Kezia Endsley - Health and Fitness Professionals: A Practical Career Guide

Kezia Endsley is an editor and author from Indianapolis, Indiana. In addition to editing technical publications and writing books for teens, she enjoys running and triathlons, traveling, reading, and spending time with her family and seven pets.

PRACTICAL CAREER GUIDES

Series Editor: Kezia Endsley

Dental Assistants and Hygienists, by Kezia Endsley
Health and Fitness Professionals, by Kezia Endsley
Medical Office Professionals, by Marcia Santore

Published by Rowman & Littlefield

An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706

www.rowman.com

Unit A, Whitacre Mews, 26-34 Stannary Street, London SE11 4AB

Copyright 2019 by Kezia Endsley

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Endsley, Kezia, 1968 author.

Title: Health and fitness professionals : practical career guide / Kezia Endsley.

Description: Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, 2019. | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018032781 (print) | LCCN 2018033551 (ebook) | ISBN 9781538111840 (electronic) | ISBN 9781538111833 (paperback : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Allied health personnelVocational guidance.

Classification: LCC R697.A4 (ebook) | LCC R697.A4 E53 2019 (print) | DDC 610.73/7069dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018032781

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

To Piper,
who is getting ready for her journey.
You make me so proud.

T hanks always go to my stalwart husband, Erik, who holds down the fort regardless of the hurricanes that come through, rocking the foundation. A special thanks also to Jeff Busha for all his help and support in finding contacts for the interviews in this book.

W elcome to the allied health professions! If you are interested in a career in the health and fitness field (the allied health field, as it is often called), youve come to the right book. These are professions that are related to, but dont include, nursing, medicine, dentistry, or pharmacy. They serve as allies in health and fitness and often work in healthcare teams to the benefit of their patients. They provide services pertaining to the diagnosis, evaluation, and prevention of diseases and disorders; fitness regimens to address or prevent illness and injury; dietary and nutrition services; rehabilitation and health systems management; among others.

There is a lot of good news about this field, and its a very smart career choice for anyone with a passion to help people improve their physical health and fitness. Its a great career for people who get energy from working with other people and want to help others live their fullest lives. Job demand is high and there continues to be a shortage of people entering the workforce in all these areas.

When considering any career, your goal should be to find your specific nexus of interest, talent, passion, and job demand. Yes, it is important to consider job outlook and demand, educational requirements, and other such practical matters, but remember that youll be spending a large portion of your life in whatever career you choose, so you should also find something that you enjoy doing and are passionate about. Of course, it can make the road easier to walk if you choose something thats in demand and lucrative. Thats where the various health and fitness professions shine!

This book covers six main areas of health and fitness that have proven to be stable, lucrative, and growing professions. These are:

Physical therapy

Occupational therapy

Recreational therapy

Exercise physiology

Massage therapy

Athletic training

(Did you know that as many as one hundred different professions fall under the umbrella of allied health? As a matter of practicality, only these six are covered here, based in part on the healthy demand for practitioners in these six particular areas. Other professions in the allied health area include dental assistants and hygienists, chiropractors, speech therapists, nutritionists, emergency medical technicians and paramedics, and medical assistants. There are even more than are listed here. Check out the US Bureau of Labor Statistics website at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home.htm for an example of other professions under this umbrella.)

So what exactly do these people do on the job, day in and day out? What skills and educational background do you need to succeed in these professions? How much can you expect to make, and what are the pros and cons of these various professions? Do these careers have a bright future? Is this even the right career path for you? How do you avoid burnout and deal with stress? This book can help you answer these questions and more.

I am often surprised by how much I love it [being an occupational therapist] and how passionate I amits become a part of me. It influences and informs how I function in my life.Laura Isaacs, OTR

For each of these six professions, the book covers the pros and cons, educational requirements, projected annual wages, personality traits that are well suited, working conditions and expectations, and more. Youll even read some interviews from real professionals working in these industries. The goal is for you to learn enough about these professions to give you a clear view as to which one, if any, is a good fit for you. And if you still have more questions, this book will also point you to resources where you can learn even more.

An important note: Regardless of the career you might choose under the allied health umbrella, you need to have a lifelong curiosity and love of learning. Your education wont be over once you finish your degree or training. In fact, maintaining current certifications and meeting or exceeding continuing education requirements (usually set forth by the governing board and/or by state regulations where you practice) is all very important in the allied health careers.

The good news is that the US Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that health-care in general will be the fastest growing field in the decade between the years 2016 and 2026. for a full list of employment projections.) This field includes the allied health professions. Not only does this

The demand for practitioners in allied health continue to grow in the United States due to many factors:

We have a large elderly population, as the generation of baby boomers continues to age. This elderly population struggles with chronic conditions that affect mobility, such as diabetes and obesity.