Healthcare Education

Candidates who wish to take up a career in the healthcare sector will be informed that it is a service-oriented industry through which they can better the lives of people seeking them out. While the most popular fields under healthcare will be related to diagnosing and treating diseases, drug testing, and even preventing diseases, this field also includes many career options based on the management and successful supply of healthcare facilities to those in need. This implies that candidates who wish to be part of this sector can take an MD or DO in medicine or take up courses like Healthcare Administration, which will help manage systems that provide healthcare.

Healthcare is one of the most popular majors among students. Ten of the 20 fastest-growing occupations are from the healthcare industry. Most workers in this field will have jobs requiring less than four years of college education. Still, at the same time, health diagnosing and treating practitioners might even need eight or more years of intensive study to practice that profession. About 40 percent of healthcare professionals work in hospitals, around 21 percent are in nursing and residential care facilities, and 16 percent are in physicians' offices.

Benefits of Studying Healthcare

The benefits of being part of the healthcare industry range from the never-ending supply of career options to the above-decent pay these career options will give the candidates. Candidates taking courses relating to disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention will have to complete a four-year undergraduate program in the sciences before they can be a part of medical schools. The opportunities made available for medical practitioners include doing an MD or DO, which provide slightly different practicing methods.

Ideally, These candidates will have to specialize in a field to practice their chosen profession successfully. Though the process is tedious and can take over eight years of research to reach fulfillment, candidates will, at the end of this endeavor, have a highly respected job that can provide them with satisfaction and high pay. The opportunities for candidates who choose this sector are endless. They will either be able to choose the track as mentioned above, or they will be able to do a BS or MS in fields relating to healthcare, which will give them excellent career options after graduation.

While most candidates opt to work in hospitals, those who have completed their respective courses in the field will also be able to work in clinics, homes, labs, etc. Even while being part of a job, candidates can do extensive research on topics of their choice and have the space to write and publish articles in journals if they are committed to the task.

Fields of Study Under Healthcare

The fields that come under healthcare are large, with specific courses available for each career path candidates want to take. From being a doctor to a nurse who will work on the front lines, this industry also holds people who work behind the lines by managing the functionality of the hospital or clinic. While candidates can take up different specializations as part of the course they do, this might not be enough for them to practice the profession of their choice. Most professions will require candidates to get extra state or course-specific certifications.

The ten most popular fields under healthcare and their course details have been listed below.

Dentistry

Candidates who wish to study dentistry will be dealing with treating teeth and gums. This will involve diagnosing the patient according to their trouble and providing the consequent treatment necessary to heal the patient. They will also deal with other tasks like realigning teeth, providing instructions on oral health, and sometimes even providing patients with information about diet choices they have to make for better oral health.

To be a Dental Assistant, candidates must complete their Associate’s program at the very least, which will take two years or more, depending on the university of their choice. Candidates who wish to become a dentist or an oral surgeon must attend a dental school for an undergraduate program, which lasts four years. They will also be able to do a master’s program in the field if they wish to research in the area beyond the level required for practicing the profession.

Colleges and universities teach courses for a degree program in dentistry, including anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, oral anatomy, and oral pathology.

Neuroscience

The field of neuroscience deals with studying the brain and the nervous system with sub-fields like cellular and molecular neuroscience, systems neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, etc. It is an interdisciplinary field that links subjects to thoughts, consciousness, and the brain. Most often, a course in neuroscience is taken at a research level, with candidates pursuing the subject as a specialization during their MD program.

Neuroscience majors take four years to complete, whereas graduate programs, though rare, can be completed in 2 years. Doctoral programs in the subject are offered by the top medical schools, and they focus on behavioral neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, developmental neuroscience, and even quantitative psychology.

Healthcare Administration

Studying healthcare administration is a safe option for candidates who wish to work in the healthcare sector but do not wish to stay as frontline workers. Candidates can take this course at an undergraduate level since it does not require candidates to complete pre-medical courses. It comes under the fields of healthcare, business, and scientific research, letting candidates manage the functioning of healthcare institutions.

Candidates can take undergraduate and graduate courses in the subject, which will take 4 years and two years, respectively. The courses taught during the undergraduate program include the history and evolution of healthcare, basic illnesses and diseases, and management of healthcare. The courses dealt with during the master’s program include legal aspects of healthcare management, management of healthcare operations, accounting, etc.

Nursing

Nursing is a field under healthcare that requires candidates to work on the frontlines at all times. Their job description will include assessing patients, diagnosing them according to their physical symptoms, setting goals for their recovery, and implementing the plans they have made for the recovery. They will have to check the patient's vital signs, assess whether the patient is healing or not, ensure the patient's comfort level is met, etc. Candidates who wish to take up nursing as their profession can do certification courses for the same or take an associate's degree or bachelor’s degree.

