9 answers
Desiree
Student
1
Question
Asked
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What are some majors and minors as someone who is interested in Allied Health Also what are some ways I can get a feel of the field early on??
Hello! I am a 16 year old junior that is interested in the allied health field. Lately I’ve been researching about majors and minors I should take, but after I’m always confused. As someone who is looking to go into the Allied Health, are there any recommendations of majors and minors I could take? Also as a junior who is passionate about the healthcare field as a whole, what are some things I can do to try and get a feel of the field early on? ( I don’t want to get to college and end up regretting my major. It’s my biggest fear)
8 answers
Kathleen Rezek
Laboratory and compliance
109
Answers
Stanwood, Michigan
Updated
Kathleen’s Answer
As already stated, Allied Health is a broad field with many great career opportunities. For anything in the medical field overall, you should pursue a bachelor's degree in one of the sciences such as biology or chemistry. To narrow it down, take stock of your interests. Do you like working with people or are you more introverted? Do you like solving puzzles, fixing things, or do you love technology? What work- life balance do you desire? There are so many options! Perhaps there is a job- shadowing option or health fair/ career day you could attend. Laboratory, Radiology, Pharmacy..the sky is the limit! Follow your interests and abilities.
Paul Treuhaft, MD, MA
Retired surgeon who replaced hips and knees
53
Answers
Santa Rosa, California
Updated
Paul’s Answer
People work in allied health jobs do a wide variety of things. The best way to plan for your future is to start by deciding exactly what kind of work you want to do, because there is so much variation between all the jobs that fit the allied health field. The way I think is the easiest to learn about all the possibilities is to search online. Any of the AI programs available can give you all the information you need . My personal favorite is Perplexity, which offers a free basic search function. Ask for the details of any and every job you might consider and you will get all the information you need.
Paul S. Treuhaft, MD, MA
Paul S. Treuhaft, MD, MA
Loryn Studer
Doctor of Physical Therapy
6
Answers
Bend, Oregon
Updated
Loryn’s Answer
Hi Desiree,
If you’re not sure what profession you want pursue specifically I’d recommend majoring in public health education or health sciences with a minor in chemistry, biology, psychology, or some type of science. The core prerequisites for allied health schools tend to be very similar so taking anatomy, biology, chemistry, psychology, statistics, etc. is a great place to start. A degree in public health education providers toy with a big picture view of the roles of health care providers and the contact they have with patients. From that broad understanding you can then narrow it down to what really caught your attention whether that’s social work, mental health counseling, occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, dietitian, imaging technician, or something else. Be open to the possibility of changing your major because you might want to after you figure out what you specifically want to do for your professional school. You might not though and that’s also totally fine because most programs don’t have a specific major required as a prerequisite. Public health or health science degrees typically require an internship of some kind so that’s a great opportunity to really see what the profession of interest will look like. All professional programs will require shadowing hours to apply so know that you will get the opportunity to see the profession up close and personally regardless of it is a part of your degree or your own time. Other things to consider or cost of grad school, quality of life as a provider, autonomy as a provider, and time spent with patients. Many providers do not get much time with their patients like 15-25 minutes or so. Be mindful of those things and what you are looking for in your career. Hope this helps!
If you’re not sure what profession you want pursue specifically I’d recommend majoring in public health education or health sciences with a minor in chemistry, biology, psychology, or some type of science. The core prerequisites for allied health schools tend to be very similar so taking anatomy, biology, chemistry, psychology, statistics, etc. is a great place to start. A degree in public health education providers toy with a big picture view of the roles of health care providers and the contact they have with patients. From that broad understanding you can then narrow it down to what really caught your attention whether that’s social work, mental health counseling, occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, dietitian, imaging technician, or something else. Be open to the possibility of changing your major because you might want to after you figure out what you specifically want to do for your professional school. You might not though and that’s also totally fine because most programs don’t have a specific major required as a prerequisite. Public health or health science degrees typically require an internship of some kind so that’s a great opportunity to really see what the profession of interest will look like. All professional programs will require shadowing hours to apply so know that you will get the opportunity to see the profession up close and personally regardless of it is a part of your degree or your own time. Other things to consider or cost of grad school, quality of life as a provider, autonomy as a provider, and time spent with patients. Many providers do not get much time with their patients like 15-25 minutes or so. Be mindful of those things and what you are looking for in your career. Hope this helps!
Karin P.
