| Allied Health-also known as the Health-Related | | | | Respiratory therapist 41,537 |
| Professions-is used to identify a cluster of health | | | | Ophthalmic Technician 39,000 |
| professions encompassing as many as 200 different | | | | Clinical lab technician / medical lab technician 37,100 |
| careers in health care. Currently, it is estimated that | | | | Radiographer 36,918 |
| there are 5 million allied health care providers who | | | | Electroneurodiagnostic technologist 34,726 |
| work in more than 80 different professions. This | | | | Occupational therapy assistant 33,000 |
| represents approximately 60% of all health care | | | | Kinesiotherapist 32,500 |
| providers-but this is just a fraction of how many | | | | Dental assistant 32,198 |
| allied health care workers are needed to meet | | | | Dental lab technician 31,780 |
| current and future healthcare needs. The Bureau of | | | | Physical therapist assistant 30,000 |
| Labor Statistics states that more than 36% more | | | | Health information technician 30,000 |
| workers will be needed in the Allied Health fields in | | | | Ophthalmic dispensing optician 27,000 |
| the next ten years. | | | | Phlebotomist 24,315 |
| Allied Health professions fall into two broad | | | | Medical assistant 22,650 |
| categories: technicians (assistants) and therapists | | | | Orthotist and prosthetist 22,000 |
| technologists, and the educational requirements and | | | | Pharmacy technician 19,000 |
| salaries vary. | | | | Ophthalmic laboratory technician 15,100 |
| Allied Health Technicians | | | | Allied Health Therapists & Technologists |
| Technicians are trained to perform procedures, and | | | | The educational process for therapists or |
| their education lasts less than two years. They are | | | | technologists is more intensive and includes acquiring |
| required to work under the supervision of | | | | procedural skills. In addition, students of therapy |
| technologists or therapists. This part of the allied | | | | technology learn to evaluate patients, diagnose |
| health field includes physical therapy assistants, | | | | conditions, develop treatment plans, and understand |
| medical laboratory technicians, radiological technicians, | | | | the rationale behind various treatments in order to |
| occupational therapy assistants, recreation therapy | | | | judge their appropriateness and potential side effects. |
| assistants, and respiratory therapy technicians. | | | | Educational curricula teach students to evaluate |
| Technicians can begin working very quickly in their | | | | patients' responses to therapy and make appropriate |
| chosen field due to the shorter period of education | | | | decisions about continued treatment or modification |
| required. Some careers as Allied Health Technicians | | | | of treatment plans. |
| require less than a year of secondary education, | | | | Many careers as Allied Health Therapists and |
| usually at a vocational or technical school or a | | | | Technologist require a bachelor's degree, and some |
| community college. | | | | even require additional post-baccalaureate education. |
| Salaries for Technicians are in line with the education | | | | As a result, salaries tend to run much higher for |
| requirements, but some areas pay more than others. | | | | those working as Therapists and Technologists in |
| For instance, a Medical Assistant may have a starting | | | | Allied Health-although you will still see large variations |
| salary as low as $22,000 a year (although the | | | | in pay. For instance, while an Anesthesiologist |
| average salary is closer to $28,000 for Medical | | | | Assistant can have a starting salary as high as |
| Assistants), but an Ophthalmic Technician can earn a | | | | $95,000 a year, an Art Therapist can still earn as little |
| starting salary as high as $39,000 with close to the | | | | as $32,000 a year with the same amount of |
| same amount of education. | | | | education. |
| Here is a list of starting salaries for Allied Health | | | | Here is a list of starting salaries for Allied Health |
| Technicians, from highest to lowest, according to the | | | | Therapists and Technologists, from highest to lowest, |
| American Medical Association. | | | | according to the American Medical Association. |
| Allied Health Career Annual Salary in $ | | | | |