Occupational Therapist

Occupational therapists assist patients with mentally, physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabling conditions. Occupational therapists help patients recover, develop, and maintain daily living and work skills. Occupational therapists work many types of settings with all ages, including home care, hospitals, out-patient clinics, schools, and nursing homes. Occupational therapists must obtain a Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy for entry into this field.

Occupational Therapist Assistant

Occupational therapist assistants help patients with activities and exercises with supervision of an occupational therapist. Occupational therapist assistants also prepare equipment for treatment, monitor patient activities for accuracy and encouragement, record patient progress, and document insurance billing. Occupational therapist assistants must graduate with an Associates Degree in Occupational Therapy to practice in this field.

Pharmacist

A pharmacist's job is to dispense prescription drugs to patients. Pharmacists also help patients understand the instructions their physician or practitioner has provided. Pharmacists also provide information about drugs to patients and customers, answer questions about prescription and over-the-counter drug side effects and interactions, as well as monitor the patient's progress to ensure the medications are effective. To work as a pharmacist, one must obtain a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, or Pharm. D.

Pharmacy Technician

A pharmacy technician receives and verfies prescriptions, prices and fills prescriptions, file insurance claims, count inventory, stock medications, and prepare medications for patients by mixing, counting pills, and labeling bottles.

Physical Therapist

Physical therapists provide services that restore function, relieve pain, improve mobility, and prevent or limit permanent physical disabilities to patients with lower-back pain, arthritis, heart disease, fractures, head injuries, cerebral palsy, and accident victims. Physical therapists can work in many types of settings, including out-patient clinics, hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, schools, and nursing homes. Physical therapists must graduate with a Masters or Doctoral degree in Physical Therapy.

Physical Therapist Assistant

Under the supervision on a physical therapist, a physical therapist assistant, or PTA, help make therapy sessions productive by filing office paperwork, preparing equipment for the physical therapist, or measuring a patient's responses to treatment. A physical therapist assistant's job may require also lifting or carrying patients to prepare the patient for treatment. A physical therapist assistant must graduate with an Associates Degree in Physical Therapy to practice in this field.

Radiology Technician

Radiology Technicians perform general diagnostic radiography to assist physicians and other medical personnel with patient diagnosis. Radiology technicians also order, maintain, and distribute medical x-ray supplies, schedules appointments, and reports procedures and results. To practice in this field, radiology technicians are required to obtain a certification in radiology.

Respiratory Therapist

Respiratory therapists evaluate, treat, and care for patients with cardiopulmonary and other breathing disorders under instruction of a physician. Victims of heart attack, drowning, stroke, or shock are given emergency care from a respiratory therapist. Therapists also assist patients with emphysema and chronic asthma. To work as a respiratory therapist, one must obtain an Associates Degree and pass an examination to earn a respiratory certification. To become a registered respiratory therapist, one must pass two more clinical examinations.

Speech-Language Pathologist

Speech-Language Pathologists assess, diagnose, treat, and help prevent speech, language, cognitive, communication, voice, swallowing, fluency, and other related disorders. These speech therapists work in many types of settings, including out-patient clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, and schools, working with all ages. To enter the field of speech-language pathology, one must complete a Masters program from an accredited college or university, along with supervised clinical training.

Clinical Fellowship Year (CFY)

When a speech-language pathologist student graduates from their accredited graduate program, one must complete a nine-month clinical training internship under supervision of a certified speech-language pathologist. During this time, the graduate will learn valuable skills to begin their own career in the speech therapy field. The graduate must take and pass the PRAXIS examination to receive their Certificate of Clinical Competence to begin working.