Acknowledgements This publication is produced by the Florida Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Network, a confederation of AHEC Programs located at each of Florida's medical schools and ten regional AHEC Centers that provide services to all Florida’s 67 counties. AHEC's mission is to create community and academic partnerships toward the improvement of health in Florida's medically underserved communities. A significant strategy utilized by AHEC to accomplish this mission is the ongoing development of a recruitment pipeline for Florida's youth into careers in the health field. Some critical factors in career planning are tuition, other costs, types of scholarships, available financial aid, instructional facilities, faculty qualifications, and types of employment obtained by recent graduates. Participating in volunteer programs in the health field and talking with school guidance counselors, science teachers, admissions counselors in the accrual program, and/or professionals in the field of interest are also helpful in preparing for and developing the plan for a health-related career. A current, comprehensive resource to guide individuals with regard to health profession training and education programs provided in Florida and significant aspects of various health professions is crucial to help initiate those explorations. Therefore, the Florida AHEC Network is pleased to provide this fifth edition of Florida Health Careers guide. Many individuals, institutions and organizations contributed time and expertise in support of this publication. The Florida AHEC Network wishes to thank them all. We offer special thanks for the time and expertise of the expert readers, and the generous donation of many photographs by Shands Healthcare. Ms. Judy Ripple researched update information for the academic institutions in Florida which offer health professions programs and aided in acquiring new graphics; Ms. Brenda Bourie created the database used to collect new information and played a major role in updating the Health Careers webpages. Ms. Ann Van Doren worked with Florida’s healthcare professional associations, assisted in the interface with expert readers, and helped make the website current. They are due very special thanks, in addition to Ms. Gina Bliss Smith, who provided graphics design and layout services. Utmost thanks go to the Florida Department of Health and the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration's Bureau of Health Professions, AHEC Branch for providing crucial financial support for this publication. Editor and Publications Manager: Anita Smart Coordinator, Health Education Programs University of Florida AHEC Program

The Florida Health Careers guide is designed to help people explore career possibilities in a wide array of health care fields and to provide a reference tool for librarians, career-planning professionals, school guidance counselors and occupational specialists. On these pages, health careers are organized into 16 categories by general profession type, and within each category the careers are grouped in alphabetical order. Each career page contains the following information.

Job Description
…is an overview of duties and responsibilities of a particular occupation. Responsibilities of workers in the same occupation will vary by employer, industry, and size of firm. Supervisory status, tools or equipment used, and personal characteristics required for the profession are also discussed. In general, personal qualifications of all health workers include good health, emotional stability, and both the ability and the desire to work in helping the sick and the injured. Health care personnel must also be accurate, responsible, sympathetic, versatile, and willing to keep abreast of new medical procedures and technical equipment.

Areas of Specialization
…include the kind of specialties that exist within the occupation. For example, dentists may specialize in orthodontics, endodontics, periodontics, or prosthodontics, while radiologic technologists may specialize in trauma radiology, pediatric radiology, or chest radiology.

Work Environment
…showcases the most typical work-site characteristics. In general, more than half of health care workers are employed in hospitals. The remainder work in clinics, treatment and rehabilitation centers, physicians' offices, laboratories, nursing homes, health maintenance offices, home health care agencies, community facilities, research institutes, schools and colleges, governments, and manufacturing companies. Many health-related careers offer people the opportunity to work part-time, by appointment only, or to be self-employed. However, most jobs require 40 hours a week, Monday through Friday. Nights, weekends, and overtime are required in some health occupations, and some may require outdoor work or travel.

Job Outlook
…provides employment projections based on known factors that will affect health-career opportunities in the state of Florida. The rate of job growth for all occupations in FL in 2006, the most recent state information available at this publication, was 2.0 percent. More recent information such as the occurrence of vacancies due to industry expansion, workers leaving the labor force for other employment, and projected employment changes for each area may be obtained from various sources such as “Employ Florida” http://www.employflorida.com/.

Advancement
…discusses the possibilities for career advancement within the field.

Length of Training/Requirements
…covers many educational requirements such as duration of training for different levels of programs, entry requirements, and samples of core courses of study. The length of health occupations training can vary from several months of on-the-job training to 11 or more years of postsecondary education. In general, public vocational-technical centers offer certificate or diploma programs with two years or less of study; community colleges offer one-year certificates and two-year associate degree programs; and colleges and universities offer bachelor's degree programs and graduate level programs. High school students who wish to prepare for a career in health care should study biology, health, chemistry, physics, mathematics (algebra I & II and geometry), and English. Good communication skills in both writing and speaking are very important. Maintaining good grades in high school is also important, as admission to most health occupations is very competitive. As such requirements are subject to change, contacting a state professional association before embarking on a program of study is always wise.

Licensure/Certification
…requirements for occupations regulated by the state are provided here. The information on voluntary licensure/ certification/ registration at the national level is also included when applicable and available. Certification usually requires graduation from an accredited training program, successful completion of a written or clinical examination, and work experience. Many employers prefer applicants who hold the certification even when voluntary certification is not required by the state. The benefits of being certified include proof of qualification, accessibility to a greater range of jobs, higher degree of professional prestige, eligibility for third party reimbursement, higher earnings, and greater potential for job advancement.

Salary
…Salary section cites the average hourly wage or annual salary for the occupation in Florida or in the nation. Most workers also receive employer-paid benefits such as paid vacations, holidays, sick leave, health insurance, and pensions. Within every occupation, earnings may vary depending on education, level of certification, experience, level of responsibility, performance, type and size of the facility, and geographic area.

Educational Programs
Many Educational Programs* in Florida offer health care professions training programs; they are listed in this section.

* It is important to note that in many health professions, eligibility requirements for licensure or certification examinations may include a certificate, diploma, or other proof of graduation from an accredited educational program. It is crucial to establish that the chosen program has adequate accreditation prior to enrollment.

Professional Associations
This section lists professional associations and organizations along with their contact information. Many of these provide career-related information and services such as career opportunities, publications, educational programs offered in other states, and certification requirements. The State AHEC Programs wish to thank the expert readers for their critiques, and health-professional organizations that shared information.

Resources used in this guide are:

Employ Florida Marketplace - http.employflorida.com

Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation -   http://www.labormarketinfo.com/

Florida Department of Education - http://www.fldoe.org/

Florida Hospital Association - http://www.fha.org/

US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics -   http://www.bls.gov/emp/.

Online resources were heavily utilized to access and provide the most current information available. Due to initiation or revision of educational programs, accreditation changes by professional associations, and/or legislation by government agencies which have oversight responsibilities for health matters, however, post-publication changes are inevitable. The information offered here is a starting point in exploration of a rewarding health career.