Author Archives: Sagar Satapathy

Becoming an Athletic Director

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Athletic Directors oversee all aspects of the sports program in various educational institutions like Schools, Colleges and Universities. They provide guidance and direction to promote sports activities.

The key responsibilities of an Athletic Director are as follows:

  • Create and administer athletic programs for the institution
  • Prepare a budget and allocate spending on items like salaries of coach and other supporting staffs, team travel and equipment purchases etc.
  • Evaluate and hire the coach and other supporting staff
  • Monitor the team and players
  • Conduct an investigation or appoint investigators to review incidents of rules violations
  • Determine the schedule of games, practices and other facilities management
  • Communicate with school officials regarding athletic events and student athletes
  • Participate in revenue development planning and fundraising to promote sports and games

Educational Requirements

To become an Athletic Director, the aspiring candidates must hold a Bachelor’s Degree with a major of sport management, physical education, athletic training or in a related field.

However, students should obtain a master’s degree in a field like physical education, education administration or sports management or a PhD to get better job opportunities in this field.

Besides, a work experience in a sports related occupation is an advantage for Athletic Director aspirants.

Certification

In order to obtain a nationally recognized certification, the candidates need to fulfill the registration criteria and successfully complete five-year-course after serving for two years as an Athletic Administrator. The National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association offers certification programs as a Registered Athletic Administrator, Certified Athletic Administrator or Certified Master Athletic Administrator.

Skills Set

Apart from academic knowledge, an Athletic Director possesses a wide range of skills including abilities to mange multitask activities, work under pressure, solve problems, make tough decisions, understand rules and regulations regarding fundraising, recruiting and athlete eligibility, effective communication and interpersonal skills, organization abilities, leadership quality so on and so forth.

Job Outlook and Salary

The job outlook for an Athletic Director remains excellent across the USA. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the growth rate for job opportunities in this profession may rise 15% during 2010-2020. In 2012, the average annual salary of an Athletic Director was $86,490 and $100,000 at School and College level respectively.

Becoming an Animal Laboratory Attendant

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Animal Laboratory Attendants play a key role in the field of veterinary science and biomedical research. They look after the animals and equipments in a laboratory setting. Their responsibilities include examining animals in the lab for signs of illness, recording observations, administering medication, providing food and water, cleaning cages and lab equipments, assisting veterinarians with research in disease control and promoting the health of animals etc.

Animal Laboratory Attendants work in both public and private settings. They are employed at veterinary or medical schools, colleges, universities, government agencies, military labs, research institutions etc.

Educational Requirements

To become an Animal Laboratory Attendant, the aspiring candidates need to hold at least a High school diploma or any equivalent qualification. However, students can get better job opportunities in this field after completing a Bachelor or an Associate degree in Animal science, Biology, or a related subject.

The course work in Degree program includes Animal science, Anatomy, Genetics, Physiology, Biology, Chemistry, Nutrition mathematics, and Communications.

Apprenticeship

Animal Laboratory Attendants can acquire training on the job during their college studies. The U.S. Department of Labor sponsors the apprenticeship program for these professionals.

Certification

Animal Laboratory Attendant aspirants need to meet minimum educational qualification and work experience to appear in the examination for certification, administered by American Association for Animal Laboratory Science (AAALS).

Skill set

Besides clinical knowledge, Animal Laboratory Attendants possess various skills such as a good understanding of animal care, adhering to research protocols, ability to work with compassion, basic computer knowledge. More importantly, these professionals need to have physically strong, as they have to lift and move the cages, control the animals.

Job Outlook and Salary

The job outlook for an Animal Laboratory Attendant remains excellent across the USA. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the growth rate for job opportunities in this profession may rise 52% during 2010-2020. The average annual salary of an Animal Laboratory Attendant Technician was $30,290 in May 2012.

Becoming an Anesthesia Technologist

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Anesthesia Technologists play a key role during the administration of anesthesia to the patients who are in chronic pain or undergoing surgery. They assist the licensed anesthesia providers at various level of anesthesia delivery system. Their responsibilities include ensuring careful patient care, collecting and testing blood samples to determine anesthesia levels, preparing intravenous drugs, observing vital symptoms of the patients and maintaining the required equipments properly before, during and after anesthesia.

Anesthesia Technologists work in both public and private healthcare institutions under the direct supervision of a licensed anesthesia provider. They are employed at anesthetic departments, outpatient clinics, operating theaters, trauma centers, emergency departments, intensive care units (ICU) etc.

