Tag Archives: Healthcare

Becoming a Dental Secretary

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Dental Secretaries are dedicated to perform routine clerical and administrative duties for dentists. Their responsibilities include screening and sorting mail, documents, and telephone calls; scheduling appointments; billing patients; maintaining office files and patient records; transcribing dictation; arranging staff meetings; support other staff, so on and so forth. These professionals use computer software to create spreadsheets and maintain official documents.

Dental Secretaries closely work with Dentists in various health care settings such as hospitals, private dental offices, dental care facilities, army hospitals etc. these professionals need to be familiar with dental terminology, medical records, and hospital or laboratory procedures.

Educational Requirements

To become a Dental Secretary, the aspiring candidates need to complete at least a high school diploma or GED at entry level. The students can obtain two year associate degree program in medical and office administration for better job prospects in this field. The students should learn office procedures, computer programs, dental terminology, and how to prepare office documents. The job aspirants can improve their skills through short-term on-the-job training.

Certification and Licensure

The position of a Dental Secretary typically doesn’t require a license. However, some employers prefer the certified job applicants with some experience. The candidates can obtain certification from the International Association of Administrative Professionals.

Skill Set

Dental Secretaries possess various traits such as good listening abilities, excellent organizational skills, efficient in time management, excellent organizational skills, good at customer service, excellent reporting skills, pleasant communication and interpersonal skills, competent in computer skills etc.

Job Outlook and Salary

The job outlook for a Dental Secretary 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 36% from 2012 to 2022, faster than the average for all occupations. The average annual salary of a Dental Secretary was $36,960 in May 2012.

Becoming a Complementary Health Practitioner

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Complementary Health Practitioners provide various types of therapies and treatments that are required in conjunction with the conventional treatment program prescribed by medical doctors. They may offer acupuncture, aromatherapy, chiropractic, massage, osteopathy, physiotherapy, or other alternative medicine treatments. They also tend to be strongly prevention-oriented and place a high value on the body’s natural ability to heal itself. These professions often incorporate low-tech, hands-on techniques, many of which can be traced to long-established traditions.

Complementary Health Practitioners work at verities of environments such as hospitals, clinics, mental institutes, rehabilitation facilities, NGOs, or other health related centers such as gym etc. They may practice in private or can align with other professionals from the field of health care.

Educational Requirements

The educational requirements to become Complementary Health Practitioners differ according the area of specialization. For instance, Chiropractors need to obtain a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degree, while Acupuncture Technicians have to complete a Master’s-level programs in acupuncture. On the other hand, Massage Therapists need to earn a two-year associate’s degrees in massage therapy or complete a training program on therapeutic massage techniques typically ranging from 500 to 800 hours after completing a high school diploma or GED.

The common syllabus includes anatomy, biochemistry, pathology, microbiology, physiology, kinesiology, pathology, ethics etc.

Certification and Licensure

Complementary health practitioners need to earn typical state license in their chosen alternative medicine field. In case of certification, the Massage Therapists can obtain exam-based certification from the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, while the Acupuncture Technicians can receive certification from the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA).

Skill Set

Complementary Health Practitioner possess various traits such as ability to read X-rays and diagnostic images, creative thinking, crisis management abilities, empathy towards clients, proficient in counseling, motivating skills, effective communications and interpersonal skills, computer skills, knowledge in stress management etc.

Job Outlook and Salary

The job outlook for a Complementary Health Practitioner remains excellent across the USA. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the growth rate for job opportunities for Massage Therapists may rise 23 % and that of 28% for Chiropractors during 2012-2022.The average annual salary of a Chiropractor was of $66,160, while Massage Therapists earned $35,970 in 2012.

Becoming a Medical Librarian

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Medical Librarians play a key role in the healthcare sector, as they help physicians, health professionals and researchers by keeping a tab on the recent happenings. They also work closely with patients and their family members to maintain the health record and conduct a research on those.

Medical Librarians are responsible for maintaining the resources in various formats, including paper and electronic methods. They also design and manage websites, blogs, online education programs and digital libraries to store medical record and information as well as resources. Medical Librarians are also helpful in fundraising, marketing, business and IT systems.

Working Conditions: Medical Librarians get employment at colleges, universities, clinical settings, healthcare organizations, hospitals, academic health centers, health libraries, research centers, biotechnology centers, health insurance companies, pharmaceuticals, government agencies etc.

Education Requirements:

1. Earn a Bachelor’s Degree: It’s mandatory for the aspirants to complete a bachelor’s degree in science, which includes Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, English and computer Technology. The duration of the program will be four years.

2. Get a Master’s Degree: The prospective Medical Librarians must have a Master of Library and Information Science degree with coursework in biology, medical sciences, medical terminology, computer science, education and management.

