Welcome to the Field of Health Science Chapter 1 Welcome to the Field of Health Science

Warm-Up Think about a time when you or someone in your family required medical treatment. What were some of the methods and treatments used at the healthcare facility? Which of those treatments included new medical advancements or technology? Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com

The Evolution of Healthcare In the past 100 years, there have been advancements in the world of medicine and acceptance of new attitudes and beliefs about healthcare guided by medical research and development.

Medical Advancements 100 years ago 50 years ago Today Doctors could diagnose and provide information, but generally unable to cure disease 50 years ago Better drugs such as penicillin and insulin X-rays and vaccinations available Today More advanced technological treatments available Further advancements and discoveries constantly being made IgorGolovniov/Shutterstock.com

Critical Thinking What are three differences between doctors from a century ago and today? A century ago, doctors made home visits. A century ago, doctors could not cure disease, and now doctors are able to use life-saving treatments. A century ago, doctors did not have enough hospitals to improve their patients’ treatments.

New Attitudes and Beliefs Greater acceptance of a holistic approach to the treatment of disease Holistic care: therapies that treat the patient as a whole person after assessing the individual’s physical, social, mental, and spiritual well-being Includes many alternative, complementary, and integrative therapies ©iStock.com/GalaChe

Future Trends Genomic medicine Regenerative medicine Technology and medicine Anna Ivanova/iStock/Thinkstock; Alexander Raths/Shutterstock.com; Medical Photography, NHS Lothian/Science Source; Courtesy of MyCare Card

Genomic Medicine Personalized medical care that uses a patient’s unique combination of genes and chromosomes to prevent illness and maintain health Could be used to develop designer vaccines for a specific person Gene therapy: insertion of a new gene to replace an abnormal gene Minerva Studio/Shutterstock.com

Think Further What types of diseases might genomic medicine be used to treat? Examples: hepatitis B heart disease cancer Image Point Fr/Shutterstock.com

Regenerative Medicine A form of medical care that creates living tissue to replace tissue or organ functions lost due to age, disease, injury, or birth disorder Uses stem cells to create new tissue Could help treat heart disease and diabetes stefanolunardi/Shutterstock.com

Technology Medical imaging: CT scans, MRI machines, ultrasound techniques In the future: virtual colonoscopy, molecular imaging Miniaturization: pacemakers, stents, nanotechnology In the future: nanotechnology could develop devices to deliver drugs or kill cancer cells ©iStock.com/LeventKonuk; GuidoVrola/iStock/Thinkstock

Technology Surgery: catheters, laparoscopic operations, increased outpatient procedures, telesurgery Medical records: increased use of electronic health records In the future: records may be contained on a medical card with a pin number or a chip that can be scanned pandpstock001/iStock/Thinkstock

Current Issues in Healthcare Affordability: healthcare costs in the United States continue to rise Accessibility: not everyone has the money or ability to access good healthcare ©iStock.com/Zerbor

Critical Thinking What factors are causing healthcare costs in the United States to rise so rapidly? The cost of newly developed healthcare technologies Living longer means more medical care for more years of life Poor lifestyle choices that cause chronic conditions such as diabetes

Addressing the Issues Diagnostic-related groups Health maintenance organizations and preferred provider organizations Affordable Care Act dina2001/iStock/Thinkstock

Career Clusters and Pathways Clusters: groups of similar occupations and industries that share a core set of basic knowledge and skills Pathways: smaller groups of specialized occupations with a career cluster that require more specific sets of knowledge, skills, and training Career Pathway Health Informatics Career Pathway Therapeutic Services Career Cluster Health Science Career Pathway Diagnostic Services Career Pathway Support Services Career Pathway Biotechnology Research and Development

Health Science Career Pathways Health Informatics Services Therapeutic Services Diagnostic Services Support Services Biotechnology Research and Development iodrakon/Shutterstock.com

Think Further Which of the health science career pathways appeals to you the most? Why? Andresr/Shutterstock.com

Employment Opportunities The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the healthcare sector will add five million jobs between 2012 and 2022 14 of the 30 occupations expected to grow the most are related to healthcare All data points to an increased need for healthcare workers Stephen Coburn/Shutterstock.com

Career Education and Training Most jobs require education beyond a high school diploma Postsecondary education can be obtained at various institutions Always choose an accredited program bikeriderlondon/Shutterstock.com

Job Credentials Certification: awarded after completing a course of study Licensure: given after passing a licensure exam Registration: added to an official registry after passing an exam and have the correct qualifications Photographee.eu/Shutterstock.com

Think Further What are the benefits of obtaining credentials? Legal ability to perform the duties of your job Employers often prefer a job candidate with credentials Renewing credentials enable you to stay up-to-date on healthcare industry developments

Knowledge and Skills National Healthcare Skill Standards Healthcare Foundation Standards Healthcare Pathway Standards