Health Educator

Duties and Responsibilities:

Health educators provide information on health and health related issues. They can assess health training needs and plan health education programs. They may specialize according to specific health concerns, illness, or work or training setting. Health educators may work as independent consultants or in health departments, community organizations, businesses, hospitals, schools, or government agencies. Health educators often:

•         Perform health training needs assessments.
•          Design and develop health education programs.
•          Publish health education materials, information papers, and grant proposals.
•          Develop health education curriculum.
•          Teach health in public and private schools.

Average salary:

$20,000-$35,000

Educational requirements:

Students should take college preparatory courses during high school.

Health educators have, as a minimum, a bachelor’s degree in health education. Many have master’s degrees. To be certified or licensed to teach health in public schools requires a master’s degree and successful completion of a written exam in many states.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT

Registered Dietitian

Duties and Responsibilities:

Registered Dietitians provide advice and education about nutrition and its effect on health. They work in schools, educational administration, research, hospitals, clinics, industry, food service management, and private practice. Registered Dietitians:

•          Organize and supervise food service operations and meal preparation.
•          Make dietary recommendations.
•          Counsel patients and clients about diets.
•          Supervise food purchasing.
•          Study the nutritional value of food and how it is used by the body.

Average salary:

$30,000-$40,000

Educational requirements:

Students should take a challenging high school curriculum that includes math and science courses. High school business courses may also prove helpful.

A Bachelor’s degree in dietetics or a related field approved by the American dietetic association is required. Registered dietitians must also pass a professional exam and complete a supervised practicum.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT

Dental laboratory technician

Duties and responsibilities:

Dental laboratory technicians specialize in different areas of dental and orthodontic work. Their jobs usually include making and repairing dentures, crowns, and braces. They work in dental schools, commercial dental laboratories, hospitals, dental clinics, and for manufactures of dental prostheses dental laboratory technicians:

•          Repair denture linings.
•         Choose and mount replacement teeth.
•         Construct denture frames.
•          Identify needed prostheses repairs
•          Make and fix braces
•          Cast plaster dental molds
•         Clean and polish prostheses

Average salary:

$22,000-$33,000

Educational requirements:

Dental laboratory technicians must have a high school diploma or GED certificate before starting dental laboratory training.

Dental laboratory technicians must attend a community college, vocational school, or dental school to learn their skills. Programs are usually two years in length.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT

_­                                                                                  Dental Assistant

Duties and responsibilities:

Dental assistants help dentists provide dental care. They often work in teams with dental hygienists and laboratory technicians. They may work in health clinics, dental schools, nursing homes, and the military, but usually they work for dentists in private practice.

Dental assistant duties include:

·         Helping patients feel comfortable during treatment

·         Taking and developing dental x-rays

·         Taking medical histories for patients

·         Sterilizing and preparing dental instruments and equipment

·         Instructing patients about dental health care to include brushing and flossing

·         Performing office management tasks.

Average salary:

$14,000-$25,000

Educational requirements:

Dental assistant must have a high school diploma or GED certificate.

They must receive additional training at a community college, vocational school, or dental school to learn their skills. Length of programs varies between six months and one year. To become certified, dental assistants must pass an examination from the dental assisting national board.

                                                        CHOOSE THE RIGHT

Cytotechnologist

 (Cytology)

Duties and responsibilities:

Cytology is the study of human body cells. Cytotechnologists are specially trained clinical technologists who study human body cells. They examine cells to identify changes that may indicate disease like cancer.

Their duties include preparing microscope slides of cell samples, examining cell samples using microscopes, identifying abnormalities in shape, size, or color, using other automated lab equipment to perform test, and analyzing report test results to physicians.

Cytotechnologists usually work in hospitals, clinics, or private laboratories. They also work in universities or for other researchers.

Average salary:

$30,000-$50,000

Educational requirements:

Students should take the most challenging high school courses in science, math, and English.

Almost all cytotechnologist earn bachelor’s degrees in medical or clinical technology programs that include a year –long clinical internship in the field.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT 

Rehabilitation or Mental Health Counselors

Duties and Responsibilities:

Rehabilitation or mental health counselors work with the mentally, emotionally, and physically disabled. It is their job to help patients develop more faith in themselves. They work with patients to help them become self-sufficient and productive. Counselors often work closely with their patients’ doctors and family. Counselors may work in private practice, for schools, industry, or in a hospital or residential health care settings.

Counselors often:

·         Work with patients who abuse or are addicted to drugs.

·         Interview and observe patients to determine problem areas.

·         Conduct personality, aptitude, achievement, and physiological test.

·         Help patients find and keep jobs.

Average salary:

$25,000-$45,000

Educational requirements:

Students interested in becoming counselors should take a challenging high school curriculum.

A bachelor’s degree in education, psychologist, or sociology is the minimum re quitrent for low level counseling jobs, but a master’s degree is required for most. To become licensed by a state, counselors must pass written and oral examinations and work for about two years in a supervised clinical setting.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT

           Health Information Specialist

                                           http://library.thinkquest.org/15569/carla.html

Duties and Responsibilities:

Health information specialists obtain, post, and analyze medical, workload, finance, and insurance data. They ensure that this information is properly recorded into medical records so practitioner can plan and evaluate health care provided to patients.

There is a variety of job specialist within this field including registered record administrator, accredited record technicians, and certified coding specialist. Administrators coordinate the various information management responsibilities and supervise record technicians and coding specialist. Record technicians ensure medical records are accurate, coordinate reimbursement, and maintain disease registries for research. Coding specialist assign and post correct diagnosis and procedure codes to records and report codes to insurance companies.

Health information specialist work in hospitals, clinics, insurance companies, physician offices, and many other medical settings.

Average salary:

$20,000-$25,000(coding specialists)

$23,000-$30,000(record technicians)

$30,000-$40,000(record administrators)

CHOOSE THE RIGHT