3. Doctorate: Some Medical Librarians go for Ph.D or Doctorate programs to add more credibility and stature to their profiles. They can also apply for membership in the Academy of Health Information Professionals.

Key Challenges:

1. Doing research
2. Managing information resources
3. Preparing catalog
4. Maintaining consumer health records
5. Providing health science information resources

Salary & Job Outlook:

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary of Medical Librarians is $55,690 per year. The projected job growth for this profession is 7% during the 2012-22 period.

Becoming a Chiropractor

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Chiropractic doctors diagnose and treat patients who face problems with muscular, nervous and skeletal systems of the body. They manipulate these parts to identify the issues and reduce pain and lower resistance to disease. They mostly use hands-on technique to adjust imbalances in patients’ skeletal system. They also work in collaboration with other health care professionals that treat the patients.

Chiropractic care primarily focuses on the relationship between the spine and function of the nervous system. The Chiropractors analyze the factors that affect the health. Those include exercise, eating habits, diet, sleep and hereditary issues.

Education Requirements: The aspiring Chiropractors must have a four-year bachelor’s degree program in chiropractic medicine. After completing the degree, they can enroll for a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree.

The D.C. has a vast curriculum and covers various courses such as Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, Microbiology, Pathology, Public health, Physical, clinical and laboratory diagnosis, Gynecology and obstetrics, Pediatrics, Geriatrics, Dermatology, Otolaryngology, Diagnostic imaging procedures, Psychology, Nutrition/dietetics, Biomechanics, Orthopedics, Neurology, Spinal analysis etc.

Salary & Job Outlook: The job outlook for Chiropractors remain good and is projected to grow at 15% during the period of 2012-2022. The average salary for Chiropractors is $66,160 per year. Some highly-paid Chiropractic professionals may earn up to $94,454 in a year.

Becoming a Biogerontologist

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The Biogerontologists exclusively work towards the well being of elderly people. They review the patients’ history and improve their standards of living by supporting their physical as well as emotional health. Many of them work directly with the senior citizens as caregivers or advocates. Others work in the field of medical research, academics and administration.

The role Biogerontologists play in the entire process, remains very crucial for the physical and emotional growth of the elderly people, as they explore ways to slow down or reverse the aging process and its negative consequences. They even dig deeper to understand the cells, organs and physical system of the body to find answers to the problems.

Education Requirements:

Biogerontologists typically hold bachelor’s degree in any scientific subjects that include genetics, microbiology, biology etc. They are also required to do maximum laboratory research during the four-year degree program.

After completing bachelor’s degree, they can go for a master’s degree followed by a Ph.D. to boost their career. Internship or work experience in a biogerontology research laboratory might serve as a big advantage for such professionals.

Working Conditions:

Most Biogerontologists get employment at laboratories in universities, colleges, pharmaceutical companies and research centers. In addition, they also work at social sectors, non-profit organizations, trusts etc.

Salary & Job Outlook:

As the number of senior citizens is on the rise in the United States, the job outlook for Biogerontologist remains good. They can earn between $60,000 to $100,000 in a year, depending on their nature of job and experience.

Becoming a Medical Interpreter

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A Medical Interpreter plays key role in mediating between patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) and the doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers. The need for Medical Interpreters or Healthcare Interpreters is growing fast, as a huge number of patients from non-English speaking countries are coming to the United States in quest of better treatment over the past few years. When a patient is not good in speaking English, it is even too difficult and sometimes becomes impossible for the doctors and technicians to provide top-notch healthcare facilities to him. In such cases, Medical Interpreters step in to fill up the gap.

Education Requirements:

  1. High School Education: The aspiring Medical Interpreters can get the entry-level training at high school level. They can opt for English, any foreign language and biology classes. They can also study cultural affairs and history to learn more about other countries.
  2. Certification: After completing high school, they can go for a one-year medical interpreter certification program at any community college. During the program, they should study medical terminology, medical ethics, interpreting techniques and communication programs. The certification can be availed from the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters.
  3. Bachelor’s Degree: The Medical Interpreters may choose a foreign language course during a four-year Bachelor’s Degree program. They can also go for a program that covers more than one foreign language. Apart from that, they will need training and experience in business administration, computer application, inter-personal skills, marketing etc.

Key Job Responsibilities:

  • Use proper medical terminology to translate the patient’s response back to Doctors
  • Get details of the patient’s medical history, family background and requirements
  • Reduce the cultural gap between the patients and doctors
  • Be flexible and comfortable to discuss sensitive or personal issues
  • Talk to the patient’s family members when required in the presence of senior professionals.

Salary & Job Outlook: The job outlook for Medical Interpreters remains bright. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is expected to grow at 46% during the period of 2012-2022. The annual average salary for Medical Interpreters was $42,420 as of May 2013.