Careers in the Healthcare Field for Vo-Tech Students

Vocational-technical schools teach job-specific skills and prepare students for a particular career path. After leaving vocational-technical school, a student may decide go into a two-year community college and earn an associate's degree which will enable him or her to apply for more jobs in their field of interest. Some may go directly on a career path without further educational training.

Health occupations programs prepare students for careers in the medical field. Certified Nursing Assistants work in hospitals, nursing homes, and rehabilitation facilities. Certified Nursing Assistants are also called nurse's aides, orderlies and home health aides. They perform such services as bathing and feeding patients, taking vital signs, and relaying information to nurses. Home health aides care for patients in the comfort of the patient's own home. This is an invaluable service for elderly patients or the chronically ill who cannot afford a nursing home or prefer to stay at home. Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) learn basic nursing skills, anatomy, physiology and nutrition. They also learn vital skills such as infection control. The CNA working in a rehabilitation facility helps patients recover after trauma or stroke and may do things like assist a therapist with a patient's exercise routine.

Dental assistants work with the dentist and dental hygienist, doing such tasks as setting up the instruments prior to a procedure, making sure the exam room is stocked with necessities such as bibs and medications, and cleaning the exam room. Dental assistants may also do things like prepare materials for temporary fillings, assisting with procedures, and handing the dentist or hygienist tools. They may sterilize tools and take X-rays. Students are also trained in dental office administration. Some high school vo-tech programs offer a separate dental program from nursing specialties.

Medical assistants work in administrative positions and perform clinical tasks in doctors' offices. They may take medical histories, record vital signs and administer medications. Medical assistant students learn medical office management: appointment scheduling, coding, billing, and medical transcription. A medical assistant helps keep the office functioning smoothly. They may be present during procedures to assist the doctor, nurse, or physician's assistant.

Since health occupations students learn child care skills, nutrition, physical fitness and first aid, they may choose to work with children in a setting such as a day care, camp or the YMCA. Child care skills will prepare a medical assistant to work in a pediatrician's office, or a dental assistant to work in a practice dedicated to child dentistry.

People with healthcare training are always in demand for positions ranging from the front office to the exam room. A vo-tech high school is a practical choice to prepare to go directly into the workforce after high school.

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