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Home » Exploring the Path Less Taken: Building a Rewarding Career in Allied & Para Medical Sciences

Exploring the Path Less Taken: Building a Rewarding Career in Allied & Para Medical Sciences

careers in the allied & para medical sciences

Allied Medical or Allied Medical Sciences courses represent a discipline that includes the study of disease transmission, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. Allied health professionals apply scientific principles or evidence-based methods to assess and treat chronic and acute illnesses. The field is concerned with the promotion of disease prevention, public welfare, improving the quality of life in terms of health, and the operation and management of the health care system. 

In addition to this, allied health courses also deal with all kinds of diagnostic techniques that are crucial to ensure proper treatment of patients. Some of the diagnostic methods used in the field of medicine include pathology tests, blood tests, radiography, tissue pathology, etc. practical classes. Many allied health professionals specialize in promoting optimal function and health and improving health-related quality of life. Allied health professionals include supervisors who work in medical laboratories, radio imaging, neurophysiology or optical laboratories, and medical assistants.

In this blog, we will explore the various career paths available in allied & para medical sciences, including public health administration, occupational therapist, speech therapist, perfusionist, siddha practitioner, dialysis technologist, etc.

List of rewarding careers in Allied & Para Medical Sciences 

Following are some of the most prestigious careers in Allied & Para Medical Sciences – 

  1. Public Health Administration
  2. Public Health Physician/Public Health Consultant
  3. Occupational Therapist
  4. Clinical Research
  5. Medical Laboratory Technologist
  6. Speech Therapist
  7. Perfusionist
  8. Geriatric Care Technologist
  9. Respiratory Therapist
  10. Rehabilitation Therapist
  11. Naturopath
  12. Siddha Practitioner
  13. Urology Nephrology Technologist
  14. Dialysis Technologist
  15. Nuclear Medicine Technologist
  16. Paediatric Surgical Technologist
  17. Orthotist Prosthetist

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About the career in Allied & Para Medical Sciences

In this section, we will discuss about the above-mentioned careers in Allied & Para Medical Sciences along with their job roles – 

Career as a Public Health Administration

Public Health Administration is concerned with managing public health systems and services. They work towards improving the health of communities by planning and implementing health programs, coordinating with health workers, and ensuring the availability of healthcare facilities. They also work to help people take measures for preventing the onset of endemic diseases such as malaria. Thus, as a public health administrator, you will be managing hospitals clinics, health care programmes, etc.

Career as a Public Health Physician/Public Health Consultant

Public Health Physicians or Consultants work towards the prevention and control of diseases, health promotion, and health education. They are responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating public health policies and programs. As a Public Health Physician/ Public Health Consultant, you will be dedicated to wellness & health protection in communities to prevent epidemics, pandemics, prevent spread of diseases, protect against environmental hazards, prevent injuries, promote & encourage healthy behaviours, respond to disasters, assist communities in recovery and assure the quality & accessibility of health services.

Career as an Occupational Therapist

Occupational Therapists work towards helping people recover from physical or mental illness, injury, or disability by providing rehabilitation services. They help people regain their independence and improve their ability to perform daily activities. You will provide them with the various therapies and treatment as per the disease. You will help in improving their lives and working. You will assist the patients to live a normal life and provide therapies to perform their daily routine tasks.

Career as a Clinical Researcher

Clinical Researchers are responsible for conducting clinical trials to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of new drugs, medical devices, and treatments. They design and implement clinical trials, monitor the progress of the trial, and analyze the data obtained from the trials. Clinical research is conducted through various stages of clinical trials. While the preclinical phase usually involves animal testing, the products are tested on human volunteers in phase one, two, and three of clinical trials.

Career as a Medical Laboratory Technologist

Medical Laboratory Technologists are responsible for performing diagnostic tests on patient samples such as blood, urine, and tissue samples. They operate and maintain laboratory equipment, analyze test results, and prepare reports. You would specialize in various areas such as hematology (study about the mechanism of blood cells), microbiology (study about the bacterial, viral and fungal infection in the body), immunology (study about the immune system mechanism), clinical chemistry (study about the chemical components of cells), blood banking (grouping of same blood groups) etc. and study their results to innovate the treatment of such diseases.