Anesthesia Technologists hold an extensive knowledge in anesthesia techniques, instruments, supplies, and computer science. They also carry an expertise with the operation and maintenance of several pieces of equipment, including anesthesia delivery systems, ancillary devices, and monitors. Besides, they possess a various skills such as pleasant communication and interpersonal skills, ability to assist the patients emotionally and physically, work with compassion so on and so forth.

Educational Requirements

To become an Anesthesia Technologist, aspiring candidates must have to obtain a Diploma certificate, or an Associate’s degree. For better job opportunities, students can go for a degree programs with the course work of medical terminology, pharmacology and anesthesia equipment functions etc.

The students can also acquire training on the job during their academic session. They can gain hands-on experience in operating rooms, learn about fluid management, blood products and the devices used to administer anesthesia.

Certification

The American Society of Anesthesia Technologists & Technicians (ASATT) offers certification for the Anesthesia Technologists. The aspiring candidates need to pass an examination administered by ASATT to obtain the certification.

Job Outlook and Salary

The job outlook for an Anesthesia Technologist remains excellent across the USA. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the growth rate for job opportunities in this profession may rise 30 per cent during 2012-2022. The average annual salary of an Anesthesia Technologist was $35,715 in 2014.

Becoming an Alternative Health Practitioner

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Alternative Health Practitioners provide unconventional method of treatment to cure physical or mental disorder of the people. They may specialize in acupuncture, homeopathy, reflexology, aromatherapy, herbal therapy, naturopathy, massage therapy hypnotherapy, yoga, meditation etc. They utilize their domain of healthcare to focus upon the fitness and health of the patient. In some cases, they explore the interconnection between the mind, body, and spirit to promote good health.

Alternative Health Practitioners put more weight to ancient traditions and anecdotes over biological science and clinical trials. They use natural products such as herbs or essential oils instead of pharmaceuticals unless no alternatives remain.

Alternative Health Practitioners meet the patients directly, evaluate their problems and develop the healing strategies accordingly. They work in medical office settings, private clinics or even make house calls.

Educational Requirements:

To become an Alternative Health Practitioner, the aspiring candidates need to possess different kinds of academic qualification, training and license as per the type of the practice they wish to pursue. For instance, an herbalist can earn a required certificate in less than one year, but no formal education or licensing is required for aroma-therapists; an acupuncturist needs a master’s degree while a chiropractor requires at least 4 years of professional study besides a 4-year undergraduate course.

However, Alternative Health Practitioners study common course of Anatomy, Physiology, Clinical skills and Patient care etc. along with their special subjects.

Skill Set:

The aspiring Alternative Health Practitioners must possess effective communications and interpersonal skills, creative thinking, ability to work with compassion, understand and manage the crisis situation, convince the people, keep accurate records etc.

Salary & Job Outlook:

The job outlook for an Alternative Health Practitioner is very positive across the USA, as more people are now inclining towards alternative medicine. The salary of Alternative Health Practitioners differs according to their specialty. For instance, the annual average salary of massage therapists was $ 35,970 in 2012 while Chiropractors earned an average salary of $66,160 in the same year.

Becoming an Alcohol Counselor

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Alcohol counselors play a key role to assist the people who have alcoholic problems. They help the alcoholics to return into areas of their lives where their behavior has left a destructive trail, including work and personal relationship. They plan recovery strategies to avoid relapses through appropriate counseling the patients. In serious cases, they may refer a patient to a psychiatrist or other medical professionals.

The responsibilities of Alcohol Counselor include holding personal or group counseling sessions regarding the dangers of alcohol and encourage a healthy lifestyle, guiding pregnant women and her family members about the effects of alcohol on the fetus, assisting individuals to identify their need for treatment programs, planning to resolve addictions to alcohol.

Apart from their knowledge regarding the causes and effects of alcohol, Alcohol Counselor posses various skills such as risk assessment and an understanding of crisis management, ability to deal with life threatening situations including the prevention of suicide, temperament that mixes empathy with patience, ability to deal with aggressive and/or intoxicated clients, effective communications and interpersonal skills, computer skills etc.

Alcohol Counselor work at either government and private settings or non-government organizations. They are employed at hospitals, rehabilitation center, correction facilities, educational institutes etc.

Education Requirements:

To become an Alcohol Counselor, the aspiring candidates must hold at least a 2-year associate’s or a 4-year bachelor’s degree and relevant work experience in a field such as substance abuse counseling, social/behavioral science etc.

Alcohol Counselors who wish to work in private practices, however, need to complete a master’s degree along with several thousand hours of clinical experience and pass an exam to obtain the necessary licensure.

