A Directory of Health Careers - 9th Edition2 West Texas Area Health Education CenterTexas H.O.T. Jobs Directory Dream it. Believe it. Achieve it. The West Texas Area Health Education Center (AHEC) network has issued this updated directory of health care careers for use by high school and college students, parents, academic and career counselors, and other career seekers. This directory supports the effort of each of the participating entities to meet its mission; to improve the supply, distribution and quality of the health care workforce in the state of Texas. These contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the view of the funding agencies. For additional copies of the Health Opportunities of Texas (H.O.T.) Jobs Directory, visit www.texashotjobs.org or contact your local AHEC office. Health care professions are continuously changing. So are health career training programs, certification requirements, job prospects, projected salaries, educational institutions, and professional organizations. Every effort has been made to provide the most up-to-date information. This information was gathered by the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and the F. Marie Hall Institute for Rural and Community Health. Copyright © 2023 Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, record- ing, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of Texas Tech Uni- versity Health Sciences Center, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. 2 0 2 3 TEXASHOTJOBS.ORG 310Allied Health Acupuncturist Athletic Trainer Audiologist Genetic Counselor Massage Therapist Medical Assistant Occupational Therapist Personal Trainer Physical Therapist Physical Therapy Assistant Physician Assistant Prosthetist/Orthotist Recreational Therapist Respiratory Therapist Speech-Language Pathologist 26Animal Health Care Veterinarian Veterinary Technician 29 Chiropractic Care Chiropractor 31 Clinical Laboratory Science Blood Bank Technologist Clinical Laboratory Scientist Cytotechnologist Histotechnologist/Histotechnician Phlebotomist 37 Dentistry Dental Assistant Dental Hygienist Dental Laboratory Technician Dentist 42Dietetics and Nutrition Dietitian/Nutritionist 44 Emergency Medical Services Paramedic/Emergency Medical Technician 46 Health Care Services Administration Health Care Services Administrator 48 Health Information Management Cancer/Tumor Registrar Certified Health Data Analyst Certified Medical Transcriptionist Clinical Research Coordinator Health Information Manager Health Information Technician Medical Illustrator Medical Interpreter 57 Medical Imaging Diagnostic Medical Sonographer Dosimetrist Nuclear Medicine Technologist Radiation Therapy Technician Radiologic Technologist 63 Mental Health Art Therapist Child Life Specialist Clinical Psychologist Licensed Professional Counselor Music Therapist Psychiatric Aide Psychiatrist Social Worker 72 Mortuary Science Embalmer Funeral Director 75 Nursing Certified Nurse Assistant Certified Nurse Midwife Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Licensed Vocational Nurse Nurse Practitioner Registered Nurse 82 Pharmacy Pharmacist Pharmacy Technician 85Physician Physician 87 Podiatry Podiatrist 89 Public Health Biostatistician Community Health Worker/Health Educator Environmental Scientist/Specialist Epidemiologist 94Science and Engineering Bioengineer/Biomedical Engineer Biotechnologist Medical Research Scientist Contents 98Special Technologies and Services Cardiovascular Technician Neurodiagnostic Technologist Perfusionist Polysomnographic Technician Surgical Technologist 104 Vision Care Ophthalmic Technician/Assistant Optician Optometrist 4 West Texas Area Health Education CenterTHE HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY Many people choose health-related careers because they like to help others and because the work can be exciting. However, other important factors to consider are job availability, meaning the number of jobs is greater than the number of trained professionals, and job security. Many health care professionals earn more money and have better benefits packages than people with the same level of training who work in other fields. Texas has a shortage of trained health care professionals, which means that there are more jobs than there are health care professionals to fill them. And the health care industry is growing, so there are new job opportunities being created. Since health care professionals are needed all over the state, most careers offer a great deal of job mobility, giving you greater freedom to choose where you live and work. You can stay in your hometown or move anywhere you want. There are great opportunities for health care professionals to work in rural and underserved urban communities. In some parts of Texas, people have to drive over an hour to see the doctor or the pharmacist. And in some places, you have to drive several hours to get to the hospital. Many communities across the state are seeking health care professionals to enhance or improve health care access. A health care career gives you the chance to work with a wide variety of professionals and patients in many different settings. Health care is interdisciplinary, meaning that professionals from different fields (like doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists, etc.) work together as a team to provide the best care for patients. Some careers allow you to work with specific types of patients. For instance, you can work only with children or elderly people, or you can work with people of all ages. In some health careers, you do not deal directly with patients. There are many opportunities in information technology and biomedical sciences to develop equipment and computer systems that improve patient care. You can also choose to work in the business or management side of health care. HEALTH CARE CAREERS: THERE IS NO LIMIT TO WHAT YOU CAN DO! MORE HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS ARE NEEDED BECAUSE OF: •An aging population •New forms of information technology •The need for multi-skilled heath care workers •The move toward preventive and primary care TEXASHOTJOBS.ORG 5WHICH CAREER IS RIGHT FOR ME? Your personality type, skill set and interests help you define the careers that best fit you. High school and college is the time for you to explore several different options to find the career that is right for you. The H.O.T. Jobs website has a Career Interest Inventory to help you learn more about yourself and which health care careers may be the best fit. REALISTIC INDIVIDUALS might like to work with animals, tools or machines and, perhaps, see themselves