Medical and Allied

Health Profession
Quarter IV - Health Education 10
Medical and Allied Health
Profession
Along with medical professions, there are
hundreds of allied health professions which
complete the workforce in contributing to
the whole-person care of patients,
organizations.
The medical profession is a group of
individuals qualified to practice
medicine. Allied health professions, on
the other hand, are lines of work that
still deal with healthcare, but are
distinct from medicine.
They have distinct and specialized
knowledge and skills that actively work
with people accessing health and disability
that are offered services across a range of
settings. These professions include clinical
laboratory or medical technology, physical
therapy, occupational therapy, dietetic
services, medical record personnel,
radiologic services, speech-language
pathology and audiology, and respiratory
therapy.
Allied Health
Professionals
Allied health professionals are healthcare practitioners
with formal education and clinical training credentials
through certification, registration and/or licensure.
They collaborate with physicians and other members
of the healthcare team to deliver high quality patient
care services for the identification, prevention, and
treatment of diseases, disabilities, and disorders.
These professions may be categorized into
either technicians or
Therapists/Technologists. Technicians are
those who undergo training to perform
specific procedures. They are required to
work under the supervision of technologists
or therapists. This category includes physical
therapy assistants, medical laboratory
technicians, radiological technicians,
occupational therapy assistants, recreation
therapy assistants and respiratory therapy
technicians.
Therapists or technologists have more intensive
training, which includes acquiring procedural
skills. They evaluate patients, diagnose
conditions, develop treatment plans, and
understand the rationale behind various
treatments in order to judge their appropriateness
and potential side effects. They also assess
patients' responses to therapy and make
appropriate decisions about continued treatment
or modification of treatment plans. Furthermore,
they are licensed to perform these tasks.
 Let’s define the following:

Health Care Allied Health

Health Care
Practitioner/Pro Professionals
Provider
vider
Health Care
Provider
A person who helps identify,
prevent, or treat an illness or
disability
Health Care
Practitioner/Provider
An independent healthcare provider who
is licensed to practice on and provide
general and/or specialized care to a
specific area of the body.
Allied Health
Professionals
A trained healthcare provider practicing under
supervision of a physician or healthcare
practitioner. They include pharmacists, dental
hygienists, physical therapists and nurses.
 Allied Health Professionals
provide services and engage in
activities which include

Prevention Assessment or Evaluation

It keeps illness or injury The appraisal of the condition based
from happening on the patient's subjective report
Identification or Diagnosis Treatment
The analysis based on signs, symptoms, The management and care of a patient or the
and laboratory findings combating of disease or disorder
Rehabilitation or Habilitation
The treatment designed to recover
from injury, illness, or disease
towards a normal condition as
possible
Advocacy
A method by which patients, their families,
attorneys, health professionals, and citizens'
groups can work together to develop programs
that ensure the availability of high-quality
healthcare for a community
 Promotion of Health and Well-being
The process of enabling people to increase control
over their health and its determinants, and thereby
improving their health

Education
The process of sharing and gaining Research
knowledge
The diligent inquiry or examination of data,
reports, and observations in a search for facts or
principles
What are the allied health
professions that we presently
have in the Philippines?

These are the common allied health

professionals practicing in the country
with available education and professional
training.
Audiologist
Identifies and rehabilitates hearing
impairments and related disorders

Chiropractor
Diagnoses and treats neuromuscular disorders, wit
emphasis on treatment through manual adjustment and/or
manipulation of the spine

Clinical Psychologist
Assesses, diagnoses, treats and helps prevent
mental disorders
Dietitian
Also known as Nutritionist, promotes good
health through proper diet and treatment of
diseases

Emergency Medical Technician

He/she is also known as ambulance technician; responds
quickly to any emergency and life-threatening situation to
immediately treat serious injuries, physical or mental
trauma to increase a patient's chances of survival
Guidance Counselor
Assist students with personal, family, education, and
career decisions and concerns; also helps them develop
job-finding skills and other life skills needed to prevent
and deal with problems

Health Educator
Specializes in health education and promotes the
development of health knowledge, life skills, and
positive attitudes toward the health and well-being of
students
Massage Therapist
Performs the scientific manipulation of the soft tissues
of the body for the purpose of normalizing those
tissues; uses manual techniques that include applying
fixed or movable pressure on affected parts of the
body

Medical Assistant
Performs under the direction of a physician, various
routine administrative and nontechnical clinical tasks
in hospitals, clinics, and other similar facilities
Medical Technologist
Performs a variely of tasks on body fluids, from simple blood tests
to more complex tests to uncover abnormalities in the body, and
underlying causes of illnesses, such as HIVIAIDS, diabetes, and
cancer which are not easily detected through physical examination

Midwife
Professionals with the expertise and skills in helping women
maintain healthy pregnancies, assist in or perform childbirth
delivery, and help in women's recovery process through the
postpartum period
Nurse
Trained to provide care for people who are sick or injured;
monitors patients' health and records symptoms, assists
physicians during examinations and treatment, and
administers medications.

