HEALTH PROFESSIONS ADVISING
EXPLORE
Take a moment to explore the many health career possibilities you could prepare for while at The College of Idaho.
Chiropractic
The Profession
Chiropractic care, or simply chiropractic, is a profession based in the care of the body through emphasizing techniques and approaches to relieve pain, increase mobility, and emphasize physical and athletic performance. Doctors of chiropractic specialize primarily in the care of the spine through safe spinal adjustments and manipulation.
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Students interested in becoming a chiropractor should demonstrate desire for understanding the neuromuscular and neuro-skeletal relationships within the body, while being excellent communicators, demonstrating independence, leadership, and being open minded to complementary medicine. A chiropractor is often focused in holistic health care with a focus on wellness.
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Informational Resources
Dentistry
The Profession
Dentistry is both art and science combined. As the practitioner of dentistry, a dentist applies their knowledge of the placement, arrangement, and function of teeth and their supporting bones and soft tissues, to maintain the health of those structures. The profession can entail the removal of decay, filling cavities, repair, and even corrective surgeries on gums and supporting bones to treat gum disease.
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Students interested in dentistry should have good visual memory, scientific ability, manual dexterity, and a knack for judging space and shape. Beyond the practice of dentistry, dentists often work in private practices, where they oversee and complete various administrative tasks, including staff and business management. Beyond the general practitioner (the most common dental profession), students may be interested in the 9 specialties of dentistry, which include orthodontists, pediatrics, periodontists, among others.
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Informational Resources
Laboratory Medicine
The Profession
Medical laboratory scientists (also known as clinical laboratory scientists or clinical laboratory technicians), perform highly-skilled analyses of human biological specimens. These specialists provide data relevant to the presence or absence of disease and other health characteristics which help physicians determine proper patient care. Laboratory medical scientists do not provide face-to-face care to patients, but play an important role in providing personalized care. Those interested in this career will need a strong background in biological and chemical sciences, in working independently, and enjoy the process of solving mysteries! This profession is often considered the diagnostic detectives of medicine.
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Informational Resources
Medicine
The Profession
A physician, whether a DO or an MD is responsible for a wide range of functions in the care and maintenance of disease and the prevention thereof. Today's medical doctors are highly skilled practitioners, specializing in a wide array of healing arts after an exhaustive amount of academic and clinical training.
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Students interested in pursuing a career as a doctor should first and foremost love to learn. Students should be good listeners, be curious in nature, love to solve problems, and help others. Doctors want their patients to live better, healthier lives, which might lead to patient education, curing an infection or discovering the cause of an infection, performing surgery, or any other of numerous functions. After completing an undergraduate degree, training to become a physician takes on average 4 years of medical school, followed by 3-7 years of residency, depending on the specialty selected.
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Informational Resources
Nursing
The Profession
Nursing is a discipline focused on assisting individuals, families, and communities in attaining, re-attaining, and maintaining optimal health and functioning. Nursing is considered a science and an art. It focuses on promoting quality of life as defined by persons and families from womb to tomb, in every aspect of the lifespan. There is no one career path in nursing and there is virtually no limit to the number of avenues that can be pursued in the field of nursing. At a glance, nursing can be described as a dynamic profession built upon foundational characteristics of human caring, intellectual competency, integrity, autonomy, collaboration, and ethical principles.
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No other healthcare team member spends more time at the bedside than the nurse. The nurse is highly values for their contribution to the care of patients, whether they are working in a clinic, in an acute-care facility, or out in the community as a visiting nurse. The primary pathway to professional nursing is in acquiring a Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) degree. Registered nurses are prepared either through a four-year baccalaureate program; or in the case of the College of Idaho, by matriculating into an accelerated program. See more in the Prepare and Affiliate Programs sections.
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Informational Resources
Occupational Therapy
The Profession
Occupational therapy (OT) involves assessing and developing strategies to help people perform meaningful activities in their daily lives. Occupational therapy can work within habilitation, rehabilitation, and promoting health and wellness to those who have or are at risk for developing an illness, injury, disease, disorder, condition, impairment, disability, activity limitation, or participation restriction. OT is a wide-reaching profession which could work with any number of patients, from the patient recovering from a stroke who must re-learn to dress themselves or walk, to consulting and educating on the use of adaptive equipment to perform daily functions of independence.
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Students may be interested in OT if they are searching for a career that is meaningful, health-related, and gives you a range of study and practice fields to choose from. OT is a field that gives the provider the opportunity to care for others who are dealing with disabilities, giving them the chance to retain and regain independence.
