Outpatient

Dental assistants perform a variety of patient care, office, and laboratory duties. They sterilize and disinfect instruments and equipment, prepare and lay out the instruments and materials required to treat each patient, and obtain and update patients' dental records.

Assistants make patients comfortable in the dental chair and prepare them for treatment.

During dental procedures, assistants work alongside the dentist to provide assistance. They hand instruments and materials to dentists and keep patients' mouths dry and clear by using suction hoses or other devices. They also instruct patients on postoperative and general oral healthcare.

Dental hygienists work with dentists and provide routine teeth cleaning and other oral health care like checking gums and other tissues of the mouth for disease or injury.

Hygienists also educate patients on the importance good oral hygiene and ways to improve their overall oral health.

Dentists do more that keep teeth white! Good oral health is essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

In addition to providing instruction on brushing, flossing, and avoiding sugary drinks, dentists fill cavities, remove teeth, straighten teeth, examine x-rays, and check tissues in the mouth for signs of cancer and other diseases. Dental care is essential to keep patients happy and healthy.

Massage therapy dates back thousands of years, with examples in ancient writings from China, Japan, India, Egypt, and Greece.

Massage therapists use touch with the hands, elbows, or feet, or with stones or other tools to manipulate muscles and soft tissues to relieve pain, reduce anxiety, and alleviate some specific conditions.

Massage therapists often work in private offices, studios, hospitals, or sports facilities.

Genetic Counselors work to understand the medical, psychological, and family implications of genetic and inherted diseases. As part of the health care team, genetic counselors work with patients and physicians to understand genetic dieases, family risks, inherentice patterns, and genetic testing options.

Audiologists are responsible for treating hearing and balance problems and work with patients of all ages. Using specialized equipment, audiologists will test hearing and balance, determine the extent of hearing damage, and find the underlying cause of a patients hearing or balance symptoms.

Audiologists also treat these problems, with hearing aids, cochlear implants, or cleaning wax from the ear canal. For patients with total hearing loss, audiologists will teach patients lip reading or American Sign Language. Audiologists receive a doctoral degree in audiology (Au.D.), a four-year professional degree.

Occupational Therapy Assistants (OTA’s) work directly with patients to learn and perform exercises developed by an occupational therapist to regain lost everyday function.

This may include playing educational games with children who have developmental disabilities, teaching a stroke victim how to do hand-strengthening exercises, or showing a patient with Parkinson’s disease how use devices to assist with eating or bathing.

OTA’s receive an associate degree and often work if offices, but also work in hospitals and long-term care facilities.

Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC) are certified mental health professionals who having training to help children, teenagers, adults, and families who are in need.

One-in-five adults will have a mental health need sometime during their lives, and LPC’s can help patients like these through a variety of issues. As one of the six professionals who can provide psychotherapy, LPC’s specialize in treating mental illness, substance abuse, and family and relationship conflict.

Many LPC’s work as school counselors, specializing on the needs of children and teenagers, serving as an advocate for students, helping students achieve their college or career goals.

Chiropractors, also known as doctors of chiropractic or chiropractic physicians, diagnose and treat patients with health problems of the musculoskeletal system and treat the effects of those problems on the nervous system and on general health. Many chiropractic treatments deal specifically with the spine and the manipulation of the spine. Chiropractic is based on the principle that spinal joint misalignments interfere with the nervous system and can result in lower resistance to disease and many different conditions of diminished health.