Types of Careers
If you are interested in a career in health care, you should know that you have several options. There are many professions that relate to health care, and most of them require years of specialized training. To practice in some professions, you must earn a doctoral-level degree. The most readily recognized of these doctoral programs include:
General Medicine
- allopathy, MD
- dentistry (dental medicine, DMD or dental surgery, DDS)
- optometry, OD
- osteopathy, DO
- podiatry, DPM
- veterinary medicine, DVM
Other Fields
These may require different types of preparation and degrees ranging from certificates of training to doctorates:
- audiology
- chiropractic
- genetic counseling
- medical illustration
- naturopathic medicine
- nursing
- nutrition
- occupational therapy
- pharmacy
- physical therapy
- physician assistant
- public health
- sports medicine
To look at brief descriptions of each of these fields and educational programs associated with them and to find links to relevant websites, click on the name of the profession. Another useful resource is Explore Health Careers.
To access information on career fairs, conferences, open houses, and a list of additional links, click on "Exploring Careers in Health" in the sidebar at right.