Health

The COVID-19 pandemic reminded us how crucial essential health care workers are to preserving our well-being. The services of allied health professionals ensure that the complex needs of individuals and communities are met with evidence-based solutions. By collaborating across specialties, allied health workers help improve health outcomes and advocate for patient needs.

*U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

What is allied health?

Allied health professionals work alongside physicians, nurses, and other care providers to ensure quality outcomes. This broad category includes professions such as dietitians, health educators, and health information managers.

The diverse set of professions that make up the allied health field are highly important to our national health care system. The expansion of new and existing professions is crucial as the U.S. faces physician shortages, an aging population, and increases in chronic conditions. In addition, government programs have shifted the health care system to place a greater emphasis on preventive care, making collaborative efforts even more important.

Here’s a look at three major subfields within the allied health industry:

Dietetics and nutrition

Dietitians and nutritionists help patients make informed decisions about the food they consume.

Essential duties

Advising patients on nutritional strategies

Helping patients manage weight loss goals

Assessing how patient behaviors impact health outcomes

Providing consultation to prevent chronic diseases

Working with product developers to educate customers

Key skills

COMMUNICATION

As a dietetics and nutrition professional, you’ll need to communicate complex information to patients in a manner that’s easy to understand. Dietitians also consult with other members of the patient’s care team, so you’ll need to be able to comprehend medical terminology.

COLLABORATION

Working as part of a care team means interacting with patients and their families as well as your colleagues. While you strive to provide a holistic care plan for each patient, you’ll be expected to share resources with physicians, nurses, and specialists.

BIOSTATISTICS

To make informed decisions, you must be able to assess and analyze data using mathematical and scientific methodologies.

RESEARCH

Advanced dietitians may take part in research efforts to increase the understanding of certain conditions. A strong grasp of analytical models and evidence-based reasoning will help you succeed in these types of roles.

BIOLOGY

You’ll use advanced knowledge of bioactive compounds, nutrigenomics, microbiomes, and similar topics to provide informed guidance to patients.

Public health

Public health professionals work at the community level to implement policies, monitor the spread of diseases, and promote health initiatives.

Essential duties

Conducting lab work

Analyzing data

Collaborating with government policymakers

Performing public outreach

Key skills

DATA ANALYSIS

You will use critical thinking skills to analyze data sets, ask questions, and conduct research. Advanced logical reasoning abilities will help you find patterns in data that can be applied to public health policies.

COMMUNICATION

As someone who works in public health, you’ll work closely with other researchers, clinicians, and government representatives. You’ll often need to explain complex topics to colleagues and community members who may not be as familiar with scientific terminology.

STATISTICAL REPORTING

Public health professionals often use programming languages like Python and R to glean important insights from massive datasets. An understanding of machine learning techniques can help you create reports that tell a clear story.

LEADERSHIP

Public health professionals who work with government organizations are often responsible for determining policies that impact communities. The ability to clearly communicate complex ideas to the public is critical for making an impact on community health.

Health informatics

Professionals who work in health informatics obtain, evaluate, and protect patient health data.

Essential duties

Organizing digital and paper records

Tracking patient outcomes
Designing and creating medical reports

Converting written documentation for statistical analysis

Ensuring patient privacy

RESEARCH

Health information managers conduct research into a variety of health topics. The ability to find and verify data sources is critical to ensuring that data analyses are based on factual evidence.

DATA ANALYSIS

Utilizing statistical modeling software, health information experts look for trends and develop reports for organizational administrators.

COMMUNICATION

You will need to be able to communicate complex information to administrators and health care providers. The ability to craft concise written reports is essential.

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Industry outlook and trends

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates that the job market for health care professionals will grow 15% between 2019 and 2029, nearly four times faster than the average growth rate for all occupations. This growth will support an aging population that will need access to specialty care providers. In fact, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, one in every five Americans is projected to be retirement age by 2030.

Here’s a brief look at where the industry is headed based on research conducted by Burning Glass Technologies:

Importance of trust in health care delivery

The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the way we look at health care. During the early months of the pandemic, cancer diagnosis rates fell by 46.4%, indicating that many individuals delayed routine doctor’s visits and health screenings to reduce their risk of exposure to the virus. Going forward, it will be important for health professionals to rebuild trust with patients so they feel safe to return to health care settings.

Growing gaps in medical coverage and issues in population health

Lack of health insurance and higher rates of chronic illnesses could potentially impact health services for years to come. The rate of uninsured adults has been steadily on the rise since 2016, with 13.7% of the U.S. population lacking coverage in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to Gallup. Meanwhile, 48% of U.S. adults have some form of cardiovascular disease, which can increase the risk of other chronic conditions and decrease life expectancy.

Factors like these could put additional strains on health systems across the country, underscoring the need for well-trained allied health workers to help ease the burden placed on direct care providers.

Evolution of patient data systems

Although health information systems have existed for decades, there’s still room for innovation. In March 2020, the  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services finalized two new rules that require both public and private entities to share health information between patients and other parties.

One of the biggest challenges of the next decade will be designing systems that can effectively share data while keeping patient health information secure. Health informatics professionals will play a large role in developing solutions to bring these data systems up to the standards set by consumer technology.