CHAPTER 34 ENVIRONMENTAL CAREERS

Environmental Health Careers Environmental careers create a supportive environment for patients Support services (ancillary workers) maintain equipment and supplies needed for optimal care Must know basic medical terminology and principles of asepsis

Table 34-1 Environmental Health Careers Educational Cost and Earnings

Box 34-1 Environmental Health Careers

Nutrition Services Dietitian Provides nutritional counseling and services Supervises food operations and manages the nutritional services of the health care system Education Bachelor’s degree in dietetic, nutrition, or food systems management, which includes an internship Master’s or doctoral degree is preferred

Nutrition Services (Continued) Dietary technician Plans menu and supervises production of food Education 2-year associate degree program Dietary assistant (food service worker) Prepares food and beverages Collects empty meal trays and washes dishes Training On-the-job

Nutrition Services (Continued) Weight reduction specialist Counsels patients to lose weight using dietary and activity guidelines Also called nutritionists, dietary consultants, or weight counselors Licensing is under consideration in 31 states Food scientist-technologist Evaluates safety of food processing and ingredients Develops new foods and methods for producing known foods Education Minimum of 2 years of college

Environmental Control Careers Pollution control engineer Analyzes contamination problems Reviews data from potential sources of contamination Calculates the pollutants being produced Education: Bachelor’s degree Environmental engineer Modifies facilities for environmental protection Researches factors concerning population growth, industrial planning, and natural environments Master’s degree is recommended

Environmental Control Careers (Continued) Industrial hygienist Conducts health programs in manufacturing plants and government agencies Identifies, controls, and eliminates health hazards and diseases in the workplace Education Bachelor’s degree Safety engineer Identifies existing and potential hazards and develops methods to control hazards

Environmental Control Careers (Continued) Health and regulatory inspector Enforces laws and regulations concerning employment hazards Regulates consumer products Regulates quarantine for imported products

Environmental Control Careers (Continued) Health physics technician (radiation monitors) Tests air, soil, water, floors, walls, and other areas of human contact for radiation Education Degree in nuclear technology Certification is available

Environmental Control Careers (Continued) Ecologist Analyzes and regulates the quality of the environment Education Baccalaureate degree in one of the major sciences Sanitarian Plans, develops, and executes environmental health programs Sets and enforces standards concerning food, sewage, and waste disposal Bachelor’s degree H

Environmental Control Careers (Continued) Environmental health technician Collects and analyzes air and water samples Works under the supervision of sanitarian Education Associate degree or vocational program training

Environmental Control Careers (Continued) Public health microbiologist Conducts tests and studies relationships of people to organisms that cause pollution, diseases, or epidemics Education Minimum of bachelor’s degree in biological or life science Licensure required in some states Certification is available

Other Support Service Personnel Equipment technician Installs, calibrates, inspects, and maintains electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic equipment Areas of certification include Biomedical equipment technician (CBET) Clinical laboratory equipment specialist (CLES) Certified radiological equipment specialist (CRES) Education 2-year degree for biomedical equipment technician Or on-the-job training

Other Support Service Personnel (Continued) Surgical technician (Operating Room Technologist [ORT]) Works under the direction of a surgeon Duties include maintaining the sterile field and passing instruments to the surgeon during the operation Education Completion of a vocational or hospital-based based training program of 9 to 12 months Certification leads to Certified Surgical Technologist (CST)

Other Support Service Personnel (Continued) Central service or sterile supply technician Sterilizes, assembles, cleans, and stores diagnostic and surgical equipment Education/training Vocational and 2-year college programs On-the-job Central supply assistant Inventories, receives, stores, and distributes equipment and products Training is on-the-job

Environmental Resources and Hazards Environmental resources are constantly being used and reused Biosphere is the air, crust of the earth, and water Made up of ecosystems Ecology Study of living organisms and how they relate to their environment EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is the federal agency that sets and regulates the standards for environmental factors

Figure 34-6 Ecosystem

Air Pollution Composed of dust and soot, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides Thinning of ozone layer has resulted from air pollution Increased the intensity of ultraviolet rays reaching the surface of the earth Resulting in higher incidence of skin cancer Physical effects of air pollution have been documented

Table 34-2 Air Pollution Facts

Noise and Water Pollution Noise pollution Loudness of sound is measured in decibels (dB) Lowest sound that can be heard by the human ear is 1 dB One third of hearing loss is attributed to environmental causes and could be prevented There is excessive noise in homes and offices and in traffic and outdoor environments Water pollution Water is tested for quality Water can be contaminated: Directly by industrial plants, oil discharges, pesticides, fertilizers, and heat plants producing electricity By chemicals and waste seeping into ground water

Table 34-3 Noise Pollution

Box 34-2 Ten Leading Work-Related Diseases and Injuries

Performance Instruction Food preparation Water analysis Instrument maintenance