What Is Allied Health? Bryan University Explains

Bryan University’s School of Allied Health prepares you for a wide range of duties in the healthcare industry. Medical assistants serve in entry-level, frontline positions in a doctor’s office, urgent care, or clinic. Medical office assistants perform business and clerical work. Medical billing and coding specialists process medical codes and records to ensure accurate billing. All of these roles are part of allied health careers. Today, we explain what exactly allied health is.

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Outside of Traditional, Clinical Roles

Allied health positions are outside of what you might think of as a traditional healthcare profession. Doctors, nurses, dentists, and pharmacists encompass highly skilled and specialized medical practitioners. These clinical staffers also require advanced degrees and are licensed by state boards.

Conversely, allied health careers do not require years of advanced training. Depending on your state, you can step into an allied health career with on-the-job training, a diploma, associate degree, or bachelor’s degree. Bryan University offers career-focused, 100% online classes for seven undergraduate programs in allied health. 

Majority of U.S. Healthcare Jobs

Allied health covers as many as 60% of all healthcare jobs in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health. These vital support persons assist clinicians, run offices, fill out paperwork, and ensure the accuracy of patient records. Without allied health professions, the U.S. healthcare industry falls apart because there’s no organization or people who serve as the go-between from patients to care teams.

Three Main Groups

Allied health workers are generally divided into three main groups of personnel. 

Primary Care Workers. These people serve as frontline employees, and they’re often the first people patients see as they come in the door. Primary care workers are seen at hospitals, urgent cares, clinics, and doctor’s offices.

Diagnostic Professionals. Allied health employees who are diagnostic professionals serve as lab technicians, repair and maintain equipment, maintain stocks of medical supplies, and make sure technology runs properly.

Health Promotion. Health promotion workers improve the health of people in the workplace, such as offices or businesses. These staffers can organize workouts, well-being routines, and regimens for workers at offices, businesses, and other organizations.

Patient-Facing or Not

Bryan University trains you for patient-facing or behind-the-scenes work. For example, a medical assistant might work in a clinic to check-in patients, take vital signs, and determine where a patient needs to go next. However, medical assistants may also function as administrative personnel for health insurance providers, clinical trial companies, and pharmaceutical companies.

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School of Allied Health at Bryan University

Bryan University’s School of Allied Health prepares you for a wide range of careers in as little as 50 or 70 weeks, depending on if you want to earn a diploma or an associate degree. Call Bryan University toll-free at 1-855-862-0755 or enroll now to explore how you can elevate your career with online classes in allied health.