as practically or mechanically minded. These qualities might help them excel as a dental assistant, nurse, biomedical equipment technician, clinical laboratory scientist, surgical technologist or veterinarian. SOCIAL INDIVIDUALS have a natural desire to help people, are good at teaching or counseling and see themselves as helpful, friendly and trustworthy. Therefore, social people are often well suited to be nurses, athletic trainers, physical therapists and rehabilitation counselors. INVESTIGATIVE INDIVIDUALS often like to study and solve math or science problems and see themselves as precise, scientific, and intellectual. These interests are useful to physicians, biomedical engineers, forensic scientists, research scientists, pharmacists and speech pathologists. ENTERPRISING INDIVIDUALS often lead and persuade people and see themselves as energetic, ambitious and sociable. These leadership qualities make them ideally suited to become hospital administrators, community health workers, funeral directors, health educators or social workers. ARTISTIC INDIVIDUALS enjoy creative activities and generally avoid highly ordered or repetitive activities. They see themselves as expressive, original and independent. These unique abilities allow artistic people to fulfill important roles such as dental laboratory technicians, medical illustrators and recreational therapists. CONVENTIONAL INDIVIDUALS like to work with numbers, records or machines in a set, orderly way and see themselves as orderly and good at following a set plan. These organized, analytically minded people can find rewarding careers as certified medical transcriptionists, health information technicians, medical librarians, certified coding specialists and biostaticians. 6 West Texas Area Health Education CenterCheck out these websites for more information about financial assistance opportunities: www.bigfuture.collegeboard.org www.collegeforalltexans.com www.ed.gov/students www.fastweb.com www.finaid.org www.studentaid.gov LOANS Money is typically paid back after a student finishes school Most loans will have a 6-to 9-month grace period after graduation before payments begin Types of Loans: Subsidized Loans: interest is deferred until you start repaying the loan Unsubsidized Loans: interest is charged starting with the first disbursement SCHOLARSHIPS Free aid based on student achievement, including grades, activities, service, and work Usually requires a separate application Examples: university/college, community, corporate, etc. GRANTS Free aid based on a student’s need, which is determined by filling out the FAFSA application Examples: Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grant, TEXAS Grant, etc. WORK-STUDY Provides employment for undergraduate and graduate students with financial needs Funds through this program are to assist the student with educational costs FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Do you want to go to college, but don’t think you or your family can afford it? There are four main types of assistance TEXASHOTJOBS.ORG 7WHERE DO I START? Attending college is an opportunity to increase your skills and abilities to better prepare yourself for your future career. You can start preparing for college as early as the eighth grade. It’s important to take classes in high school that will prepare you for college - especially math, science and English classes. It can be hard to decide what you’d like to study in college, but you can begin by looking at the things in which you excel. Your high school counselor may have an aptitudes and skills test to help you identify career options you would enjoy. Eighth Grade 1. Review choices offered under the Foundation High School Program or the Endorsements to decide on your future academic path. 2. Select the endorsement that best fits your personal area of interest and the major you plan to study in college. 3. Public Service and Sciences, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) are two endorsements that will help prepare you for a health career. 4. Recognize that most college entrance requirements include rigorous advanced courses, including Algebra II, higher level science courses and languages other than English. Freshman/Sophomore Years 1. Take dual enrollment or Advanced Placement courses if possible to earn college credit while still in high school. 2. Keep a list of awards, honors and extracurricular activities for scholarship and college applications. 3. Explore your interests and take advantage of career day opportunities. 4. Attend local college nights and talk with school representatives about the types of financial aid available. 5. Take the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test in your sophomore year for practice. 8 9 10Junior Year 1. Make a list of colleges that interest you. Request their admissions and financial aid information. 2. Take the PSAT to prepare for college admissions tests and to establish eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship. 3. Sign up and take the SAT or ACT test. 4. Narrow your list of college choices and make plans to visit the campuses. 5. Participate in job shadowing to follow a professional in your selected career field. Senior Year FALL SEMESTER 1. Check with your counselor’s office to learn about available scholarships. Apply early and for as many scholarships as possible. Do not limit yourself to local scholarships. 2. Take the SAT or ACT again, if you want to try to improve your score. Most colleges only consider your highest score. 3. Request letters of recommendation from teachers, coaches and other adults who are familiar with your accomplishments. 4. Begin writing and editing your application essays. 5. Be aware of applications deadlines. Early fall is the time for early decision applications if you have made a decision for college. Late fall is when you should begin submitting other college applications. SPRING SEMESTER 1. Contact the colleges and confirm that all application materials have been received. 2. After you receive letters of acceptance and financial aid awards, decide which college you’ll attend. 3. Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon after January 1 as possible. 4. Review the financial aid package with your parents. Be sure you understand each type of aid offered. 5. Sign the financial aid award letter and return it by the deadline. 6. Accept your chosen college’s offer by the deadline, and decline offers received from other schools in writing. 11 12 With so many scholarships, grants, and loans available, the opportunity to attend college is closer than you think! TEXASHOTJOBS.ORG 9Next >