Health occupations
Health occupations are jobs and professions that promote health, prevent and treat illness, and support patients and healthcare services.
Medicine: The science and practice of preventing, diagnosing, and treating disease. Physicians use medical knowledge to assess illness and direct treatment.
Primary care: First-contact, continuing healthcare that addresses common conditions and coordinates further treatment. Many health occupations work in the first point of contact for patients.
Health professional: A person whose formal work contributes to health promotion, care, or health services. Health occupations are the roles performed by health professionals.
Social work: A profession that supports individual and community well-being through services, advocacy, and social change. Social workers address social needs that affect health but are not limited to healthcare.
Nursing: The profession of caring for people across illness, recovery, and health maintenance. Nurses provide continuous patient care and coordinate treatment across settings.
Emergency medicine: The medical specialty focused on immediate assessment and treatment of acute illness and injury. Emergency departments bring multiple occupations together under time pressure.
Medical education: The formal education and training through which physicians acquire clinical knowledge and skills. It prepares physicians for licensed practice and continued professional development.
Caregiver: A person who provides assistance to someone who needs support with daily life or health. Caregiving can be unpaid and informal, unlike most health occupations.
Allied health professions: Healthcare professions distinct from medicine and nursing that support diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. This group includes many specialized clinical occupations beyond physicians and nurses.
Physical therapy: Rehabilitation using movement, exercise, and other interventions to improve physical function. Physical therapists help patients regain mobility after illness or injury.