Exploration of Health Science

Chiropractic

Chiropractic medicine has found it’s original roots with its founding by DD Palmer in 1895. He is often credited with the culmination of many of the base practices that would evolve itself into the current profession that we see today. Many of the original writings are divisive to current critics, but it is widely accepted that medicine and knowledge for the body were not standardized or modern. In the 1950s Chiropractic medicine was in the process of establishing licensing and higher education standards to be more widely accepted in the mainstream medicine sphere. Eventually it would gain more legitimacy, with many of it’s “quack” practices being pushed out of the curriculum in favor of greater evidence based knowledge and education. In the 1980s, Chiropractic medicine could be seen to have reached it’s point of full acceptance as a matured rehabilitation practice, but still with many detractors about it’s full ability and legitimacy. Our current period of the 21st century has seen chiropractors be widely accepted and often recommended, they are covered by many health insurance providers, as well as respected doctors of chiropractic medicine are used by doctors post surgery to provide care.

Paramedic

Putting a date on the inception of Emergency Medical Services is difficult. Throughout human existence, the treatment of injuries and maladies has been the role of many different consortia. From tribal doctors, ancient to premodern wartime surgeons, and on to modern paramedics, EMS has been an aspect of many different societal or occupational roles. The birth of the modern US paramedic, however, is a much easier date to distinguish. The formalization of EMS training began in 1970 during the Nixon presidency. However, the need for EMS reform was brought to light several years prior. In 1966, a report named Accidental Death and Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society found its way to, then President, Lyndon B. Johnson’s desk. This report, which came to be known as “the White Paper,” found that accidental injuries were the leading cause of American death in the first half of one’s life span. The report highlighted car accidents across the United States, but especially those in California. At the time, soldiers wounded in the Vietnam War had a higher chance of surviving from their wounds than someone in a car accident on California’s highway system. As a result of the White Paper’s findings, LBJ initiated a series of reforms that came to a head under Nixon’s first few years in office. In collaboration with universities and hospitals, the first curriculum for an emergency medical technician (EMT) was established by an association of doctors in Pittsburg. The first EMT certification necessitated 400 hours of class and lab work followed by a 100-hour field internship. Modern EMT and paramedic certifications are all predicated upon and modified from this original formula. By 1972, Americans could expect high-level emergency response care to be found in all major metropolitan areas. The curriculum for EMTs and paramedics has been continuously updated since, but we can attribute a large share of the modern EMS structure to the White Paper (Edgerly, 2013).

Radiologist

Radiology is a branch of medicine that focuses on imaging technology to treat and diagnose illnesses. Radiology is currently divided into two areas: diagnostic radiology and interventional radiology (BIR, 2024). Diagnostic radiology deals with seeing structures inside of the body. Diagnostic images can often: diagnose the cause of symptoms, monitor treatment, and screen for different illnesses. Diagnostic radiology first became an area of science when Wilhelm Röntgen discovered x-rays in 1985. Röntgen discovered them accidentally while experimenting with fluorescence in a vacuum tube. The first x-ray produced was his wife’s hand bones. Medical professionals used x-rays early on to locate foreign objects and to identify bone structure. Diagnostic radiology has since evolved and radiologists have crafted more technology such as ultrasound, positron emission tomography (PET), and computerized tomography (CT) (NLM, 2024). Interventional radiology deals with imaging to help guide procedures. Doctors use these images to insert catheters, wires, and other small things into the human body. This kind of radiology is used as an easier alternative to bigger incisions or uses a scope (camera) to look directly into the body. Interventional radiology was first discovered in 1964 by Charles Dotter. Dotter used a guide wire and Teflon catheter to dilate a stenosed artery in an 82-year-old woman with gangrene and leg ischemia. There are now plenty of interventional radiology procedures such as angiography, embolization, and feeding tube placement (ACR, 2024).

Health Science

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there this is one of the occupations to experience greater than average growth for the sector at 9% versus 4% for all other occupations (BLS, 2024). There are close to 2 million jobs available each year in the healthcare occupational umbrella due to career switching or retirement (BLS, 2024). For healthcare practitioners, the median annual wage is $80,820 which is higher than all median wages for all other occupations not including healthcare at $48,060. However, for supporting occupations are below the national median at $36,140. These occupations can include personal care aides, medical transcriptionists, and other assisting technicians (BLS, 2024). The Health Science sphere is one of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics highest rated occupational spheres to experience positive growth and is favored to produce higher wages due to the nature of the work.

