Health and Medical Careers

If you think about it, health and medical careers are very similar as they both want the same thing that is to care for the welfare of the patient. To give some idea, here are a few possible careers that you may get into. 

1. Brushing and flossing your teeth isn’t enough to keep them clean. This is why people are told to visit the dentist once a year or every six months. Dentistry is usually completed after 8 years of education. It takes just as long as a medical doctor and analysts believe this demand will grow as the large number of are expected to retire soon. 

The job of the dentist is to diagnose, prevent and treat problems in the teeth and also the mouth tissue. They may perform x-rays, put in protective plastic sealants, extract or repair fractured teeth. If patients need to straighten their teeth, then they have to visit an orthodontist. 

Dentists use a variety of equipment to get the job done. These include mouth mirrors, probes, forceps, brushes, scalpels, drills and x-ray machines. To protect themselves and their patients, they must always sterilize their equipment; wear masks, gloves that must be disposed afterwards and protective glasses.

2. For those that want to get into the heat of the action, they may work as surgeons. This is very challenging as most doctors work more than 60 hours a week inside the operating room. Aside from general surgery, there are many who specialize in a specific area. 

Some examples of these include orthodontic surgery that is the treatment of the skeletal system, neurological that is involved with the treatment of the brain, orthopedic that is with the eyes, otolaryngology that is the treatment of the ear, nose and throat as well as plastic or reconstructive surgery for those are recovering from burn injuries or simply want to change their physical appearance. 

3. You may also become a respiratory therapist. This person is tasked to evaluate, treat and care for patients who have difficulty breathing or are suffering from other cardiopulmonary disorders. 

They usually work under the direct supervision of the physician. To evaluate a patient, an interview is first conducted before a physical examination is done. Tests are then done to analyze the oxygen, carbon dioxide and pH levels and then comparing them with the age, height, sex and height of the patient if they are below or above normal. The results are then used to make the proper treatment decisions. 

Respiratory therapists do not only treat old people but also premature infants that have not yet produced fully develop lungs. They may also be called in to help those suffering from asthma, drowning, heart attack, shock and a stroke. 

4. One job that is not often see in line with health and medical careers but do play a role is that of a social worker. They help people who have serious illnesses, disabilities and substance abuse. They also assist families who have inadequate housing and those who are in serious domestic conflicts especially those with child or spousal abuse. 

If you want to help people, go for a health and medical career. This can only happen of course once you have gone through training which many last from a couple of years or even longer.