Health profession
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A health profession is a profession in which a person exercises skill or judgment or provides a service related to: the preservation or improvement of the health of individuals, or the treatment or care of individuals who are injured, sick, disabled, or infirm.
The delivery of modern health care depends on an expanding group of highly trained professionals coming together as an interdisciplinary team. Individuals are called health professionals if they participate in delivery of health care in some way. Thus, it is a rather broad term.
[edit] Examples of members of the health professions
Medical doctors have specializations on the medicine page. Often included as adjunct to allopathic medicine are osteopaths who are licensed with the same limitations and privileges as medical doctors. Dentistry, optometry, podiatry, and psychology, while separate disciplines from medicine, are often considered medical fields in the wider definition of the term. These practitioners are granted independent license to practice medicine and surgery and provide or prescribe medications within their fields. Practitioners such as physician assistants, nurse practitioners and midwives also treat patients and prescribe medication in many legal jurisdictions; however, they do so under the direction and supervision of an independently licensed practitioner.
Other medical professionals include:
- dental hygienists
- nurses of various qualifications, and nursing assistants
- Operating department practitioners
- pharmacists
- respiratory therapists
- medical technologists
- hospital corpspeople in a military organisation
- paramedics and emergency medical technicians
- technicians specialising x-ray photography
- trained first responders such as most lifeguards and many firefighters and police officers
- medical assistants performing routine clinical and administrative tasks under the supervision licensed health care providers
- biomedical equipment technicians or bmets responsible for maintaining and repairing medical and patient care equipment in hospitals
- medical librarians acquire, organize and disseminate health information to health care professionals and health care consumers
The foundation sciences underpinning human medicine overlap veterinary medicine, which includes both veterinarians and veterinary technicians (also veterinary technologist).
[edit] See also
- Acupuncturists
- Allied health professions
- Alternative medicine
- Bioengineers
- Chiropodists
- Chiropractors
- Dentists
- Dietitians
- Laboratory scientists
- Massage therapists
- Medical assistants
- Medical transcriptionists
- Medicine
- Medical technologists
- Mental health counselors
- Nurses
- Nutritionists
- Occupational therapists
- Optometrists
- Paramedics
- Pharmaceutical company
- Pharmacists
- Physical therapists
- Physicians
- Physiotherapists
- Psychologists
- Psychotherapists
- Podiatrists
- Radiologists
- Social workers
- Speech therapists
- Veterinarians