Lecturer, Academic Advisor, Career Coach
1092
Answers
Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
Updated
Karin’s Answer
Hi Desiree,
There are a lot of different professions in the healthcare field, many are bundled under "Allied Health", and many others are not. I left some links for you below that can give you an idea what each profession entails, how much schooling is required and what the salary expectation might be (keep in mind different employers, different locations, different levels of education and experience will command different salary levels).
Do some soul searching what you are good at, what exactly attracts you to professions in the healthcare field and what kind of job you would enjoy doing. Are you interested in patient-facing jobs or more technical jobs or administrative jobs behind the scenes? Are you passionate about taking care of patients the way a nurse or a midwife does? Are you prepared to deal with the gore a healthcare job on the frontlines can bring? Or would you rather do a technical job like a radiological or MRI technologist does? Or maybe a "clean" job like a speech-language-therapist or health information manager would be to your liking? Is it important to you that you have pathways to grow in your job as you gain more experience? Nursing e.g. is a very flexible career that allows you to start working with an associates or bachelors degree, but you can always add further degrees and certifications to move to positions with more responsibility.
When you have identified a few careers that you might be interested in, come back or read up on the education requirements. Talk to some people who work in those professions so you can ask questions and maybe shadow them in their daily practice. You can also volunteer e.g. in a hospital to get a feel for things.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
https://explorehealthcareers.org/careers/allied-health-professions/
https://college.mayo.edu/academics/explore-health-care-careers/careers-a-z/
There are a lot of different professions in the healthcare field, many are bundled under "Allied Health", and many others are not. I left some links for you below that can give you an idea what each profession entails, how much schooling is required and what the salary expectation might be (keep in mind different employers, different locations, different levels of education and experience will command different salary levels).
Do some soul searching what you are good at, what exactly attracts you to professions in the healthcare field and what kind of job you would enjoy doing. Are you interested in patient-facing jobs or more technical jobs or administrative jobs behind the scenes? Are you passionate about taking care of patients the way a nurse or a midwife does? Are you prepared to deal with the gore a healthcare job on the frontlines can bring? Or would you rather do a technical job like a radiological or MRI technologist does? Or maybe a "clean" job like a speech-language-therapist or health information manager would be to your liking? Is it important to you that you have pathways to grow in your job as you gain more experience? Nursing e.g. is a very flexible career that allows you to start working with an associates or bachelors degree, but you can always add further degrees and certifications to move to positions with more responsibility.
When you have identified a few careers that you might be interested in, come back or read up on the education requirements. Talk to some people who work in those professions so you can ask questions and maybe shadow them in their daily practice. You can also volunteer e.g. in a hospital to get a feel for things.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
Karin recommends the following next steps:
Michelle M.
Actress
3284
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Desiree !
In order to plan for a Major for college, you would first have to know which exact career you'd like to pursue. By knowing that, you would then know what to major in. Picking a major is something that has to prepare you, qualify you and give you the knowledge for the career your degree connects with.
Allied Health is not a field or a career nor is it a Major. Allied Health is a descriptive word that refers to healthcare fields/jobs/careers other than Medical Doctors or Nurses. Since there are numerous careers that come under the allied health category, it would be impossible to name them all here. I left a link for you below to a website that can inform you of all the specific professions that are considered to be in the allied health category.
The reason that you may be confused is because you are randomly looking for a curriculum for a field of work that you haven't chosen yet. You still have plenty of time to learn more about the many, many careers, so take more time to explore. You can find all the information online and if you have a specific career you would like advice about, you can return here to Career Village for advice.
Think about exactly how you'd like to participate in the health field and how long of a period of time you'd like to attend college for. There should be many videos on You Tube about various careers. You can see at the website below all of the careers, write them down and then look for videos about people speaking about those careers. In the health care field, I do not advise "shadowing" due to liability and privacy factors, so videos on You Tube would be your best bet.
Take your time in choosing. Do some non-medical volunteer work at your local hospital to get a glimpse at all the various departments and perhaps develop a Mentor relationship. No one should tell you what to Major in at college, especially if you haven't chosen your niche yet. Don't worry, you'll figure it out and everything will fall in place. Keep reaching out for information at school, the library, here at Career Village and become well-informed and you'll be on your way knowing how to decide the career you really want.
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best !
ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS AND CAREER GUIDE https://www.trustedhealth.com/allied-career-guide
In order to plan for a Major for college, you would first have to know which exact career you'd like to pursue. By knowing that, you would then know what to major in. Picking a major is something that has to prepare you, qualify you and give you the knowledge for the career your degree connects with.
