Medical Professional Career Education Opportunities and Courses

The medical industry is filled with a variety of professionals from entry-level assistants to hospital administrators. Medical professional career education opportunities and courses offer students a wide range of programs that give them the opportunities to step into many careers. Students can gain the appropriate skills needed to become medical professionals by completing programs related to their goals.

Vocational colleges offer certificate, diploma, and associates degree programs. The undergraduate training received is applicable to careers as assistants and technicians inside many medical professions. The coursework completed typically focuses exclusively on career related skills. Within associates degree programs some general education courses like English and science are worked through to give students a broader knowledge base. The educational opportunities offered in this field are numerous so students should research options. Common concentration areas include:

*Dialysis Technology

Students learn to work with patients that suffer from renal failure or commonly referred to as kidney disease. This disease produces an excess of harmful wastes in the blood stream. Training focuses on all of the procedures used to perform dialysis, which removes the excess fluids from the body. Most programs for this career field are completed at the certificate level of training.

*Medical Assisting

Training opportunities for this area of the field typically require students to complete associates degree programs. Students learn to perform a variety of duties including clerical work and clinical care. Professionals assist physicians and nurses by keeping the day-to-day operations of a practice running smoothly. Filing records and scheduling appointments are some common clerical duties conducted. Taking vital signs and preparing patients for examinations are some clinical areas performed.

*Phlebotomy

This clinical career opportunity has professionals extracting blood from patients for a variety of reasons. A wide skill set is learned inside educational training, which includes injecting fluids, administering medications, and collecting blood specimens. Associate's degree programs are the educational standard for this field. Students enter the profession understanding several concepts such as blood banking and hematology.

*Clinical Lab Assistant

This health care training covers the essential knowledge needed to work inside medical and research based labs. By learning the different procedures performed inside the industry students can perform several tasks. Translating terminology, understanding abbreviations, testing specimens, managing quality control factors, and working with patients are all career related skills learned inside training. Many students enter the field after first completing certificate programs.

The curriculum for each field will change according to the professional goal. For example, the core courses inside a clinical lab assistant program include subjects on health care, medical terminology, and diagnostic testing. Inside a phlebotomy program students learn about the field through courses on clinical biology, urinalysis, coagulation, and anatomy.

Students that enter accredited programs will find that curricula are specifically tailored to the area of the field they are pursuing, such as medical assisting or IV certification. Full accreditation is provided by agencies like the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools ( http://www.acics.org/ ) to medical professional schools and colleges that offer quality career training. To gain an education and enter a career in this capacity, students should research their options and complete programs that fit their needs.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERIC OUTLINE and may or may not depict precise methods, courses and/or focuses related to ANY ONE specific school(s) that may or may not be advertised at PETAP.org.

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Renata McGee is a staff writer for PETAP.org. Locate Medical Professional Schools and Colleges as well as Online Medical Professional Schools and Colleges at PETAP.org, your Partners in Education and Tuition Assistance Programs.