Florida Health Career Guide Introduction

Florida Health Career Guide Introduction ● The Florida Health Careers guide is designed to help people explore career possibilities in a wide array of health care fields and to provide a reference tool for librarians, career-planning professionals, school guidance counselors and occupational specialists. On these pages, health careers are organized into 16 categories by general profession type, and within each category the careers are grouped in alphabetical order. Each career page contains the following information. ● Job Description...is an overview of duties and responsibilities of a particular occupation. Responsibilities of workers in the same occupation will vary by employer, industry, and size of firm. Supervisory status, tools or equipment used and personal characteristics required for the profession are also discusses. In general, personal qualifications of all health workers include good health, emotional stability, and both the ability and the desire to work in helping the sick and the injured. Health care personnel must also be accurate, responsible, sympathetic, versatile, and willing to keep abreast of new medical procedures and technical equipment. ● Areas of Specialization… include the kind of specialties that exist within the occupation. For example, dentists may specialize in orthodontics, endodontics, periodontics, and prosthodontics, while radiologic technologists may specialize in trauma radiology, pediatric radiology, or chest radiology. ● Work Environment...showcases the most typical work-site characteristics. In general, more than half of healthcare workers are employed in hospitals. The remainder work in clinics, treatment and rehabilitation centers, physicians’ offices, laboratories, nursing homes, health maintenance offices, home health care agencies, community facilities, research institutes, schools and colleges, governments, and manufacturing companies. Many health-related careers offer people the opportunity to work part-time, by appointment only, or to be self-employed. However, most jobs require 40 hours a week, Monday through Friday, Nights, weekends, and overtime are required in some health occupations, and some may require outdoor work or travel. ● Job Outlook...Provides employment projections based on known factors that will affect health-career opportunities in the state of Florida. The rate of job growth for all occupations in FL 2016, the most recent state information available at this publication was 1.4 percent. More recent information, such as the occurrence of vacancies due to industry expansion, workers leaving the labor force for other employment, and projected employment changes for each area may be obtained from various sources such as “Employ Florida” ● Advancement...discusses the possibilities for career advancement within the field. ● Length of Training/Requirements...covers many educational requirements such as duration of training for different levels of programs, entry requirements, and samples of core courses of study. The length of health occupations training can vary from several months of onthe-job training to 11 or more years of postsecondary education. In general, public vocationaltechnical centers offer certificate or diploma programs with two years or less of study; community colleges offer one-year certificates and two year, associate degree programs; and colleges and universities offer bachelor’s degree programs and graduate level programs. High school students who wish to prepare for a career in health care should study biology, health, chemistry, physics, mathematics, (algebra I & II and geometry), and English. Good communications skills in both writing and speaking are very important. Maintaining good grades in high school is also important, as admission to most health occupations is very competitive. As such requirements are subject to change, contacting a state professional association before embarking on a program of study is always wise. ● Licensure and Certification...requirements for occupations regulated by the state are provided here. The information on voluntary licensure/certification/ registration at the national level is also included when applicable and available. Certification usually requires graduation from an accredited training program, successful completion of a written or clinical examination, or work experience. Many employers prefer applicants who hold the certification even when voluntary certification is not required by the state. The benefits of being certified include proof of qualification, accessibility to a greater range of jobs, higher degree of professional prestige, eligibility for third party reimbursement, higher earnings, and greater potential for job advancement. ● Salary...This section cites the average hourly wage or the annual mean wage for the occupation in Florida or in the nation. Most workers also receive employer-paid benefits such as paid vacations, holidays, sick leave, health insurance, and pensions. Within every occupation, earnings may vary depending on education, level of certification, experience, level of responsibility, performance, type and size of facility, and the geographic area. ● Educational Programs—Many Educational Programs* in Florida offer health care professions training programs; they are listed in this section. ○*It is important to note that in many health professions, eligibility requirements for licensure or certification examinations may include a certificate, diploma, or other proof of graduation from an accredited educational program. It is crucial to establish that the chosen program has adequate accreditation prior to enrollment. ● Professional Associations ○This section lists professional associations and organizations along with their contact information. Many of these provide career-related information and services such as career opportunities, publications, educational programs offered in other states, and certification requirements. The State AHEC Programs wish to thank the expert readers for their critiques, and health-professional organizations that shared information. ● Resources used in this guide are: ○Employ Florida Marketplace-- ○Florida Department of Education-- ○Florida Department of Economic Opportunity-- ○ US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics-- ○ Online resources were heavily utilized to access and provide the most current information available. Due to initiation or revision of educational programs, accreditation changes by professional associations, and/or legislation by government agencies which have oversight responsibilities for health matters, however, post-publication changes are inevitable. The information offered here is a starting point in exploration of a rewarding health career.