Chiropractic

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 61,200 chiropractors employed within the United States (BLS, 2024). The median hourly wage for a chiropractor in the United States is $36.79 and the median annual wage for a chiropractor is $76,530, putting chiropractors above the national median average salary of $59,384 (Demarco, 2024). The salary for chiropractors can vary greatly, however many of the common factors that effect salary are metropolitan area, state practiced in, and owning their own practice. Chiropractors reporting in the top 10% of salary of higher than $142,580 own their practices (BLS, 2024). Chiropractors can be employed in many settings such as through their own practice, hospital clinics, and government programs (such as Veteran Affairs). Chiropractors are projected to see a 10% job growth over the next 10 years, putting this career slightly higher than other health care practitioners at 9% (BLS, 2024). There are a projected 3,100 openings to be available to new practitioners every year over the next decade due to current practitioners exiting the labor force, such as retiring (BLS, 2024).

Paramedic

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are close to 100,000 paramedics employed within the United States (BLS, 2024). The median hourly wage for a paramedic in the United States is $25.57 and the median annual wage for a paramedic is $53,180, putting paramedics slightly below the national median average salary of $59,384 (Demarco, 2024). The salary of a paramedic is highly variable. One of the largest factors affecting their salary is the state one resides within; furthermore, metropolitan areas within each state tend to pay paramedics more than rural regions (BLS, 2024). There are many different types of employers for paramedics; some examples include private EMS services, hospitals, governmental agencies, and fire departments. The type of employer also affects a paramedic’s salary; private EMS services tend to pay the most of any employer (BLS, 2024). Additionally, paramedics can specialize within their field, which also affects pay and working conditions. Paramedic supervisors, flight paramedics, and paramedic nurses are examples of paramedics that make more money due to their specialization (Evan, 2024). Paramedics usually begin their career as an EMT, and between both EMTs and Paramedics, there are currently over 270,000 individuals employed within the US. Jointly, this combined field is predicted to see around 19,000 new job openings over the next decade (BLS, 2024). This is a 6% increase, which is an above average rate for job growth in the US. The outlook for those interested in becoming an EMT or paramedic is very positive, but one must be familiar with the realities of the pay and working conditions.

Radiologist

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 31,960 radiologists employed within the United States and 1,830 in Texas (BLS, 2024). The average salary made by radiologists in Texas was $286,000 in 2002 (ZR, 2024) The current average salary made by radiologists in Texas is $327,840 (BLS 2024). By 2030, the average radiologist salary in Texas is expected to be about $330,000 (ZR, 2024).  The current average salary in the United States is $353,960 (BLS, 2024). However, it is important to note that salaries range greatly, and since Texas is such a big state, the salaries are very different in certain cities. Some radiologists make as little as $94,000 a year, some as much as $580,000 a year (BLS, 2024). These numbers state the starting wages, radiologists usually increase in salary greatly over time. There is always a need for more radiologists, so there are usually no issues finding a job; in fact, the amount of jobs available will only increase as time goes on. Part of the reason for the huge availability in jobs for this field is because of the schooling. The following schooling is needed: high school diploma or high school equivalent, bachelor’s degree (usually with a premedical concentration but not required), medical school degree, one year internship, four year residency, and sometimes a 1-2 year fellowship. This is a total of 12-16 years excluding high school; because of this, people do not usually commit to this path. There are also many exams needed to pass along the way which include: the MCAT, 3 steps of the USMLE, licensing exams, certification exams, and ABR core exam (Torres, 2021).

Alex Garza

My current minor in English won’t help much with my journey to become a radiologist besides strengthening my literacy and attention skills. However, I do plan to major in Biology with a minor in chemistry and pre-medical studies after I get my Integrated Studies degree. Understanding the fundamental science classes in college is essential to my future as a radiologist. College is where I learn the basics of science. The upper level classes I’ve taken such as virology, and biotech have prepared me for the level of work to expect from medical school. But overall, most of my learning and experience with radiology will take place in medical school. Until then, I plan to graduate with a degree in Integrated Studies so I attend a more affordable university and continue on my path to success.

