Professional occupations, such as physicians and surgeons, dentists, registered nurses, social workers, and physical therapists, usually require at least a bachelor's degree in a specialized field or higher education in a specific health field, although registered nurses also enter through associate degree or diploma programs. Professional workers often have high levels of responsibility and complex duties. They may supervise other workers or conduct research, as well as provide services.

Other health professionals and technicians work in many fast-growing occupations, such as medical records and health information technicians and dental hygienists. These workers may operate technical equipment and assist health diagnosing and treating practitioners. Graduates of 1- or 2-year training programs often fill such positions; the jobs usually require specific formal training beyond high school, but less than 4 years of college.

Service occupations attract many workers with little or no specialized education or training. Among these workers are nursing aides, home health aides, building cleaning workers, dental assistants, medical assistants, and personal and home care aides. Nursing or home health aides provide health-related services for ill, injured, disabled, elderly, or infirm individuals either in institutions or in their homes. By providing routine personal care services, personal and home care aides help elderly, disabled, and ill persons live in their own homes instead of in an institution. Although some of these workers are employed by public or private agencies, many are self-employed. With experience and, in some cases, further education and training, service workers may advance to higher level positions or transfer to new occupations.

Most jobs in health services provide clinical services, but there also are many in occupations with other functions. Numerous workers in management and administrative support jobs keep organizations running smoothly. Although many medical and health services managers have a background in a clinical specialty or training in health services administration, some enter these jobs with a general business education.

Each segment of the health services industry provides a different mix of wage and salary health-related jobs.

Hospitals. Hospitals employ workers with all levels of education and training, thereby providing a wider variety of services than is offered by other segments of the health services industry. About 1 in 4 hospital workers is a registered nurse. Hospitals also employ many physicians and surgeons, therapists, and social workers. About 1 in 5 jobs is in a service occupation, such as nursing, psychiatric, and home health aide, or building cleaning worker. Hospitals also employ large numbers of office and administrative support workers.

Nursing and residential care facilities. More than 3 out of 5 nursing and residential care facility jobs are in service occupations, primarily nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides. Professional and administrative support occupations are a much smaller percentage of employment than in other parts of the health services industry. Federal law requires nursing facilities to have licensed personnel on hand 24 hours a day and to maintain an appropriate level of care.
 

Offices of physicians. Many of the jobs in offices of physicians are in professional and related occupations, primarily physicians and surgeons and registered nurses. A third of all jobs, however, are in office and administrative support occupations, such as receptionists and information clerks.

Offices of dentists. About a third of all jobs in this segment are in service occupations, mostly dental assistants. The typical staffing pattern in dentists' offices consists of one dentist with a support staff of dental hygienists and dental assistants. Larger practices are more likely to employ office managers and administrative support workers.

Home healthcare services. More than half of all jobs in this segment are in service occupations, mostly home health aides and personal and home care aides. Nursing and therapist jobs also account for substantial shares of employment in this segment.

Offices of other health practitioners. Professional and related occupations, including physical therapists, occupational therapists, dispensing opticians, and chiropractors, accounted for about 2 in 5 jobs in this segment. Office and administrative support occupations also accounted for a significant portion of all jobs, about 34 percent.

Outpatient care centers. This segment of the health services industry employs a high percentage of professional and related workers, including counselors, social workers, and registered nurses.

Other ambulatory healthcare services. Because this industry segment includes ambulance services, it employs almost 2 out of every 5 emergency medical technicians and paramedics and a third of all ambulance drivers and attendants.

Medical and diagnostic laboratories. Professional and related workers, primarily clinical laboratory and radiologic technologists and technicians, make up about 42 percent of all jobs in this industry segment. Service workers employed in this segment include medical assistants, medical equipment preparers, and medical transcriptionists.