Guide to Health Science
Curious about a career in health science? It’s a field with strong potential for growth in the near future, and includes careers for individuals holding a wide variety of levels of education. Whether you prefer to work solo or with a wide variety of people, whether your skills are more knowledge-based or hands-on, whether you’re seeking an advanced health science degree or a basic diploma, there’s a good chance you could find a fulfilling career in the health sciences.
History of Health Science
Every culture on Earth developed a form of health science. Different tactics, ranging from the prescription of medicinal herbs to prayers to placate local spirits, were employed to improve health and wellness among the population. In some ancient cultures– ancient Egypt, India, China, Mesopotamia, and Greece among them– recorded traditions of medicine evolved, and have been preserved to the present day. Ancient Egyptian and Greek medicine formed the basis for what would eventually evolve into modern Western medicine. Meanwhile, the traditional medicine of India and China remains widely used, and many treatments from Indian and Chinese medicine have been incorporated into Western medicine.
The Western tradition of health science evolved primarily from the Greek tradition established by Hippocrates. His Hippocratic Oath remains the creed of doctors around the world to this day. Greek surgeons such as Galen were major innovators of the time. Major currents of Greek learning, health science included, were incorporated into the newly ascendant Roman Empire. The Romans made leaps and bounds in the growth of health science, especially in the fields of surgery and sanitation.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Greco-Roman medical tradition was taken up by scholars further East. Through the Middle Ages, the caliphs of the Islamic world funded groundbreaking medical research, fusing Roman knowledge with the Ayurveda practices of India. The Persian scholar Avicenna, in particular, revolutionized the practice of medicine, demanding a basis in empirical evidence and clinical trials for pharmaceutical treatments. He also emphasized the importance of a nutritious diet and physical exercise for human health. His texts remained canonical for nearly a millennium afterward.
In the Renaissance, Europe began to incorporate Avicenna’s methods, but clinical practice would remain largely unchanged. It wasn’t until the 19th Century that the health sciences were truly revolutionized, emboldened by the spirit of inquiry of the Enlightenment, a new knowledge of human anatomy, the discovery of microorganisms, and research in genetics and evolution. During this time, Louis Pasteur pioneered the germ theory of disease, Florence Nightingale founded the modern discipline of nursing, John Snow performed the first studies of epidemiology, the first psychiatric hospitals opened their doors, and Claude Bernard advocated for the application of hypothesis-driven scientific method to medicine. In education, huge numbers of health science schools, including medical schools, nursing schools, and pharmacy schools, graduated their first classes during this period.
Through the 20th Century, the systems set in place in the 19th Century continued to evolve. The 19th Century established the model for the health sciences as fundamentally derived from empirical evidence. In the late 20th Century, this became codified as evidence-based medicine, evidence-based nursing‚ evidence-based psychiatry and so forth. New technologies, ranging from advanced pharmaceutical treatments to electrocardiograms to nuclear medicine have proven useful within this framework of thought. As global communications networks become more sophisticated, many believe that telemedicine, the use of online interaction in medical practice, could be the future of medicine.
For those seeking a career in the health sciences, it’s a fantastic time. Even in a flagging economy, the world of health science has shown strong growth indicators. Regardless of economic situation, the base condition remains that humans continue to get sick and continue to seek new ways of improving health. In the United States, the demands of an aging population and a shortage of medical professionals have provided an excellent climate for job-seekers. For those more interested in the technical and scientific aspects of health science, it’s an exciting time as well. Our planet is facing some of the biggest global health challenges it has ever faced, ranging from HIV to influenza pandemics to the spread of infectious disease associated with climate change, and health scientists will be on the front lines.
Health Science Education
Historically, health practitioners were trained in an apprenticeship system. Rather than the formalized health science programs that exist today, nurses were trained by other nurses, doctors by other doctors, and so forth. Today, a system of accredited health science schools, evaluated by licensing boards, has ensured quality in the medical world.
The health science degree comes in many varieties. Physicians acquire an MD (for traditional, allopathic medicine) or a DO (for osteopathic medicine), followed by an internship, residency, and often a post-graduate fellowship. Nurses receive a wide variety of different degree types, ranging from post-high school nursing diplomas to doctorates. The scientists doing the research that informs health science typically receive master’s degrees and PhDs. The master’s of pharmacy (MPharm) is the principal degree for pharmacists. Public health professionals most commonly receive the master’s of public health (MPH). Each of these degree programs, while independent, maintains a wide variety of interdisciplinary connections to other health sciences. Health science programs almost all incorporate a combination of theoretical, evidence-based knowledge and hands-on experience. Some, such as the diploma program in nursing heavily favor experience, while others, such as advanced degrees in public health, focus more on theory. An increasing number of health science professionals are pursuing online education (both degree-track and continuing education), and many top health science schools are including online coursework.