Preventive health care involves a host of occupations.
Health care employment is classified as preventive when services are provided before an illness. Preventive health care jobs include doctors, nurses, nutritionists, dietitians, dentists, health educators and staffs of these agencies, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Each career involves special education and training. The bureau predicts that the demand for all preventive health jobs is expected to increase as the population ages.
Physicians
Physicians and physician's assistants provide preventive health care. Family doctors and general practitioners, currently in short supply according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, operate offices providing a host of preventive health care, including wellness clinics and well-baby services.
The doctor of medicine license requires at least 11 years of schooling and training, including four years of college, four years studying in medical school and three years of clinical practice as an intern. The average yearly salary for general practitioners in 2008 was over $186,000.
Physician's assistants, also known as PAs, work under the direction of a medical doctor in regions where doctors are in short supply. Education requirements include a college degree and some clinical experience. The average pay for PAs in 2008 was $68,000 to $97,000, depending on the type of medical office or center and the location of the work, according to the BLS.
Nurses
Nurses constitute the largest group of people employed in the health care system. Nearly 60 percent of nurses work in hospitals, according to the BLS, but nurses also work in preventive health care, including nurse practitioners and practical nurses. Registered nurses perform preventive health tests, record medical histories and instruct patients in various preventive health measures.
While nurses may work with only an associate college degree and a nursing certificate from an accredited program, many of the 2.6 million nurses have a bachelor's degree in nursing. A master's degree in the field is necessary to work as a nurse practitioner or nurse specialist.
The BLS reports that the average hourly pay for registered nurses was over $30 in 2008. Licensed practical nurses earned nearly $19 in the same year, according to the bureau.
Dentists
Dentists and dental hygienists provide preventive health care through gum and teeth cleaning and also by taking diagnostic X-rays to identify future problems. Orthodontists and dental surgeons supply services, including tissue grafts and movement of teeth, to avoid and correct defects that may lead to future gum and tooth damage. The American Dental Association says successful dental health is based on "dental hygienists and assistants working under the supervision of a licensed dentist."
Dentists earned a yearly average of approximately $143,000 in 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and dental assistants averaged a wage of $15 an hour. Working as a dentist requires four years of college, in addition to graduate-level dental courses and clinical work, while working as a dental assistant requires a basic two-year associate degree. Dental assistants with advanced levels of education assist in X-ray operation, cleaning and orthodontic care and earn significantly more income.
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