Healthcare Industry Careers

1. Discuss the pros and cons of working in the healthcare field as a volunteer before
   applying to an educational program to prepare for a health career.

One of the pros of working as a volunteer before applying for an educational program
is increase in increase of one’s chances to be accepted in different academic programs. There
are some professions that require students to have some experience in the field before they
are accepted in the program (Cross & McWay 84). Thus, volunteering helps one to acquire
the experience required to be admitted into such programs.

Another advantage of volunteering is that one learns first hand the academic areas that
they need to excel in order to become successful in certain healthcare careers. It is usually
assumed that healthcare careers require one to perform well in sciences and mathematics.
However, through volunteering, one will learn that there are many healthcare professions that
do not require one to excel in mathematics and sciences but other disciplines, such as
humanities (Cross & McWay 84). Volunteering also helps the student to develop important
soft skills that they may need to succeed in their chosen career (Khasanzyanova 363).

The main con of working as a volunteer before applying for an educational program is
that one may be exposed to unpleasant aspects of a given field and, therefore, get
discouraged. For instance, by observing nurses work for long hours and physicians handle

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bloodied patients, a student may be discouraged from pursuing a field that they would
otherwise have pursued and excelled at.

2. List the advantages and disadvantages of choosing a health career that requires
   a graduate degree.

A major advantage of choosing a health career that requires a graduate degree is that
such careers often pay more. For instance, home health and personal care aides earn an
average of $27,000 annually while dieticians and nutritionists earn an average of $63,000
(U.S. Bureau of Statistics). The different between them is that while home health and
personal care aides only need a high school diploma, dieticians and nutritionists needs a
graduate degree to practice.

The key disadvantage of choosing a health career that requires a graduate degree is
the long duration of study required to complete the program. For instance, one can use a year
and a half to complete acquire a postsecondary non-degree award as a medical administrative
assistant (Ultimate Medical Academy). However, they will need four years of study to
qualify as a registered nurse (U.S. Bureau of Statistics).

3. Discuss the components of the common core of knowledge and identify which
   component poses the most difficulty for students to master. Explain why mastery
   is difficult for that component.

Some of the components of the common core of knowledge include medical terminology,
anatomy, physiology, and medical math (Cross & McWay 90). Medical terminology helps
students to master medical terms that are used to communicate among healthcare
professionals and between healthcare professionals and patients. Anatomy is the study of
organisms and their body parts while physiology is the study of how different body parts of

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organism’s function to enable them to exist (Cross & McWay 90). Medical math incorporates
a wide range of concepts that are applied in healthcare. It is a component that many students
struggle to master for a number of reasons. The reasons include risk of embarrassment
resulting from failure and anxiety (Gurefe & Bakalim 154).

4. What advice would you give a teenager who believes that they would like to
   pursue a career within Allied Health? How could you best direct them on a path
   or explain to them the industry growth or job security? What would you advise
   to be the best qualities and characteristics to be successful in that path?

I would encourage them to pursue a career within Allied Health. Careers within Allied
Health often take shorter time to complete and are also less costly compared to traditional
college programs. Additionally, Allied Health programs have far more flexibility than other
programs as one is able to explore and develop different skills and competencies instead of
specific skills and competencies that are common in traditional college programs (Health
Education England). Due to the flexibility afforded by Allied Health, I would advice the
teenager to explore different interests in healthcare fields that Allied Health affords its
students. Having a wide range of skills in the healthcare industry guarantees that will always
have a job. With regards to the best characteristics and qualities that they need to be
successful in their chosen path, I would recommend hard work, curiosity, and desire to learn.

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Works Cited

Cross, Nana & Dana McWay Stanfield’s Introduction to Health Professions. Jones & Bartlett
Publishers, 2016.

Gurefe, Nejla, and Orkide Bakalim. “Mathematics Anxiety, Perceived Mathematics Self-
efficacy and Learned Helplessness in Mathematics in Faculty of Education
Students.” International Online Journal of Educational Sciences 10.3 (2018).

Health Education England. Allied Health Professionals – A Universe of Opportunities for
your AHP career. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJKv15IyO-I, 2019.

Khasanzyanova, Albina. “How volunteering helps students to develop soft
skills.” International Review of Education 63.3 (2017): 363-379.

Ultimate Medical Academy. Medical Careers Jobs That Don’t Require a 4 Year Degree.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVAEMEzzURQ, 2020

U.S. Bureau of Statistics. Healthcare Occupations.
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home.htm, 2021.