Roles of Allied Health Professionals
The healthcare profession continually improves and evolves to deliver an even higher healthcare quality and assistance to everyday Australians. Allied health professionals provide essential supporting services to the healthcare industry, and it’s the role of allied health professionals that will be the focus of this article.
What are some of the job roles that come under the allied health umbrella, and why are they so crucial to patient care?
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Allied Health Explained
Allied health and those who work in allied health are not doctors, nurses, surgeons, or specialists. Instead, the allied health profession encompasses numerous areas of expertise designed to work in conjunction with the medical profession to provide even greater levels of support and assistance.
People who work in allied health roles are fully qualified and trained professionals in their field. While doctors and nurses indeed work under the allied health umbrella in various positions, most allied health workers administer other services essential to healthcare without being trained as medical doctors or nurses.
Allied health is a broad industry. Along with offering support services in conjunction with healthcare professionals, allied health workers also work in treating a range of different conditions and help with the diagnosis and prevention of these conditions. Rehabilitation and aged care are just two examples of allied health.
Job Roles and Careers In Allied Health
Allied health professionals provide support, care, and other services to people of all ages. Someone living with a disability will receive care from allied health professionals. It’s the same for individuals living with a chronic illness or injury, patients who have dementia, rehabilitation following an accident or surgery, and so much more.
As previously mentioned, those working in the allied health professionals will often work in tandem with doctors, specialists, and other medical professionals. Doctors and nurses can’t do everything, so the assistance of others in allied health is essential for the full recovery or ongoing support of various patients with different needs.
Sometimes, the assistance of an allied health professional will negate the need for a patient to seek medical attention and helps reduce the stress and workload on the medical profession as a whole.
Many different skill sets are needed in allied health to offer comprehensive support and care services for people enduring all health conditions.
Let’s now list just a tiny cross-section of the variety of job roles that fall under the allied health umbrella:
- Counselors
- Dietitians
- Pharmacists
- Psychologists
- Chiropractors
- Audiology
- Speech pathologists
- Osteopaths
- Occupational therapists
- Social workers
- Music therapists
- Arts therapists
- Physiotherapists
- Optometrists
- Prosthetics
- Podiatrists
- And many more…
As you can see just by this shortlist of occupations that come under the allied health title, the roles are diverse and equally as crucial to patient recovery and quality of life, depending on a patient’s specific condition. There are dozens of professions in allied health, and this list has only highlighted a cross-section of those roles.
The Locations Where Allied Health Professionals Work
Allied health professionals work in numerous locations, which adds variety to the role if an individual chooses a career in allied health. While some will work in a hospital environment or a medical clinic, depending on their job role, others work in the home of an individual, such as offering daily assistance to someone living with a disability.
Other allied health workers will work in private practice, such as an optometrist, while still others may work in community centers and non-profit organizations. Care homes, mental care facilities, schools, and universities are other locations where you’ll find allied health professionals.
Allied Health Professional Jobs In Australia
If you’re in the allied health profession or are considering a career in allied health, many allied health professional jobs are constantly substantial. It’s a broad industry where job prospects are always bright. It’s one of the fastest-growing industries in the country, along with community services work.
Allied health professionals provide vital support and assistance to patients and the medical profession. It’s a rewarding career, and those working in the field of allied health will be making a difference in the lives of others daily.
