Career Comparison Across Pathways

Health care proudly boasts hundreds of job opportunities and is projected to increase by 20.5 million jobs from 2010 to 2020 according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook. The Health Science career cluster consists of planning, managing, and providing therapeutic services, diagnostic services, health informatics, support services, and biotechnology research and development.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics identifies this career pathway as one of the largest and fastest-growing industries in the United States. This lesson will examine each career pathway and provide career examples associated with each pathway.

Therapeutic Services careers focus on changing the health status of an individual over time. These professionals provide direct care, treatment, counseling, and health education. View the handout in the sidebar for a list of Therapeutic Services careers.

Diagnostic Services careers focus on capturing a picture of the status of a patient at a specified time period as a measure to assist in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases, injuries, and other medical conditions. View the handout in the sidebar for a list of Diagnostic Services careers.

Health Informatics careers are made up of a broad, diverse career population. Some positions have greater patient interaction than others. Those with greater patient interaction include administrative personnel responsible for the management of facilities, patient information, and financial information. Those positions less likely to interact with the patients include the computer applications professionals responsible for developing processes, procedures, and healthcare delivery guidelines.

Environmental Support careers provide support to the other pathways by providing an environment that is safe and conducive to the delivery of quality health care services. This pathway offers entry-level positions and the opportunity to advance into management careers. You will find technically trained workers as well as career professionals.

Biotechnology Research and Development careers focus on the future of medicine through the exploration of the molecular biology of disease and health and improving the quality of life through medical discoveries for the treatment of diseases, and chronic conditions, and the development of diagnostic tools. This profession is dedicated to scientific discovery methods that focus on maintaining the quality of life and do not compromise legal and ethical boundaries.

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