University officials tout health professions

When it comes to medical careers, familiarity breeds interest, not contempt.

That's why Dr. Kyle Meyer, associate dean for the School of Allied Health Professions at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, spoke about allied health careers to area high school and college students and their parents at College Park in Grand Island on Tuesday evening.

Meyer was joined in his mission by several colleagues from the UNMC School of Allied Health Professions. He said their mission was to broaden students' horizons.

"People know all about doctors, nurses, pharmacists and dentists," Meyer said prior to the presentation.

Because students have so much personal experience with doctors, nurses, pharmacists and dentists, they often zero in on those four jobs when thinking about a possible career in medicine.

But Meyer said there is no need for students to consider only a few potential health careers.

"There are 200 allied health professions and we have 11 of them at the medical center," he said.

Those 11 include: physician assistants, physical therapists, radiation therapists, clinical laboratory scientists,  radiographers, sonographers, nuclear medicine technologists, medical nutrition, clinical perfusion, magnetic resonance imaging/computed tomography and cytotech -nology.

The demand for the first seven of those professions  is expected to grow between 15 and 27 percent from 2006 to 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

An $8.9 million renovation of Bennett Hall has allowed all 11 allied health education programs to be housed in one building for the first time in the school's history.

Meyer told students "what the job looks like and what their day would look like."

The program provided information about opportunities and salaries in each allied health field.

Meyer said various careers attract people with different personalities and aptitudes.

Meyer said physical therapists, for example, often enjoy working directly with people as they design a rehabilitation program and then guide a person through the rehabilitation process.

A person with a strong aptitude in working with computers might be interested in a career as a radiation therapist, radiographer or a similar health profession that entails working with high-tech equipment, Meyer said. Such jobs often require good math abilities, as well as a knack for working with people.

Central Nebraska Area Health Education Center at College Park sponsored the forum.

In addition to talking to students and parents about possible allied health careers, Meyer and his team also wanted to thank hospitals, private doctors' offices and clinical educators for their role in helping educate the school's students.

Clinical rotations are a critical part of educating people in the various allied health professions, Meyer said.