What is an Allied Health Science - Essay Example

 Allied Health Sciences Introduction Allied health science is a medical field that is different from the general field of medicine. Allied health sciences, in a way, include study of medical related equipment and technology that compliments the work of doctors, nurses, and dentists. Allied health professionals are not regular doctors, but they regularly work in collaboration with other doctors and nurses to provide health care facilities to patients. In this paper we will try to understand the profession of allied heath in detail. We will start by defining allied health science, and will discuss the scope it has in the country as far as professional work is considered. The impact of allied health science on the field of health care will be discussed and problems of the profession will be elucidated. What is Allied Health Science? Allied health science involves study in areas that are different from the field of medicine, pharmacy, and nursing. The allied health sciences include services are related to evaluation, prevention, and identification of disorders (The Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions, 2012). Some common allied health professions include hygienists, dietitians, radiographers, medical technologists, medical sonographers, etc. (The Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions, 2012). All the allied health professions have one thing in common that is they all compliment the work of nurses and doctors. In short allied health sciences compliment medical sciences in diagnostic evaluation, and prevention of diseases. It is essential to understand the scope of allied health professionals. They are usually involved in services that are related to field of health care. Some allied health professionals deal with medical related technology that is used today in hospitals all over the country. They are also involved in helping doctors and nurses with diagnostics. Allied health professionals are not involved directly in medical procedures and therefore they usually do not operate independently. They usually work together with doctors, nurses, and pharmacists to provide better health care services to patients. There job is to support doctors and nurses, but they do not function independently. They cannot perform surgeries or invasive procedures, but can help patients with things like speech therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy (The Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions, 2012). This is the scope of work of people involved in allied health sciences. Employment Rate in the USA today Allied health science is a growing field and many people are getting involved in it. It is expected that in future there will be more job openings for allied health professionals. The employment rate of allied health professionals in USA is very high because these professionals fill up a void in the health care system of United States. Due to changes in the needs of the population people are relying more and more on allied health professionals (California Health Jobs, 2010). Allied health professionals do not charge large sums of fee and this is another reason why there demand is expected to increase in future. Moreover, research suggests that in future more allied health professionals will be needed in United States because of the expected demographic changes (California Health Jobs, 2010). Impact of Allied Health Sciences in the field of Health Care The role of allied health science is great in the field of health care because it provides help that is extremely important to doctors and nurses, other medical professionals. Health care services have become increasingly complicated and new advancements have been in the field. This is why it is important for doctors and nurses to focus on their own job, and let the rest for allied health professionals. It is not possible for doctors and nurses to provide all the essential health care services to patients in the times when health care has become greatly sophisticated. This is where allied health science steps in. Allied health professionals provide doctors, nurses, and pharmacists a helping hand in their field so as to allow them to function effectively and efficiently. There job is of a complimentary nature, and therefore it is extremely important in health care. Allied health professionals allow medical practitioners to keep up with the recent advancement and innovations in the field of health care. Allied health science has come up as result of increasing complications and sophistications in field of health care. In the complex field of health care, the role of allied health professionals therefore is extremely important as they allow the doctors and nurses to focus on their core jobs while taking care of the rest themselves. Issues Allied Health Professionals Face Today There are some issues that allied health professional face in the country today. First of those issues is the awareness problem as many people are not very aware of the field. General population does not have knowledge that allied health professionals can better help them in certain situations. This is an important issue that allied health professional face in the country today. Another important issue they face is that they are expected to a lot of work. Allied health professionals are charged with a lot of responsibilities which is not justified. They are expected to take care of a lot of things because they are expected to fill the gap in health care of the country. Another important issue that allied health professional face is the lack of education and training facilities they get. It is important for allied health professionals to remain up to date with the recent challenges in the field but this cannot happen unless they are provided training programs on a regular basis. Many universities are offering courses and training programs but access to these programs, especially from the rural regions of United States, is not possible. This is another major issue allied health professional face while performing their job in United States of America. Conclusion Allied health professionals play a very important role in the health care industry of United States of America. There job is to compliment and help medical practitioners with medial related technology and other areas that do not come under the domain of doctors, nurses, and pharmacist. The increase in sophisticated technology in the health care industry has given rise to the need of allied health professionals. References California Health Jobs. (2010). Help Wanted Report. Retrieved from http://www.calhealthjobs.org The Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions. (2012). Allied Health Professions. Retrieved from http://www.asahp.org/definition.htm Read More