For most kids, a career in medicine is to become a doctor or, a nurse. Some go for a career in alternative medicine, but that is where it ends. Anything other than these is either not known or, not preferred. It is an irony that while the health care industry comprises of only about 20-22% of doctors and nurses, the rest, which is the biggest part of this industry is lesser known to career aspirants.
Allied health services is another great career option in medicine. This basically includes everything other than dentistry, optometry, nursing, medicine, and pharmacy. It is they who act as the pivot to make the health care system function by working along with other health professionals and the patients that they take care off. Allied health services basically, includes a wide range of therapeutic, diagnostic, technical and support services.
Some career opportunities in this field includes Medical Laboratory assistants, Pharmacy technicians, Cardiography technicians, Anesthesia technicians, Dental hygienists etc.
Though broadly all of these support services fall under the allied health services category, what titles are included also depends upon the country that we are referring to in our discussion.
The Advent of the Allied Health Services
It was just after the World War II, when a sudden increase in scientific knowledge and extensive research led to the use of increasingly complex and sophisticated diagnostic procedures. With a variety of medical services being made available, the demand for such services also went up, in turn leading to a need for an expansion of service delivery.
Add to it the increased health care costs and diagnostic and treatment procedures expanded into private clinics, mobile dispensaries and community based care centers.
It was this increased demand that led to the beginning of the allied health services. Today there is a huge demand for personnel, skilled and trained in these services because of the extremely high demand for such personnel. This trend will continue for long, thanks to the changing health industry and a massive focus on providing cost-effective and economical health care solutions.
Allied Health Services Career
If you are planning to build a career in health care services, you might want to explore the opportunities in this field of science as well. A little research into what branch you want to get into and the educational institution is a must before you actually start-off. There are a lot of Allied Health Schools that can help you shape your career in these services.
The internet should be able to provide you with a lot of information and guides about allied health services and how to go about pursuing a career in it. But to take all that information as the bible, is not right. You need to put a little bit of thought and common sense into what you read and hear and then do you research.
Asking for guidance from people who are already into a service that you aspire to get into is also advisable because they are the ones who can give you a good first-hand information about how to get into this field.
Comment below and let me know your thoughts on this article and if you need any further information.