[MUSIC] Usually when people think of health, they think of doctors on TV or in the movies, you've probably seen a patient on a stretcher wheeled out by EMTs from the back of an ambulance straight into the ER, blood flying everywhere. Nurses and doctors take over doing chest compressions trying to save the patient's life, bursting through the double doors of the operating room where more nurses and doctors await with scalpels in hand, but you don't have to be a nurse or doctor to be a part of the medical team and make a difference in people's lives. There are many, many jobs in medicine. Let's take a quick peek behind the scenes. People go to hospital emergency departments for many reasons. Chest pain, respiratory infections, mood disorders, skin infections, injuries such as broken bones, strains, sprains, cuts, bruises, back pain, abdominal pain and so on. Like Peter, who is brought to the emergency department, by his dad, with stomach pains so bad that Peter could barely walk. As they walked in, they passed a security guard who maintains safety and security throughout the department. A triage nurse assesses Peter and determines that his condition is less serious than cardiac arrest. But more serious than pink eye. After a brief stint in the waiting area, a certified nursing assistant brings Peter back to a room and records Peter's vital signs. A physician assistant or nurse practitioner then comes in, takes a history. Performs a physical exam and determines that Peter needs fluids. An emergency room nurse hangs his IV fluids, and a phlebotomist comes to draw Peter's blood. His blood work is then sent to the lab where it is examined by a medical laboratory technologist. Once the lab work comes back, the physician assistant or nurse practitioner presents the case to the emergency medicine physician, who is concerned that Peter has appendicitis and orders a CT scan to further investigate. The CT technician performs the scan and the images are reviewed by a radiologist who discuss the results with the emergency medicine physician. The team determines that Peter will need to have his appendix removed. The unit secretary pages the surgeon who discussed the care with the emergency medicine physician and agreed to operate on the patient. The patient transporter brings Peter to pre-op holding, while a surgical technologist, or scrub nurse, prepares the operating room with surgical instruments that had been meticulously cleaned and decontaminated by the sterile processing technician. And then gowns the surgeon, and Peter, to create a sterile field. An anesthesiologist and nurse anesthetist start Peter with a ten second countdown, but only make it to three before Peter is knocked out. The surgeon and her surgical assistant remove the appendix through three tiny incisions in about 30 minutes. Patient care assistants roll Peter into the recovery room. While Peter is resting, the medical transcriptionists type out the surgeon's dictation of the procedure for entry into the medical record. Medical coders later take the medical record and submit it to Peter's insurance company for billing. All of this is done through the electronic medical record, which is maintained by medical informatics professionals, and championed by hospital administrators who want to reduce medical error and ensure high quality of care delivery. For that matter, all hospital managers care very much about reducing medical error, from the nurse coordinator to the chief medical officer, the president of the hospital and the chief executive officer, or CEO. No one wants to be on the evening news for having taken out Peter's kidney instead of his appendix. Unbeknownst to Peter, the admission coordinator prepares information to bill Peter's insurance, while the discharge planner coordinates Peter's discharge to ensure that he has the care he needs at home after the surgery. Back in the emergency department, Derek hobbles in after taking a bad fall on the court. During his fall he had broken his glasses, so he'll need to go see his optometrist or an ophthalmologist to get a new pair of glasses. But for now, a certified nursing assistant leads him to a triage area. Where he gets his vitals recorded and waits to see an orthopedic specialist, who comes in to look at his ankle and orders x-rays. A radiology tech scans Derek's ankle to confirm the ankle fracture. A cast is put on by an orthopedic technician. And he is given painkillers prepared by the pharmacy technician and signed off by a pharmacist. Derek speaks with the patients service representative at the front desk who verifies his insurance, collects his copay, and helps him schedule an appointment with the physical therapist and an occupational therapist to help him regain his tip top basketball form. Turns out that Derek's sister, Rosa, works at the hospital as a medical interpreter. She's with Camilla, a recently diagnosed breast cancer patient. And Camilla's oncologist and case manager, who are putting together a personalized treatment plan where she will see amongst others, a radiation therapist who delivers and monitors radiation therapy, a dietician or nutritionist who provides information about nutrition to patients that can help them improve their health. A home health aid who provides care for people in the setting of their homes to reduce visits to the clinic or the hospital. A plastic surgeon who repairs, reconstructs, or replaces physical defects of form or function, a palliative care specialist who focuses on relieving a patient's pain, improving functioning, enhancing decision making and promoting optimal