Austin Krueger

The three minors within my interdisciplinary studies degree are agriculture, horticulture, and plant and soil science. My upper-level classes within these minors were highly focused on the botanical sciences. Though I found classes such as organic gardening and honeybee biology to be fascinating, they are not very relevant to a career in EMS. Some of my introductory courses such as biology, organic chemistry, and genetics are, however, highly pertinent and useful to those in the field of EMS. As I continue to navigate my educational and occupational paths with the ultimate goal of becoming an EMT and/or paramedic, I can apply the knowledge gained in these courses to my future training. I will always be a horticulturalist; I have just found that I would rather be a gardener and farmer in my own backyard than in a workplace environment. Still, an understanding of the biological sciences is necessary for EMS work, and I look forward to utilizing this knowledge in my preferred occupation.

John Lancelin

My minor is Coaching which has a great emphasis on the knowledge from my exercise and science courses. This combination of courses and a minor can help me be a better healthcare provider in the form of delivery of information and a deeper understanding of the body due to biomechanical, anatomical, and basic scientific knowledge that can help me. I really feel like the coaching minor can be used to relay information in lay-mans terms instead of using such heavy knowledge based vocabulary and have greater success with my patients understanding what could be wrong with their bodies function and how they can improve.

American College of Radiology. 2024. Radiology history the birth of Interventional Radiology. Radiology History The Birth of Interventional Radiology https://www.acr.org/Member-Resources/Medical-Student/MESO-News/Radiology-History-The-Birth-of-Interventional-Radiology#:~:text=Interventional%20radiology%20was%20conceived%20on,who%20refused%20leg%20amputation1

British Institute of Radiology. 2024. History of radiology. History of radiology. https://bir.org.uk/useful-information/history-of-radiology.aspx#:~:text=The%20history%20of%20radiology%20timeline,dangers%20of%20radiation%20was%20growing

Careeronestop. 2024. Health Science career cluster. Careeronestop. https://www.careeronestop.org/ExploreCareers/Learn/CareerClusters/health-science-career-cluster.aspx

DeMarco, J. 2024. Average US Salary by State. SoFi. https://www.sofi.com/learn/content/average-salary-in-us/#:~:text=What%20Is%20the%20Average%20US%20Salary%20(2024),a%20worker%20earns%20per%20year.

Edgerly, D. 2013. Birth of EMS: The History of the Paramedic. Journal of Emergency Medical Services. https://www.jems.com/administration-and-leadership/birth-ems-history-paramedic/.

Evan. 2024. What Type of Paramedic Makes the Most Money?. The Paramedic Coach. https://theparamediccoach.com/what-type-of-paramedic-makes-the-most-money/#:~:text=Highest%2DPaying%20Paramedic%20Jobs,that%20make%20the%20most%20money.

Torpey, E. 2015. Clusters, pathways, and BLS. Connecting career information. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2015/article/career-clusters.htm#Health%20sciences.

Torres, C. 2021. How to become a radiologist – 6 steps from undergrad to medical licensing in Diagnostic Radiology. UMHS. https://www.umhs-sk.org/blog/how-to-become-a-radiologist

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2024. EMTs and Paramedics. Occupational Outlook Handbook. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/emts-and-paramedics.htm.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2024. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: Emergency Medical Technician. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes292042.htm.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2024. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: Paramedics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes292043.htm.

U.S. National Library of Medicine. 2024. Imaging and radiology: Medlineplus medical encyclopedia. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007451.htm#:~:text=Radiology%20is%20a%20branch%20of,in%20radiology%20are%20called%20radiologists

ZipRecruiter. 2024. Salary: Medical radiologist in Texas (June, 2024). Medical Radiologist. https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Medical-Radiologist-Salary–in-Texas

There has been a growing emphasis placed upon consciousness of health in American society in recent years. Do you believe occupational and personal interest in the health sciences will continue to grow at its current pace? Which health science occupations do you believe will be in the highest demand? And how has American perception of the health sciences changed during 2020s?