The common syllabus during associate’s or a bachelor’s degree course includes theories of substance abuse, principles of substance abuse counseling and basics of mental health counseling.

Licensure:

Since many states of USA require Alcohol Counselors to be licensed, the aspiring candidates should obtain a License after completing required academic courses.

Job Outlook and Salary:

The job outlook for an Alcohol Counselor remains excellent across the USA. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the growth rate for job opportunities in this profession may grow by 31 per cent during 2012-2022. The average annual salary of an Alcohol Counselors was $ 41,090 in 2013.

Becoming an Addictions Counselor

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Addictions Counselors help people who suffer from addiction problems such as alcoholism, drug addiction, eating disorders, gambling, or other behavioral problems. Their responsibilities include providing treatment and guiding the patients to recover from addiction and promote good health. They develop recovery strategies to avoid relapses through counseling the patients on diet, hygiene, and other preventive healthcare measures. In serious cases, they may refer a patient to a psychiatrist or other medical professionals.

More importantly, Addictions Counselors offer moral support to the patient as the road to recovery tends to be a long and tough one with many obstacles and challenges. In addition to counseling the addicts, these professionals organize information sessions with the family members, friends and people of a community regarding the problems and the way to recover or prevent from addiction disorders.

Addictions Counselors are employed in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, detention centers, educational institutions, centre for human service facilities so on and so forth. They may also open their own private practices as well.

Education requirements

To qualify for the position of Addictions Counselor, educational requirements range from a high school diploma to a master’s degree, depending on the place of employment and level of duties. However, these professionals with a high school diploma take training during their job assignment

At degree level, the course work includes addiction studies, psychology, behavioral science or related majors. The National Board for Certified Counselors offers the National Certified Counselor (NCC) and Master Addiction Counselor (MAC) credentials through conducting an examination.

Skill Set:

Apart from holding academic degree, Addictions Counselor need to have the knowledge of decision making, communication and interpersonal skills, along with the ability to maintain privacy and confidentiality, study the emotions of patients, work with compassion, face the irate patients or even with their violent behavior.

Licensure:

Since many states of USA require Addictions Counselors to be licensed, the aspiring candidates should obtain a License after completing required academic courses.

Job Outlook and Salary:

The job outlook for an Addictions Counselors remains bright across the USA. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the growth rate for job opportunities in this profession may rise 31 per cent during 2012-2022. The average annual salary of an Addictions Counselors was $38,520 in May 2012.

Becoming an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

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Acute Care Nurse Practitioners are dedicated to work in close proximity to the patients who are seriously injured or those requiring specialized services in trauma-related conditions. They provide critical care of the patients and carry out the treatment that a doctor has prescribed for the same.

Acute Care Nurse Practitioners take responsibilities to provide and coordinate patient care, perform diagnostic tests, assist doctors during surgeries, maintain the health records, educate patients, and most importantly, extend emotional support to patients and their family members so on and so forth.

They possess a wide range of Clinical knowledge and other skills such as a great deal of knowledge in life support skills, ability to make a diagnosis based on observations and data interpretation, communication and interpersonal skills to name a few.

Acute Care Nurses work in a variety of healthcare settings, including hospitals, physicians’ offices, nursing homes, outpatient care centers, clinics etc. Their working hour is quite flexible. They have to work both in day and night shifts or periods of being on-call.

Education Requirements:

In order to qualify for the position of Acute Care Nurses, the aspiring candidates must have to earn Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) program and then earn a master’s degree in acute care nursing.

The course work of Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing program include Biology, Microbiology, Anatomy , Epidemiology, Advanced Pathophysiology, Physical assessment and Diagnostic reasoning, Advanced pharmacology etc.

The students may also go for higher studies like Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs or PhD in nursing for practicing this profession at higher level.

Licensure:

To practice as Acute Care Nurses, the candidates need to hold a license as it is mandatory in many states of the USA. The qualified nurses can obtain it through the National Council Licensure Examination, administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.

Salary and Job Outlook:

The job outlook for Acute Care Nurses remains excellent across the USA. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the growth rate for job opportunities in this profession may rise thirty four per cent during 2012-2022. The average annual salary of an Acute Care Nurse was $92,670 in 2013.

Becoming a Biomedical Laboratory Practitioner

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Biomedical Laboratory Practitioners use lab technologies to identify the causes and nature of various diseases. These professionals also conduct research work to explore new vaccines and treatment techniques. They certainly contribute towards disease prevention and health promotion of human being.

