Health Science Pathways

​ H​ ealth Care
And

Clinical Service
Career Portfolio

Health science education (HSE)- Programs that can prepare a student for immediate
employment in many health care careers or for additional education after graduation.

Associate’s degree- Some careers require this. It is awarded by a career/technical school or a
community college after completion of a prescribed two-year study.

Bachelor’s degree- awarded by a college or university after a prescribed course of study that
usually lasts for four or more years.

Master’s degree- awarded by a college or university after completion of one or more years of
work beyond a bachelor’s degree

Doctorate or doctoral degree- awarded by a college or university after completion of two or more
years of work beyond a bachelor’s or master’s degree.

Certification - means that a person has fulfilled the requirements of education and performance
and meets the standards and qualifications established by the professional association or
government agency that regulates a particular career.

Registration- required in some health care careers. It is performed by a regulatory body
(professional association or state board) that administers examinations and maintains a current
list of qualified personnel in a given heath care area.

Licensure- process whereby a government agency authorizes individuals to work in a given
occupation.

Continuing education units (CEUs)- required to renew licenses or maintain certification or
registration in many states.

Mulitcompetent or multiskilled worker- this is a common trend in healthcare. Because of high
healthcare costs, smaller facilities and rural areas often can not afford to hire a specialist for
every aspect of care. Therefore, workers are hired who can perform a variety of health care
skills.

Entrepreneur- an individual who organizes and manages a business and assumes its risks.

Therapeutic Services:​ When someone works in therapeutic services, they use a wide range of
different treatments in order to help patients that are injured, physically and mentally disabled,
or emotionally disturbed. All of these treatments are directed towards allowing patients to work,
move and function at their maximum capacity. Places that you can work at in this field is
rehabilitation facilities, hospitals, clinics, mental health facilities, home health care agencies,
mental health facilities, daycare facilities, long-term care facilities, schools, and government
agencies.

Examples of careers in therapeutic services:
● Acupuncturist
● Dentist
● Mortician
● Occupational Therapist
● Dental Lab Technician

Diagnostic Services: ​ Workers create a picture of the health status of a patient at a single point
in time. Things they do is conduct tests that help with the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of
disease, injury, or other physical conditions. A lot of these workers can work in the labs of
hospitals, and others work in private labs, outpatient centers, physicians’ offices, clinics, public
health agencies, pharmaceutical firms, and research or government agencies. Some own and
operate their own businesses.

Examples of careers in diagnostic services:
● Audiologist
● Optometrist
● Phlebotomist
● Genetic counselor
● Clinical Laboratory Technician

Health Informatics: Health informatics workers are involved with documentation of patient
records and health information. Now that