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Catalog Description Hours: 18 lecture Description: Introduction to career choices in the Allied Health field. Topics include: education and career mapping, job outlooks, occupational and professional requirements, pay ranges, and employer expectations. Students will get hands-on experience related to various Allied Health occupations and gain insight into job roles and responsibilities through guest speakers. Course includes an overview of health care delivery systems, current and relative health care topics, associated health care career opportunities, infection control, and laws governing patient confidentiality. (letter grade only) (CSU) Course Student Learning Outcomes CSLO #1: Describe the specific roles and responsibilities of a selected Allied Health Career, including the occupational and professional requirements, educational requirements, salary ranges and long term job outlooks. CSLO #2: Develop a personal Educational and Career Mapping Plan based on the numerous occupations researched in the Allied Health field. CSLO #3: Describe the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and how it applies to Allied Health professionals and their responsibilities with patient confidentiality. CSLO #4: Describe the risk of infectious diseases and bloodborne pathogens, the different levels of exposure due to direct and indirect routes of transmission, and preventive measures required in all Allied Health occupations. CSLO #5: Describe the exploration and understanding of current topics in health care including aging populations, health literacy, social determinants of health, and related topics within modern health care to build an awareness. Effective Term Fall 2026 Course Type Credit - Degree-applicable Contact Hours 18 Outside of Class Hours 36 Total Student Learning Hours 54 Course Objectives Lecture Objectives: 1. Describe the current health care systems and recent trends within the industry. 2. Identify the various types of occupations found within the Allied Health field. 3. Discuss and apply the types of educational degrees and certificates to pursue a career in Allied Health. 4. Outline the basic educational requirements for starting a career in Allied Health. 5. Explain the Medical Legal responsibilities that apply to all Health Care Professionals. 6. Discuss the federal laws governing patient privacy and patient confidentiality. 7. Identify a blood-borne pathogen verses an airborne pathogen and outline the standard precautions of infection control. 8. Describe the importance of health care administration and its role in patient outcomes. 9. Describe the careers in biotechnology and the advancement in medical technologies. 10. Discuss the different careers in medical diagnostics and their importance in patient care. 11. Describe the roles and responsibilities of a diagnostic technologist and the occupational outlook. 12. Describe the roles and responsibilities of laboratory technicians and the required occupational skills. 13. Outline the educational requirements for a medical assistant and the occupational outlook. 14. Describe the roles and responsibility of a medical assistant and the required occupational skills. 15. Describe the roles and responsibilities of a respiratory therapist when treating a critical respiratory patient. 16. Describe the primary roles and responsibilities of an emergency department technician. 17. Outline the educational and training requirements for starting a career in prehospital care. 18. Discuss the future roles of EMTs and Paramedics in the delivery of community health. General Education Information Approved College Associate Degree GE Applicability CSU GE Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU approval) Cal-GETC Applicability (Recommended - Requires External Approval) IGETC Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU/UC approval) Articulation Information CSU Transferable Methods of Evaluation Projects Example: 1. Students will research an Allied Health Career of their choice and present it to class. Students will discover educational requirements, job descriptions, required skills including temperament and soft skills, salary, job duties and type of work, job benefits and job drawbacks. This research project will be submitted by the student in the format of MLS research paper as well as visually displayed as a Power point or Poster or 6 panel brochure. The presentation will be before the class and this is the students’ opportunity not only to explain their career choice but also to tell their personal story and how they will achieve their goal. 2. Students will compose journal entries throughout the 8 weeks of the course, responding to prompts regarding subject matter such as the healthcare professional environment, infection control, and self-reflection based on guest speaker presentations. Repeatable No Methods of Instruction Lecture/Discussion Distance Learning Lecture: Students will participate in lecture presentations covering the different allied health fields of work including but not limited to work experience, wages, benefits, minimum qualifications and the educational requirements to enter into these occupations. Students are expected to actively participate in the lecture. Students will be exposed to resources for exploring degrees or certificates, education, wages, job description etc by navigating such valuable website resources as the California Community College “Salary Surfer” https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home.htm https://salarysurfer.cccco.edu/Salaries.aspx site as well as the Bureau of Labor Statistic for careers in Health Care. The instructor will facilitate a seminar and discussion between student to student and student to facilitator regarding different healthcare professions. The instructor will follow up with specific critical thinking questions regarding content. Students will analyze the challenges of today’s health care issues through a historical analysis of the transformation of society, the environment, technology, and sanitary practices that have altered our care from acute illnesses to chronic illnesses. The instructor will facilitate questions and discussions and provide feedback to students to clarify and support the content matter. In a group format, the instructor will provide students with various topics on chronic conditions and the students will discuss how and why chronic conditions have become so prevalent and the challenges that this poses for the future. Distance Learning Faculty will enter a question in the discussion board pertaining to the content covered of acute illness or chronic conditions. The student will answer the question and respond to two other student replies. Faculty will provide constructive feed back to the initial student post. Typical Out of Class Assignments Reading Assignments 1. Read the required chapters in the assigned reading. Student will be prepared to discuss the confidentiality and security regulations required within the healthcare system. 2. Read assigned handouts in OSHA-Bloodborne Pathogen Prevention in a Health Care Environment. Student will be prepared to discuss the universal standard precautions and the proper use of personal protective equipment. Writing, Problem Solving or Performance 1. Students will submit a written assignment identifying the importance of hand-washing in breaking the ‘Chain of Infection’ and discuss the importance of Infection Control. 2. Students will analyze and discuss the ‘Circle of Care’. Students will be given a scenario of an 87 year old female who has fallen and they will need to identify EACH and EVERY Allied Health worker that is involved in the care of the woman from the moment of her fall and through the entire journey of her care that it involved in attaining the best possible outcome of her coming home. Other (Term projects, research papers, portfolios, etc.) Required Materials Stanfield's Introduction to Health Professions Author: Nanna Cross and Dana C. McWay Publisher: Jones and Bartlett Publication Date: 2023 Text Edition: 8th Classic Textbook?: OER Link: OER: Other materials and-or supplies required of students that contribute to the cost of the course. Instructor handouts and lecture outlines.