Biomedical Laboratory Practitioners are involved in a diverse field of studies that apply science to medicine, such as Pharmacology, Microbiology, Physiology, Bacteriology, Anatomy so on and so forth.

Professionals in the field of Biomedical Laboratory Practice certainly require a great deal of skills besides the clinical knowledge.  The aspirant candidates need to have self-motivation, ability to manage multiple projects at a same time, dedication to work in challenging situations,  ability to face failures during research work to name a few.

Biomedical Laboratory Practitioners are employed in various settings such as government, private and non-governmental organizations. They mostly work at hospital labs and clinics, forensic labs, veterinary clinics, industrial research labs and molecular biotechnology labs among others.

Education Requirements:

To become Biomedical Laboratory Practitioner, aspiring candidates need to complete a four-year Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college with a major in Public health. The students can go for a Master’s in Public health with a course of Behavioral sciences/health education, Biostatistics, Environmental health, Epidemiology or Health services administration.

Licensure: Since many states of USA require Biomedical Laboratory Practitioner to be licensed, the aspiring candidates should obtain a License after completing required academic courses.

Salary and Job Outlook: The job outlook for Biomedical Laboratory Practitioner remains excellent across the USA. According to the US Bureau of Labor statistics (BLS), professionals in this field are in high demand. The average annual salary for Biomedical Laboratory Practitioner was $57,580 in 2012.

Becoming a Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Specialist

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Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Specialists help the people who have heart and lung problems. They encourage and guide the patients to improve their health and prevent future heart problems. Their responsibilities include overseeing the rehabilitation of the patients, addressing the risk factors, educating on healthy living, counseling to reduce stress and helping them to get back an active life.

Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Specialists work with patients who suffer from asthma, angina, emphysema, coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart attack and other heart and lung related problems.

Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Specialists possess a wide range of knowledge in medical science, information technology, communication and interpersonal skills and a great ability to convince the patients. These professionals are employed in Hospitals, Physiotherapy clinics, Rehabilitation centers, Home health care services so on and so forth.

Education Requirements:

To become a Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Specialist, students have to complete a Degree program in Rehabilitative science, such as an Associate of Applied Science in Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation Science or Physical Therapy. The aspiring candidates can also study a four-year Bachelor’s Degree program or earn a Post-baccalaureate Degree.

The core courses in the Degree program include an Introduction to rehabilitative sciences, Physical science, Principles of rehabilitation science and Human anatomy.

Internship: After completing the required academic course, the aspirants for Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Specialists, however, need to get internship training under senior professionals. They can obtain experience and knowledge in working with patients in medical facilities, which will help them to become professionals.

Licensure: Most of the states in the USA require the Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Specialists to be licensed. Hence, the aspirants need to pass a written licensing examination such as the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam.

Salary & Job Outlook: Job outlook for the Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Specialist remains excellent across the USA. It is also expected that employment opportunities in this field would increase more in the future. The annual average salary for these professionals was $81,110 in May 2012.

Becoming a Blood Bank Technology Specialist

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Blood Bank Technology Specialists work in a laboratory by conducting routine tests as well as advanced and specialized tests on blood samples. Their responsibilities include collecting blood samples, conducting required test on them and assisting physicians for further treatment. They identify blood types and antibodies, investigate abnormalities, verify blood group antigens and supervise the collection, separation, delivery and storage of blood components so on and so forth.

Besides, these professionals play a key role in blood transfusion, which is considered as one of the most critical jobs in the health care system. They screen the donated blood for factors like HIV positive or hepatitis and select the blood for processing it into blood products such as platelets or plasma.

Blood Bank Technology Specialists work at private and government hospitals, labs, blood banks, transfusion centers, educational institutions, research centers etc. They hold the post of Technical supervisors, Laboratory managers, Transfusion safety officers etc.

Education Requirements:

To qualify for the position of Blood Bank Technology Specialists, the students must have to complete a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a major in Biology, Microbiology or Physical science and a certification as a medical technologist or a Master’s degree in Blood bank technology.

Certification as a Blood Bank Technology Specialist can be obtained from the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP). The curriculum includes theoretical concepts of blood bank immunohematology, quality systems and process control laboratory management, and rotations in all technical areas of the modern blood bank and transfusion services etc.

Some states in USA require a license to practice as a Blood Bank Technology Specialist.

Salary & Job Outlook:

The job outlook for Blood Bank Technology Specialists remains outstanding across the USA. The average salary of a Specialist in Blood Bank Technology was $60,00 in 2012. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job opportunity for this profession may grow 27% during 2012-2022.