiologists

  • Occupational Therapists

  • Physical Therapists

  • Therapeutic Recreation Specialists

  • Strength and Conditioning Specialists

Athletic Trainer (AT)

• Responsibilities:

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

  • Work settings include athletic and clinical environments.

• Education and Credentials:

  • As of 2022, a Master's degree is essential.

  • Certifications: Board of Certification (BOC), Canadian Athletic Therapists Association (CATA).

• Employment Opportunities:

  • Positions available in high schools, colleges/universities, professional sports teams, hospitals, sports medicine clinics, and industrial rehabilitation settings.

Clinical Exercise Physiologist

• Scope of Practice:

  • Care for cardiac, pulmonary, and metabolic diseases.

  • Involves exercise testing and prescription, along with program administration.

• Education and Credentials:

  • Recommended undergraduate and graduate degree.

  • Specialized certifications: Accredited by ACSM, Exercise Specialist (ES), Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist (RCEP).

• Employment Outlook:

  • Growth in job opportunities driven by the increasing aging population.

Occupational Therapist (OT)

• Role:

  • Aims to restore or develop maximum independence in individuals with physical, emotional, or mental disabilities by fostering functional skills.

  • Focus on improving concentration, motor skills, and problem-solving capabilities.

• Education and Credentials:

  • National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.

  • State licensure and physical therapy specialty certifications.

  • OT requires a master’s degree; Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants (COTA) need a two-year degree.

Physical Therapist (PT)

• Responsibilities:

  • Provides rehabilitative care for a diverse range of patient injuries, illnesses, and diseases.

• Education and Credentials:

  • PTs must undergo an accredited master’s degree program. A doctorate in PT was mandated by 2020.

  • State licensure and physical therapy specialty certifications through CAPTE and NPTA.

  • Physical therapist assistants (PTAs) provide care under PT direction post completing a two-year accredited program.

Therapeutic Recreation Specialist

• Role:

  • Assists individuals with physical, cognitive, emotional, or behavioral disabilities to restore function and enhance independence through leisure activities.

• Education and Credentials:

  • Bachelor’s degree in therapeutic recreation plus an internship with a certified recreation specialist.

  • National certification exam by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) for Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists (CTRS).

• Employment Outlook:

  • Limited growth opportunities due to hospital cuts.

Orthotists and Prosthetists

• Role:

  • Combines healthcare, engineering, and fabrication.

• Education and Credentials:

  • Requires a master’s degree (2 years) plus a 1-year residency.

  • Must pass a national certification exam through the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics, and Pedorthics.

• Employment Outlook:

  • Anticipated growth in job opportunities.

Strength and Conditioning Specialist

• Education and Credentials:

  • Bachelor’s degree in kinesiology preferred; may be mandatory for certain certifications.

  • Certifications recommended, such as NSCA and CSCS; CPR certification required.

• Role:

  • Enhance physical performance, mitigate injury frequency, and reduce cardiovascular disease risks by designing individualized sport- and activity-specific programs.

Are You Clinically or Technically Oriented?

• Self-Assessment Questions:

  • Do you prefer problem-solving on your own, or do you prefer to follow structured sequences?

  • Clinicians are expected to devise therapeutic exercise plans and make decisions.

  • Technicians, such as PTAs and OTAs, excel at maintaining and executing specific skill sets.

• Impact on Career Thinking:

  • Your preference may influence your career path in medicine and allied health.

Trends and Opportunities in Medicine and Allied Health

• Societal Contributions:

  • Fulfill a growing societal need by:

  • Assisting in achieving desired fitness levels (habilitation).

  • Aiding in regaining lost functions (rehabilitation).

• Diversity of Populations:

  • Services span various demographics from newborns to elderly, with growth in remote home health care.

• Athletic and Non-Athletic Populations:

  • Cater to athletes as well as unskilled performers.

• Focus Areas:

  • Increased emphasis on identifying physical barriers to activity including:

  • Strength issues

  • Range of motion deficits

  • Cardiovascular limitations

  • Biomechanical factors influencing injury risk.