Career as a Speech Therapist

Speech Therapists or Speech-Language Pathologists work towards helping people with speech and language disorders. They assess and diagnose speech and language disorders, develop treatment plans, and provide therapy. As a Speech and Language Therapist, you will have to develop remedial plans and modifications to existing therapy routines according to patient’s response to your treatment methods.  You will be involved in constant monitoring of your patient’s progress and recording it. You will have to write reports and maintain proper documentation of your treatment sessions.

Career as a Perfusionist

Perfusionists are responsible for operating the heart-lung machine during cardiac surgeries. They maintain the patient’s blood flow and oxygen levels during surgery. Perfusionists are specialized healthcare professionals who manage and operate the heart-lung machine. They are responsible for running the heart-lung machine which artificially pumps blood in a patient’s body during open-heart surgeries.

Career as a Geriatric Care Technologist

Geriatric Care Technologists work towards the care of the elderly. They provide medical and emotional support to elderly patients, help them with daily activities, and assist them in maintaining their health. They assist surgeons, physicians, geriatrician consultants (specialized doctors) as well as nurses and personal aides in successfully rendering healthcare services to and treating the elderly. There is a common framework for describing different older adult populations: “young-old”, “old”, & “old-old/oldest-old.” The “young-old” are people in their 60s and early 70s who are comparatively active & healthy.

Career as a Respiratory Therapist

Respiratory Therapists work towards the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of respiratory diseases. They assess and monitor the patient’s respiratory function, administer oxygen therapy, and provide respiratory care. Respiratory Therapists help doctors (such as Chest Medicine / Pulmonary Medicine/ Respiratory Medicine Specialist Physicians and Consultants) to diagnose, treat and prevent respiratory or pulmonary diseases such as asthma, sleep apnoea (sleep apnoea is a sleeping disorder that blocks the normal breathing flow of a person), bronchitis, pneumonia, cardiac failure, lung cancer, emphysema (lung tissue damage), etc.

Career as a Rehabilitation Therapist

Rehabilitation Therapists work towards the rehabilitation of patients who have suffered physical or mental disability due to injury, illness, or surgery. They also help people with disabilities develop physical and mental abilities to lead a normal, healthy and working life. A Rehabilitation Therapist improves day to day abilities that could be physical, mental or cognitive which an individual might have lost due to an injury or a disease. 

Career as a Naturopath

As a Naturopathic Doctor (ND), you will practice Naturopathic medicine as a form of primary health care that emphasizes prevention and the self-healing process through the use of healthy living and natural therapies, blending centuries-old knowledge and a philosophy that nature is the most effective healer. Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) use a drugless system of medicine which works through application of elements of nature i.e., earth, water, fire, air, and space, as well as dietary & lifestyle changes to bring the body back in balance and treat various medical conditions.

Career as a Siddha Practitioner

As a Siddha Practitioner, you will practice the system of Siddha medicine as a form of primary health care that emphasizes on prevention and treatment of various clinical conditions through the use of natural alchemic/ herbal therapies (internal therapies administered through oral medications).

Alchemic/ herbal therapies are various medications made from natural sources. Besides herbal concoctions, few of the medications used by Siddha Practitioners are animal origin drugs too. You will also use external therapies (treatments administered through routes other than oral such as nose) and various exercise therapies, blending centuries-old knowledge and philosophies.

Career as a Urology Nephrology Technologist

Urology/ Nephrology Technologists are specialized healthcare professionals who manage and operate the machines used in the diagnosis and treatment of urinary/ nephrological/ renal ailments (concerning the kidneys and the urinary tract) and related disorders/clinical conditions. This will also include serving patients requiring transplants and assessment of donors for clinical transplantation, for example, for transplanting kidneys.

Career as a Dialysis Technologist

Dialysis Technologists monitor & operate dialysis machines, which removes waste and excess fluids from the blood of patients whose kidneys are no longer functioning properly or satisfactorily. They generally work under a physician or nurse’s supervision, usually in a hospital, clinic or at a home-dialysis program. Dialysis Technologists deliver & perform dialysis therapy according to the supervising physician’s prescribed dialysis care regimen for a patient.

