Deciding on a Career Path

There are numerous healthcare professions and the numbers are expanding. This is in large part due to the move toward an increased emphasis on specialization in healthcare. So, in addition to the more traditional professions such as orthotics and prostetics, pharmaceutical specialist, and the list is growing. Here are some of the healthcare professions available now.

Doctors

• Allopathic Medicine = Medical Doctor (MD)
• Osteopathic Medicine = Doctor of Osteopathy (DO)
• Dentistry = Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DDM)
• Veterinary Medicine = Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
• Podiatry = Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM)
• Optometry = Doctor of Optometry (OD)
• Pharmacy = Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)
• Naturopathist = Doctor of Naturopathy
• Chiropractor = Doctor of Chiropractic

Nursing

• Bachelor of Science
• Nurse Practitioner
• Clinical Nurse Specialist
• Nurse Midwife
• Nurse Anesthetist
• Doctor of Nursing**

Therapist

• Physical Therapist = MPT (Masters) or DPT (Doctorate)
• Occupational Therapist = OT
• Speech Therapist

There are many other healthcare professions including nutriotionist, dietician, genetic counselor, medical technologist, orthotics and prosthetics, physician assistant, cytologist, public health, healthcare administration, health and biopharmaceutical economics, and the list is still growing.

**The Doctor of Nursing does not exist, but is envisioned as the logical next step for nursing specilization.