Allied Health is not a field or a career nor is it a Major. Allied Health is a descriptive word that refers to healthcare fields/jobs/careers other than Medical Doctors or Nurses. Since there are numerous careers that come under the allied health category, it would be impossible to name them all here. I left a link for you below to a website that can inform you of all the specific professions that are considered to be in the allied health category.
The reason that you may be confused is because you are randomly looking for a curriculum for a field of work that you haven't chosen yet. You still have plenty of time to learn more about the many, many careers, so take more time to explore. You can find all the information online and if you have a specific career you would like advice about, you can return here to Career Village for advice.
Think about exactly how you'd like to participate in the health field and how long of a period of time you'd like to attend college for. There should be many videos on You Tube about various careers. You can see at the website below all of the careers, write them down and then look for videos about people speaking about those careers. In the health care field, I do not advise "shadowing" due to liability and privacy factors, so videos on You Tube would be your best bet.
Take your time in choosing. Do some non-medical volunteer work at your local hospital to get a glimpse at all the various departments and perhaps develop a Mentor relationship. No one should tell you what to Major in at college, especially if you haven't chosen your niche yet. Don't worry, you'll figure it out and everything will fall in place. Keep reaching out for information at school, the library, here at Career Village and become well-informed and you'll be on your way knowing how to decide the career you really want.
I hope this helps and I wish you all the best !
Michelle recommends the following next steps:
James Hanson
Pediatric Intensive Care Physician; Consultant
160
Answers
Oakland, California
Updated
James’s Answer
I am delighted that you are interested in getting into the health field. Here is the good news: there is no major that disqualifies you from any healthcare profession. Breadth of knowledge is a wonderful thing, and the more things you learn and study, the more opportunities you have to choose from. I know physicians, nurses, therapists, and hospital administrators that studied art, theater, music, language... I did the traditional pre-med Biology major, but have wonderful memories of being in singing groups, plays, and intramural sports teams while in college.
In fact, it is common for people to begin college majoring in one thing, and then change their major as they experience classes and extracurricular activities that pull on them.
As for finding ways to explore different allied health fields, I recommend consideration for getting an EMT or MA or ED Tech credential that would allow you both to make some money during school as well as to learn about the many different jobs that exist in this space. You can also go to your local hospital(s) and clinics to inquire about opportunities to observe/shadow. This may be difficult, as many now require you pay for background checks and such, but many doctors are happy to have young people follow them to learn about the career.
In fact, it is common for people to begin college majoring in one thing, and then change their major as they experience classes and extracurricular activities that pull on them.
As for finding ways to explore different allied health fields, I recommend consideration for getting an EMT or MA or ED Tech credential that would allow you both to make some money during school as well as to learn about the many different jobs that exist in this space. You can also go to your local hospital(s) and clinics to inquire about opportunities to observe/shadow. This may be difficult, as many now require you pay for background checks and such, but many doctors are happy to have young people follow them to learn about the career.
Elyse Crotty
Certified Surgical Technologist
42
Answers
Jacksonville, Florida
Updated
Elyse’s Answer
Explore surgical technology, radiology, and physical therapy. These are part of the allied health field and could be great places to start your research.
Tina Yee-Ping Thompson
Pharmacist, Business Executive
1
Answer
Dallas, Texas
Updated
Tina Yee-Ping’s Answer
I'm glad you're asking these questions ahead of time. At your age, you can start taking classes related to healthcare (medical terminology) or ask people you encounter who are "in healthcare" to shadow them for a day or two. Allied health refers to a field within healthcare that encompasses various roles, including counselor, nurse, pharmacist, phlebotomist, radiology technician, billing clerks, and pharmacy technician, among others.
I started as a pharmacist in a clinical setting and now work in the business world, where I make a difference because I understand clinical and business aspects of healthcare.
For now, consider whether you prefer day-to-day operations, interacting with people, or working in small groups, and if you have other interests that you can incorporate into a healthcare setting.
Don't be intimidated by science and math classes. They may seem complicated, but you can definitely get through them, and it may just be a required class, not something you will do every day for the rest of your life!
Best of luck to you:-)
I started as a pharmacist in a clinical setting and now work in the business world, where I make a difference because I understand clinical and business aspects of healthcare.
For now, consider whether you prefer day-to-day operations, interacting with people, or working in small groups, and if you have other interests that you can incorporate into a healthcare setting.
Don't be intimidated by science and math classes. They may seem complicated, but you can definitely get through them, and it may just be a required class, not something you will do every day for the rest of your life!
Best of luck to you:-)
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