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Informational Resources
Optometry
The Profession
The Doctor of Optometry (OD) is the primary health care professional for the eye. Optometrists examine, diagnose, treat, and manage diseases, injuries and disorders of the anatomy and systems related to one's vision. The optometrist works well beyond the prescription of glasses and contacts for vision, having the responsibility to manage and prevent issues that can lead to visual impairment. Optometrists practice in a variety of settings, from private practice to group, retail, academic and research, interdisciplinary care, etc.
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Students interested in optometry will excel or be driven toward working strongly with others long-term. Optometrists are well-connected to their communities and must have great communication skills and have excellent manual dexterity.
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Informational Resources
Pharmacy
The Profession
Pharmacists are essential healthcare professionals, who enhance patient care and promote wellness. Pharmacy is a diverse and rewarding career, with opportunities for patient care, research, and innovation. Pharmacists work in a variety of professional settings. The majority work in independent or community pharmacies, but also in numerous healthcare settings. Did you know that pharmacists can work as providers working directly with patient care?
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Students interested in pursuing a career as a pharmacist are interested in serving the community and improving people's health, have strong communication skills, enjoy science and math, are detail-oriented, organized, and enjoy problem-solving.
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Informational Resources
Physical Therapy
The Profession
Physical therapists (PTs) are experts of the neuromuscular system as it relates to movement and function of the body. Physical therapists provide services which help restore function, mobility, pain relief, and prevent or limit physical disabilities associated with injury or disease. Physical therapists practice in a variety of settings including hospitals, home health, skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation centers, school systems, sports medicine facilities, etc. There are many physical therapy specialties one can choose from, from women's health, pediatrics, neurology, geriatrics, the list goes on.
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Students seeking entry to a physical therapy program should have strong interpersonal, communication, problem solving, critical thinking, and leadership skills, along with a sincere desire to to enter a helping health care profession. Students should also be interested in providing care across the lifespan to individuals across the continuum of care.
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Informational Resources
Physician Assistant
The Profession
Physician assistants (PAs) are healthcare professionals who are licensed to diagnose and treat illness and disease, and to prescribe medication for patients, working in a variety of settings. PAs deliver a broad range of medical and surgical services to diverse populations in rural and urban settings, serving as the primary source of provider care in these environments where a physician may only be present one or two days per week. PAs are not independent providers, but practice medicine under a physician's license. However, the profession is given a substantial amount of autonomy to care for patients in much the same way as a physician would.
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Students interested in becoming a PA will enjoy working with people, solving complex problems, and have an interest in working on medical teams as a team-based approach to care.
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Informational Resources
Public Health
The Profession
Do you want to make a difference in the health lives of your community or greater? A career in public health may be for you. While many health professionals work one-on-one with patients, public health professionals work at the community level, working to prevent disease and reduce health disparities. Tasks of the public health professional include educating people about making healthier life choices, investigating outbreaks of diseases to track and and prevent its spread, to designing environments to encourage healthy behavior, and beyond. Public health is a diverse field, ranging from environmental health to infectious disease epidemiology, the options within this career are seemingly endless.
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Students interested in public health will have an interest in community systems and collaboration across many organizations and people. The most common pathway to public health is in acquiring a graduate degree within the field, though any health care professions can and do work within the field as well.
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Informational Resources
Speech-Language Pathology
The Profession
Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) provide vital services across the life span to prevent, evaluate, and treat disorders in speech, spoken and written language, social communication, cognition, voice, fluency, and swallowing. SLPs work in healthcare, education, private practice, and community-based settings.
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Students interested in becoming an SLP will have an interest in working with people to prevent or alleviate communication disorders, demonstrate the ability and desire to care about, empathize, and collaborate with others, and have in inquisitive mind.
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Informational Resources
Veterinary Medicine
The Profession
Traditionally seen as being tasked with the health preservation and care for livestock and sport and companion animals, the role of the veterinarian has expanded in modern times. Tasked primarily with caring for the health of animals, the veterinarian is also an important provider in the health of humans, particularly in the prevention of food-borne, or animal carrying disease. The majority of veterinarians practice in private settings, and are largely dependent on the environment and location of the practice when considering the most common "animal patient" demographics. Veterinarians often work as primary care, or general practitioners, though there is ample opportunitiy for specialization within the field.
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Students interested in pursuing veterinary medicine often have a deep-rooted love for animals and have known they want to work with animals since a young age. However, many will find interest later on, when interested in research, public health, animal welfare, and/or environmental considerations come of interest.
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