Career as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist

Nuclear medicine is used to treat cancers. Nuclear Medicine Technologists are specially trained healthcare professionals who manage & operate various medical equipment used in the diagnosis & treatment of tumours. They assist surgeons, physicians as well as nurses in successfully conducting diagnosing tests or operative procedures. They also support patients throughout the procedures. Nuclear medicine therapeutics are radioactive sources used primarily for the treatment of “cancer” – of the thyroid, pain palliation (eliminate pain) of bone metastasis (bone cancer) and certain other cancers.

Career as a Paediatric Surgical Technologist

Paediatric Surgical Technologists are specialised healthcare workers who provide technical assistance to paediatric surgeons/ surgical nurses, as well as Anesthesiologists before, during and after a surgery (pre-operative, peri-operative and post-operative services). Paediatric Surgical Technologists especially cater to children aged between 0-14 years.

Paediatric surgery is a subspecialty of surgery involving the surgery of foetuses, infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.

This type of surgery is an essential & separate speciality because there are significant physiological (of the body) and psychological (of the mind) differences in the paediatric population versus the adult population.

Career as an Orthotist/Prosthetist

Orthotists/ Prosthetists are professionals who assess, prescribe, design, fabricate and fit either orthotic or prosthetic devices to patients who require such devices. Orthotists/Prosthetists attend to patients who have physical and functional limitations. These limitations could either be due to accident, illness or a developmental disability. 

The terms Orthosis and Prosthesis might sound similar, but they do have a very important distinction. On one hand, Orthoses are the devices that are used to correct/repair, accommodate or even enhance the use of a body part. In this case, it simply means that the body part that lost its function (either due to deficiency or deformity) is supported by external devices or braces.

Salary of Allied & Para Medical Science Professionals 

The salaries of allied and para-medical science professionals can vary depending on their specific profession, level of experience, location, and employer. Here are some examples of average salaries for several allied and para-medical science professions in India:

  • Public Health Administration: The salary range for Public Health Administrators in India can vary from INR 3.5 lakh to 12 lakh per annum.
  • Public Health Physician/Public Health Consultant: Public Health Physicians/Consultants can earn between INR 6 lakh to 20 lakh per annum depending on their experience and expertise.
  • Occupational Therapist: Occupational therapists can earn between INR 3 lakh to 8 lakh per annum.
  • Clinical Research: The salary of clinical research professionals in India can vary from INR 3.5 lakh to 12 lakh per annum depending on their job profile and experience.
  • Medical Laboratory Technologist: Medical Laboratory Technologists can earn between INR 2.5 lakh to 6 lakh per annum depending on their experience and the organization they work for.
  • Speech Therapist: Speech Therapists can earn between INR 2.5 lakh to 8 lakh per annum depending on their expertise and years of experience.
  • Perfusionist: Perfusionists can earn between INR 5 lakh to 12 lakh per annum depending on their experience and the organization they work for.
  • Geriatric Care Technologist: Geriatric Care Technologists can earn between INR 3 lakh to 6 lakh per annum depending on their experience and the organization they work for.
  • Respiratory Therapist: Respiratory Therapists can earn between INR 3 lakh to 8 lakh per annum depending on their experience and expertise.
  • Rehabilitation Therapist: Rehabilitation Therapists can earn between INR 3 lakh to 8 lakh per annum depending on their experience and the organization they work for.

The Allied and Paramedical Sciences industry in India is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, driven by factors such as increasing healthcare expenditure, growing awareness about preventive healthcare, and rising demand for skilled healthcare professionals. Here are some statistics related to the industry:

  1. According to a report by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Indian healthcare sector is expected to grow at a CAGR of 16-17% and reach USD 372 billion by 2022.
  2. The Allied and Paramedical Sciences industry is a critical component of the healthcare sector, and its market size is expected to reach USD 9.4 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 16.5% from 2020 to 2025, according to a report by MarketsandMarkets.
  3. The demand for allied and paramedical professionals is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. For instance, the demand for physiotherapists in India is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.8% from 2020 to 2025, according to a report by Mordor Intelligence.
  4. The Indian government has taken several initiatives to promote the Allied and Paramedical Sciences industry, including setting up the National Institute of Allied Health Sciences and the National Board of Examinations for Allied Health Sciences.
  5. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of allied and paramedical professionals in the healthcare sector. For instance, the demand for respiratory therapists, radiology technologists, and medical laboratory technicians has increased significantly during the pandemic.

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