HEALTH CAREER PLANNING

INTRODUCTION
Health careers are designed to familiarize students with the various careers in the medical
profession and allied health services. Students will learn skills necessary for their career path,
which in this case is in healthcare. These include working with others, communication skills, legal
and ethical responsibilities, cultural considerations in healthcare industry, problem solving,
decision making, accepting personal responsibility, and self-management.

What is Health Career Planning?

Health career Planning refers to an individual’s plan to make a career choice, growing in
the chosen career or making a career shift. Career planning involves the very important step of
self-assessment.
Self-assessment is necessary to understand one’s capabilities and drawbacks. The various
career options should be explored in detail to find a fit between one’s abilities and the
opportunities provided by a career option. It involves continuous learning and improvement to
build and grow in the chosen career path.

What is the importance of health careers?

Health careers are getting important because of the abundance of health care-related
works. People are becoming more and more health conscious and they put health as priority in
their lives. Those who work in the prevention and cure of illnesses or injuries are considered
important.
What are considered as health career pathways?
The Health Science career is divided into five ways:
Types of Health Careers Some examples
1. THERAPEUTIC SERVICES OR DIRECT PATIENT Medical specialists attending to patients,
CARE nurses and nursing care providers,
- also considered as hands-on” patient care physical therapists, dentists
2. IMAGING AND DIAGNOSTICS Medical laboratory technologists,
- involves the use of technology in the diagnosis ultrasound and X-ray technicians,
of patients Radiologists
3. SUPPORT SERVICES Hospital maintenance engineers and
- responsible for keeping a clean and sanitary technicians, Environmental facilities
hospital or therapeutic environment managers
4. HEALTH INFORMATICS AND BUSINESS Health information coders, data
- includes documentation services, medical analysts, health care administrators,
record management, hospital unit coordination, medical billers, public health educators
hospital information and communication
systems
5. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT Biomedical chemists, toxicologists,
- contributes to the advancement of health care pharmaceutical scientists, biomedical
through science and technology engineers
What are careers in health?
DISEASE PREVENTION AND CONTROL CAREER (PUBLIC HEALTH)
What is Public Health?
Public health addresses health concerns of communities at risk for disease and injury.
PATHWAYS TO PUBLIC HEALTH
 Associate Degree/Certificate  Nursing
 Undergraduate Certificate  Health Education
 PH Minor  Dietitian
 BSPH, BSN,/BSPH  Sanitarian
 Laboratarian
 Graduate Certificate  Nursing
 MPH/MSN  Planner, Policy Analyst
 MPH  Epidemiologist
 PhD  Biostatistician and Researcher
What are the three primary tasks of Public Health?
1. Assess and monitor the health of communities. This is to identify health problems of
groups of people that are at risk.
2. Formulate public policies. Those who are in public health work with community and
government leaders in drafting policies that will help solve health problems.
3. Assure that all populations have access to appropriate and cost-effective care. This is
done by means of providing services that are related to health promotion and disease
prevention.
What are career opportunities related to public health?
Some career opportunities in public health are the following:
1. Public Health Practice
2. Health Education
3. Epidemiology
4. Environmental Health
5. International Health
6. Maternal and Child Health
7. Nutrition
https://www.dnaindia.com/topic/ayurvedic-medicine
8. Health Services Administration

PERSONAL HEALTH CARE

What are Personal Health Care services?
These services include companionship and assistance to people
who need to remain safe and who need to engage in day-to-day activities.
Also considered non-medical or private duty, caregivers are in demand,
especially to the elderly who may need companions.

https://www.seniorsmatter.com/appeal-caregiving-career/2492082
 MATERNAL AND CHILD CARE
What is maternal health?
Maternal health is concerned with the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and
the postpartum period. It also includes other health concerns that help reduce illnesses and
death of women due to childbirth. These concerns are the following:
1. Family planning and preconception care – screening,
health education
2. Prenatal care – for early detection of any potential
complications during pregnancy
3. Postnatal care – recovery from childbirth, newborn
care, nutrition, breastfeeding

https://www.adb.org/features/maternal-and-child-health-adbs-take

MENTAL HEALTH
Who are the mental health practitioners?
Mental health practitioners are professionals who are trained to help patients who have
mental and emotional problems and illnesses. They are the psychologists, psychiatrists,
professional counselors, clinical social workers, and related specialists.
1. Psychologists are professionals who counsel people who have deep emotional
problems. They also work in hospitals, criminal justice
systems, schools, and other institutions.
2. Psychiatrists are medical practitioners who diagnose
and treat patients who have mental illnesses. Those
who have problems in substance abuse are also treated
by a psychiatrist.
3. Counselors are those who assist people with problems
related to mental health, and to making family,
personal, educational, and career decisions.
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COMMUNITY HEALTH CAREER

Who are the community health workers?
Community health workers are persons who help local
communities receive health care from social service systems
and government. Many of them come from community they
are serving, that is why they understand better the needs of
the community.

https://www.who.int/philippines/news/feature-stories/
 What are the responsibilities of community health workers?
Some of their responsibilities are the following:
 Help people understand their health conditions so they can develop strategies to improve
their health and well-being.
 Provide health services, such as monitoring blood pressure and providing first aid.
 Provide informal counselling, support, and follow-up
 Deliver health information using the language of the community.
 Make home visits to chronically ill patients, pregnant women, and nursing mothers, and
the elderly.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH CAREER

What is Environmental Health?
Environmental health is a field of science that studies how
the environment influences human health and disease. As it is a
branch of public health protection, Environmental Health is
concerned with all aspects of the natural and man-made
environment that may affect human health.
https://www.arizona.edu/degree-search/majors/environmental-science-soil-air-and-water-emphasis
Who are the environmental specialists?
They are professionals who do works related to the environment by means of research,
outreach and education, environmental clean-ups, investigations, and more.
Who are the people whose works are related to environmental health?
1. Sanitary engineer
2. Radiation safety officer
3. Environmental radiation specialist
4. Hazardous waste scientist
5. Industrial waste director
6. Water quality scientist
7. Health physicist
8. Radioactive water specialist

GENERALIZATION:
 Health careers are those who work in the prevention and cure of illnesses or injuries.
 The Health Science career are divided into five pathways: Therapeutic Services,
Diagnostics Services, Support Services, Biotechnology Research and Development and
Health Informatics.
 Public Health are tasked to Assess and monitor the health of communities, Formulate
public policies and Assure that all populations have access to appropriate and cost-
effective care.
 Personal Health Care like caregivers are giving assistance to people who need to remain
safe and who need to engage in day-to-day activities especially to the elders.
 Maternal and Child Health Care is concerned with the health of women during pregnancy,
childbirth, and the postpartum period.
 Mental Health practitioners are professionals who counsel, diagnose and assist people
with mental health problems like the Psychologists, Psychiatrists and Counselors.
 Community Health workers are the one who work on a local community especially with
extending and improving the health and well-being of the community.
 Environmental Health Career are professionals who do works related to the environment
like the Sanitary Engineer, Radiation Safety officer, Environmental radiation specialist,
Hazardous waste scientist, Industrial waste director, Water quality scientist, Health
physicist, Radioactive water specialist.

HEALTH TRIVIA....
Did you know that health care jobs are in demand everywhere? Health
care workers can go places and have the chance to meet different
people every day, including patients doctors, and medical staff. It is a
fulfilling job because it can make a difference in people’s lives.