quality of life. A social worker who assesses the psychosocial functioning of patients and families, and provides supportive counseling and resource connections. And a patient navigator or community health worker who provides culturally sensitive support and guidance throughout cancer care. Hopefully, this treatment plan works. If not, Camilla may be enrolled in clinical trials led by medical scientists or researchers who are developing new treatments and gaining new knowledge to improve health. Some of the research takes place in biotech company laboratories where scientists who are biochemists, biophysicists, biomedical engineers, and microbiologists study biological processes, organisms, cells, and DNA. To develop technologies that can improve diagnosis, treatment, and understanding of diseases. These scientists work with bioinformatics specialists, who use computer science and statistics to design databases, and develop algorithms. For example, to sequence genes and analyze and model big data. Scientists also rely on the technicians, technologists, research assistants, and lab managers that carry out the experiments and clinical trials. Some of the research takes place in the community where public health scientists, environmental health practitioners and epidemiologists investigate patterns and causes of health and disease to arrive at potential solutions. Their findings alongside the department of health, political work of health policy advocates, grassroots work of community organizers, and regulatory and legislative work of government health department officials contribute to healthy, thriving communities. Speaking of community, Camilla's patient navigator sometimes accompanies patients to the community health center on the other side of town. Like today, where she's with Jessica who recently lost her son. A victim of street violence. Jessica's primary care physician does a routine exam and has her see the mammography technician for her annual mammogram. Jessica also gets a referral to see a psychologist to discuss the grief that she is experiencing after the loss of her son. During this appointment, Jessica receives mental health materials and support materials prepared by the patient education specialist, and another referral to see a licensed alcohol and drug counselor to help her get back on her feet. Down the hall in the same clinic, Kevin is getting his teeth cleaned by a dental hygienist. A dentist checks over his teeth. No cavities for Kevin this time. Kevin goes home, walks his brother's dog Daisy, who is wearing the cone of shame. Daisy just got spayed by the veterinarian, and was cared for by veterinarian assistants and veterinary technicians after the operation. Back at the hospital, on the labor floor, a licensed practical nurse, or LPN, is checking Maria's vital signs. 28 weeks pregnant. Her baby will be born premature. Thanks to the genetic counselor months before, they knew that their baby would likely have Down Syndrome. After a couple hours, and a successfully placed epidural, the nurse midwife and obstetrician are holding a teeny, tiny baby. Who is transported to the neonatal intensive care unit, staffed by neonatologists, who are doctors specializing in caring for sick newborns. Pediatric residents who are doctors, who are getting medical training in baby and child health. Neonatal nurse practitioners who conduct medical procedures, prescribe medicines, and manage the baby's overall care. Patient care assistants who help nurses change bed sheets, feed babies, and prepare bottles. And respiratory therapists who administer breathing therapy to infants. Outside the neonatal ICU, a team of occupational therapists, rehabilitation counselors, audiologists and speech language pathologists will help Maria's child towards a normal life. In addition, the breast feeding or lactation consultant helps Maria's efforts to provide nutrition to her baby. While the nutrition and food services team helps create nutritious meals for Maria to eat while she is recovering from childbirth in the hospital. These are just some of the many healthcare professions that can make a difference in people's lives. A sneak peek. What you don't see is that behind each of these professions are the many paths to get there. And in front of each of these professions are the many paths moving forward. Because the journey of one's health care career is a trajectory that can start anywhere, and can continue onto all the possibilities that you dream up. But you can make a difference in people's health in any career you choose. Because the ingredients for health and well being are all around us, like the infrastructure that folks in transportation and construction careers can design and build to enhance our lives, travel, work and play, while protecting the planet that we love. Like the decisions that farming and agriculture professionals and people food and culinary arts can make to ensure food safety and protect us from too much chemical exposure. Like the aid that people in military careers can provide for humanitarian efforts and disaster relief. Like the policies that business and management professionals can put in place to prevent worker injury and promote a healthy work environment. Like the schools that educators can shape to nurture student's love for learning, ideas, culture, and differences. Like the laws that elected officials, folks in legal careers and people in media and communications can champion, and that every day citizens can support to promote health equity and social justice. Do you see your future job in medicine? [MUSIC]