Candidates can become registered nurses/RN by completing ASN or BSN, after which they must pass the NCLEX/National Council Licensure Examination. They will also be able to be Advanced Practice Registered Nurses/APRNs by taking a master’s degree in the field or being a Licensed Practical Nurse and working under an RN, APRN, or LPN.

An associate degree in the subject takes two years to complete and is the shortest way to becoming a registered nurse. Candidates can also take a bachelor’s degree in the subject instead of an associate degree, which takes four years to complete. Regardless of the course taken, they will have to write the NCLEX examination.

Optometry

Optometry is the field of study that deals with examining the eyes and visual system to correct defects and abnormalities. By choosing this field, candidates will learn to provide corrective glasses, manage vision development, perform vision therapy, etc. They will also learn how to prescribe a topical medication for the eye and treat normal bacterial and viral infections in the eye. Candidates who take up this field cannot do invasive surgeries.

The subjects taught in the course will include ocular anatomy, pathophysiology, epidemiology, biostatistics, primary care testing, biochemistry for optometry, etc. The entire duration of study to become an optometrist will range between 7 and 8 years.

To be an optometrist, candidates must complete their undergraduate studies in the sciences and then study in an optometric school, just as they would study in an MD program. Some universities require candidates to do an additional year of training/residency. After this, they will be able to write the national board examinations required to get the license to practice, which will vary from state to state.

Public Health

This field of study is interdisciplinary, with elements of behavioral science, health policy, law, and even ethics. The ground on which this field is focused is in preventing sickness and disease so that human beings can stay young longer. During the duration of the course, candidates will have to learn about the healthcare system in place, communicable and non-communicable diseases, injuries, etc.

The courses will include evidence-based public health, public health data, social and behavioral sciences, environmental health, health insurance, healthcare systems, etc. This course is offered online or offline at undergraduate and graduate levels.

Candidates can take a BS in Public Health and continue it with an MS in Public Health if they wish. The undergraduate degree lasts four years, whereas the master’s degree lasts two years and four semesters only.

Clinical Science

Clinical science is a field of study that deals with the treatment plans that are provided to patients. They are supposed to ensure that the medicines and medical products provided to the patients are efficient enough and work toward reducing the side effects of the provided medicines. Candidates who wish to learn this subject will need in-depth knowledge of chemistry, biology, and even experimental science since they will mostly work in labs for long hours.

Courses taught under the subject include microbiology, precalculus, biology, immunology, genetics, statistics, etc. Universities offer undergraduate and graduate programs, which take four years. The graduate program takes 2 years if the candidate is doing a master’s and 5 years if they are doing a Ph.D. Candidates can also take a diploma in the course.

Podiatric Medicine

This field of study deals with the diseases and ailments that affect human feet and lower legs. Candidates who have studied this field will have to diagnose and treat patients with ailments in their feet/lower legs and also deal with the complications that can arise from other illnesses. To become a podiatrist, candidates will have to study in a school dedicated to podiatry, implying that they do not have to go to a traditional medical school.

Candidates will have to take an undergraduate degree in the sciences with an emphasis on subjects like biology, chemistry, and physics, after which they will have to apply to one of the nine podiatry schools in the country. Here, they will have to do the course for four years. After course completion, they will be able to do a residency program for three years where they will have to train themselves under experts in the field before they can practice as a podiatrist. Candidates might sometimes have to get separate certifications in the area of specialization.

The subjects taught during the course's duration include anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, microbiology, etc. They will also be able to take a DPM/Doctor of Podiatric Medicine if they wish to research in the field of study.

Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Cert- MS- PhD) Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services Allied Health Diagnostic- Intervention- and Treatment Professions Alternative and Complementary Medical Support Services Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems Bioethics/Medical Ethics Chiropractic (DC) Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions Communication Disorders Sciences and Services Dental Support Services and Allied Professions Dentistry (DDS- DMD) Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services Energy and Biologically Based Therapies Health and Medical Administrative Services Health professions and related clinical sciences Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences- Other Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences- General Health/Medical Preparatory Programs

Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies Medical Illustration and Informatics Medicine (MD) Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions Movement and Mind-Body Therapies and Education Nursing Ophthalmic and Optometric Support Services and Allied Professions Optometry (OD) Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy (DO) Pharmacy- Pharmaceutical Sciences- and Administration Podiatric Medicine/Podiatry (DPM) Public Health Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic Services Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (Cert- MS- PhD) Veterinary Medicine (DVM)