9781422276655

Blood and Guts When people think of the medical profession, they often visualize dramatic scenes from pop- ular TV shows, such as House and Grey’s Anatomy . For those who crave the excitement of such lifesaving work, the health field offers rewarding opportunities. An EMT has to know how to keep an accident victim from bleeding to death on the way to the emergency room. Of course, not everyone has the disposition needed to deal with life-and-death situations, not to mention the sight of blood and open wounds. Luckily, not all health careers require a strong stomach: A medical receptionist spends much of his or her day behind a counter, greet- ing patients. Other health care professionals work as therapists who help patients achieve specific goals. A physical therapist aide, for instance, helps a physical therapist teach patients to perform exercises that improve their ability to perform basic tasks, such as walking and standing. Some professionals in this field also work in sales. A dispensing optician doesn’t just help fit a customer with prescription glasses. He or she also sells them. Likewise, pharmacy technicians help out at the register, ringing up prescriptions and other drugstore goods. Some health care workers don’t actually take care of people: veterinary assistants tend to dogs, cats, horses, and other animals. As you would expect, most health care employees work inside medical facilities, such as doctors’ offices, medical centers, and hospitals. There are exceptions, however. An EMT may need to work outdoors while providing emergency treatment to someone at an accident scene. Dialysis technicians and nursing aides sometimes provide care in patients’ homes. We could include only a sampling of health careers in this volume. Others you might want to explore include medical transcriptionist, respiratory therapist, cardiology technician, licensed practical nurse, and radiology technician. Even though the job descriptions for the different health careers vary, all require some common skills. Whether you’re a medical receptionist dealing with nervous patients or a di- alysis technician setting up the machinery, you need to be a careful, conscientious worker who can be counted on to worry about the details. You also need to be a good communicator who can share vital medical information with other colleagues, the patients, and the patients’ families. Most important, you need to be a special kind of person who can be compassionate, yet not become so involved in a patient’s well-being that you let your emotions affect your health and good judgment.

• Health Care & Science

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