CLA 2.0    Allied Health Career Discovery

Who Are The Allied Healthcare Professionals?

Allied Health refers to a broad group of healthcare professionals who are responsible for the administration of healthcare support service teams and systems surrounding all healthcare providers. Most Allied Health professionals require postsecondary education with specialized healthcare training, knowledge and certification that focuses on individual sub-specific career groups.

The allied health professions fall into two broad categories: technicians (assistants) and therapists/technologists. Technicians are trained to perform procedures, and their education lasts less than two years. They are required to work under the supervision of technologists or therapists. Cardiovascular technicians, ophthalmic medical technicians and medical assistants are examples of careers in this category.

The educational process for therapists or technologists is more intensive and includes acquiring procedural skills. In addition, students learn to evaluate patients, diagnose conditions, develop treatment plans and understand the rationale behind various treatments in order to judge their appropriateness and potential side effects. Educational curricula teach students to evaluate patients’ responses to therapy and make appropriate decisions about continued treatment or modification of treatment plans. Anesthesiologist assistant, neurodiagnostic technologist and pathologists’ assistant are three examples of allied health careers in this category.

The following professions are included in allied health:

T

• Athletic training                                                                                     
• Audiology
• Cardiovascular perfusion technology
• Cytotechnology
• Dental hygiene
• Diagnostic medical sonography
• Dietetics
• Emergency medical sciences
• Health administration
• Health information management
• Medical technology
• Nuclear medicine technology
• Occupational therapy
• Physical therapy
• Physician assistant
• Radiation therapy technology
• Radiography
• Rehabilitation counseling
• Respiratory therapy
• Respiratory therapy technology
• Speech-language pathology

Allied Health Career Presentation Outline

Middle School Students

Grades 6 and 8

Presentation Overview: CLA 2.0 creates intrigue, stimulates awareness, and builds on the elements of discovery through an interactive learning - discovery process that reveals Allied Health professional careers in neighboring medical facilities.

Pre/post Registration Form:

Pre
• Used to identify student's future career plans.
• ID current knowledge of Allied Health careers.

Post
• Student recall of Facilitator's presentation of careers revealed.
• ID 3-potential Allied Health careers of interest generated by the interactive

presentation.

Facilitator's Interactive Presentation:

• Brief awareness discussion on number of hospitals and supporting medical facilities in the Metro Area.

• Fish bowl design of a medical facility and magnetic Allied Health career board.

Critical Link Associates 2.0 ... Allied Heath Career Discovery

• Students, using a real fishing pole with a magnetic bobber, will retract medal disc, from inside of the medical facility replica, representing the allied health professionals working in the medical facility.
• The Facilitator will inform the class of the disc/profession retrieved, describe career function, medical environment and medical team interactions, postsecondary educational requirements, current median salary and a 10 yr growth projection for each professional disciplines.
• The student (career fisher-person) will place professional disc on Allied Health Career Board. The Facilitator, an allied health professional, will have question - answer feedback as well as in-depth description of his/her role and work experiences as an Allied Health professional.

 Critical Link Associates 2.0 ... Allied Heath Career Discovery

CLA 2.0

Summary

CLA 2.0, destine to become the Program Processing Link that creates intrigue, stimulates awareness, and builds on the elements of discovery through the lens of developing minds of middle and high school students. With the provision of grade level, interactive educational programing, students will discover an array of professional career path possibilities in the Allied Health care arena for a personal rewarding and lucrative future.

CLA 2.0 is the result of the reengineering of Critical Link Associates, Inc., a seasoned Respiratory Care Management, Staffing and Education Programs Company. CLA 2.0 is now an Organization founded on the innovative development of interactive, informative and awareness based program presentations grounded in the discovery of career opportunities in Allied Health. Our target audience will be middle and high school students. CLA 2.0 will create grade level programing that stimulate intrigue, builds awareness and individual student discovery. Students will discover future opportunity options and possibilities as an Allied Health professional in a relativity short period of time.

Allied Health professionals are involved with the delivery of healthcare or related services pertaining to the identification, evaluation, research and prevention of diseases and disorders; dietary and nutrition services; radiographic technologies, rehabilitation and health systems management, among others. Allied health professionals, just to name a few, include dental hygienist, diagnostic medical sonographers, dietitians, IV technicians, medical technologist, occupational therapist, pharmacy assistant, physical therapist, radiographers, respiratory therapist, and speech language pathologist.

Not every aspiring high school graduate sees a 4+ year college degree course of study as their next step. With early intervention this programing process will provide reachable professional career opportunities in Allied Health care arenas. CLA 2.0's interactive, grade appropriate, informative, and awareness program presentations will generate new hope and realities by expanding horizons for career opportunities in healthcare. Many of which, with as little as a 3-month certification program to a 2-year Associates Degree and competition of the Profession Certification, a candidate can achieve immediate lucrative starting salaries, personal gratification and pathways for major growth potential. Most middle and high school students think that only doctors and nurses make up the health care spectrum in hospitals and have little to no knowledge of the other specialty trained community of professionals that makes health care support a reality.

CLA 2.0 plans to collaborate with higher education institutions to develop career track pipeline initiatives. Some of the college courses may be taken in their jouior - senior year of high school. Interested high school student will be able to see, in real time, the course of study and required classes for an Allied Health career track (60 credit hours). Within two years, following high school, students will have met all course requirements along with hands on clinical practice for the entry level for many of the Allied Health degree professions. Most always, these credit hours are transferable to Bachelor Degree programs and beyond for greater credentialing to maximize career growth opportunities, individual income and personal gratification.

But more importantly, these new CLA 2.0 early discovery initiatives can have a significant impact on future Allied Health careers currently predicting a 6-14% growth potential. New hope and shorter-term realistic goals following high school may be the inspiration and motivation needed for those students not initially aspiring a 4yr+ college degree. 

Links

www.BLS.gov

www.ExploreHealthCareers.org

www.Vivian.com

www.youtu.be/v35C_9w8U5o