Occupational Therapist
Uses purposeful activity and interventions to maximize the
independence and health of any client who is limited by physical
injury or illness, cognitive impairment, psychosocial
dysfunction, mental illness, or learning disability
Orthotist or Prosthetist
Makes and fits prosthetics or artificial
parts for the human body

Paramedic
Gives emergency medical treatment or
assists medical professionals in emergency
situations
Phlebotomist
Professionals with special training in phlebotomy or
drawing blood from patients

Physical Therapist
Examines, evaluates, and treats physical impairments
through use of special exercise, application of heat or cold,
and other physical modalities
Radiographer
Healthcare professionals who perform imaging procedures, such as
x-ray examinations, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans and
Computed Tomography (CT) scans (health careers.org)

Speech Language Pathologist

Diagnoses and treats patients with functional
and organic speech defects and disorders
Pharmacist
Prepares and dispenses medication prescribed by licensed
health professionals; also provides information to patients
regarding drugs, and consults with healthcare professionals on
advances in drugs or medicine

Respiratory Therapist
Specializes in the promotion of optimum
cardiopulmonary function and health; regularly deals
with various chronic respiratory diseases, such as
asthma and emphysema
Social Worker
Investigates, treats, and gives aid to people with social problems
and helps people with mental illness, serious health conditions,
financial difficulties, substance abuse problems, domestic or child
abuse, unwanted pregnancy and other social problems

Radiation Therapist
Administers radiation therapy services to patient and
observes patients during treatment; other duties may
include tumo localization, patient follow-up, patient
education, and record keeping
There are also allied medical
professions whose specialized
training is available in other
countries.
Cardiovascular Technologist
Uses imaging technology to help physicians diagnose patients
with cardiac (heart) and peripheral vascular (blood vessel)
ailments

Clinical Officer
Performs general medical duties such as the diagnosis and
treatment of disease and injury, recommendation and
interpretation of medical tests, performance of routine medical
and surgical procedures, and referral of patients to other
practitioners
Dental Hygienist
Specializes in the removal of calcaneous deposits and
stains from patients' and provides additional services and
information on prevention of oral diseases

Diagnostic Medical Sonographist

Uses ultrasonic imaging devices to produce
diagnostic images, scans, videos, or 3D volumes of
patients' anatomy
Kinesiotherapist
Develops and monitors exercise programs to help people
regain muscle strength and function lost due to injury or
disease

Neurophysiologist
Specializes in the diagnosis of conditions
affecting the nervous system such as
neuromuscular diseases, epilepsy, and
nerve entrapments
Medical Dosimetrist
Designs treatment plans for patients by means of computer
and/or manual computation to determine a treatment field
technique that will deliver the prescribed radiation dose while
taking into consideration the dose-limiting structures

Medical Radiation Scientist

Performs complex diagnostic imaging studies on
patients and plans and administers radiation
treatments
Music Therapist
Uses music within a therapeutic relationship to address a client's
needs, such as facilitating movement and physical rehabilitation,
motivating the client to cope with treatment, providing emotional
support, such as an outlet for expressing their feelings through music

Nuclear Medicine Technologist

Performs imaging procedures using radioactive drugs and
materials to make diagnostic evaluations of the anatomic
or physiologic conditions of the patient's body, and
facilitates therapy with the use of unsealed radioactive
sources
Orthoptist
Investigates, diagnoses and treats defects of binocular vision. and
abnormalities related to eye movement; involves seeing patients of
all ages from infants to the elderly

Pedorthist
These are foot orthotic and orthopedic footwear experts
trained in the assessment of lower limb anatomy and muscle
and joint function
Perfusionist
assists in performing procedures that involve extracorporeal
circulation, such as during open-heart surgery or hypothermia

Surgical Technologist
A member of the surgical team who
serves as a scrub technician or as a
circulator
Practitioner’s Perspective
Name:

Position:

Degree/Institution:

Major:

Job Responsibilities:

What I like most of my job:

What I like least about my job:

Recommendations for those preparing to be a Health Professional:

“A hero is someone who has
given his or her life to
something bigger than
oneself.”
—Joseph Cambell