We’re privileged at Explore Careers to partner with incredibly diverse, unique and innovative employers across the health, medical, and care sectors.
It’s helped us gather a lot of information about how expansive and varied the industry is, and we hope you’ve been learning a lot through our employee interviews across this space too!
With National Careers Week (NCW) 2023 having just passed us, we wanted to spotlight a few of the major career industries available across Australia – starting with this one!
10 Careers in Health & Medicine to Explore
Outside of nursing and being a doctor are what are often referred to as Allied Health Professionals. These roles fulfil a number of healthcare roles in specialist or niche areas that support the core jobs of nurses and doctors.
Australia’s 195,000 allied health professionals represent over a quarter of the health workforce and deliver an estimated 200 million health services annually.
Here are ten roles worth looking to:
1. Speech Pathologist
Speech pathologists diagnose and treat difficulties with speaking, listening, understanding language, reading, writing, social skills, and stuttering. They work with a broad range of people of all ages, including young and older adults.
Patients might seek a speech pathologist due to difficulty communicating because of developmental delays or learning difficulties, experiencing a stroke or brain injury, hearing loss, or other conditions that affect speech and language, such as cerebral palsy or dementia.
Find out more through the Speech Pathology Australia website.
2. Psychologist
Psychologists study and support individuals experiencing various conditions related to how they engage with and perceive the world, including mental health conditions. Psychologists seek to understand human behaviour and help people change how they think, feel, behave and react.
They tend to specialise in one core area of human behaviour and choose to work with a core group such as children and adolescents, adults with addiction, or community psychology.
Find out more through the Psychology Board of Australia.
3. Physiotherapist
Physiotherapists are specialists in the structure of the human body, how it moves, and our skeletal and muscular makeup. They typically work with a range of people across all age groups who might be experiencing difficulties with mobility following an injury and accident o surgery.
Physiotherapists work to develop rehabilitation plans to support individuals to get back to full or improved mobility based on their individual experience and situation. They can also work with individuals experiencing a chronic health conditions to help them adjust to their body’s changing condition.
Find out more through the Australian Physiotherapy Association.
4. Dietician
Dietitians provide guidance on appropriately managing diets and nutrition for people affected by various health conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and food allergies.
They work with individuals to help them understand their specific dietary needs and adapt to nutritional plans that support healthy behaviours for their lifestyle and health conditions.
Find out more through the Dieticians Australia Website.
 5. Prosthetist
Prosthetists – orthotists – provide orthoses (splints and braces), prostheses (artificial limbs), and associated clinical services to those needing them for mobility or rehabilitation purposes.
They work with individuals to understand their situation and specific needs, alongside analysing and determining the equipment and prosthetics required to help them achieve their health and life goals.
Find out more through the Australian Orthotic Prosthetic Association website.
6. Radiographer
A radiographer is responsible for producing high-quality medical images to assist medical doctors in diagnosing, monitoring, and treating patients.
As part of a diagnostic health team, radiographers are highly skilled individuals operating advanced technical equipment, including MRI scanners (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and CT (Computed Tomography).
Their work is instrumental in helping other medical professionals deliver accurate diagnoses, develop treatment plans, and determine results.
Find out more through the Australian Society of Medical Imaging and Radiation.
7. Chiropractor
Chiropractors diagnose and offer treatment for back pain and disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
In Australia, chiropractors work within a regulated segment of the healthcare system, helping individuals with various conditions, including acute or chronic back or neck pain, posture, chronic migraines or headaches, and poor mobility overall.
They can work with other therapeutic and health professionals to provide rehabilitation plans to help individuals live pain-free lives.
Find out more through the Australian Chiropractors Association website.
8. Occupational Therapist
Occupational therapists support overall health and well-being by enabling individuals and patients to participate in everyday activities.
They generally work to support individuals with varying disabilities to identify and implement the resources and methods needed to help them carry out things such as self-care activities and preparing food, getting to school or work safely, participating in social activities, or caring for others such as new baby or elderly parent.
Find out more through Occupational Therapy Australia.
9. Audiologist
Audiologists help individuals experiencing hearing-related conditions, including hearing loss and balance disorders.
They work to analyse, assess and diagnose potential hearing issues and provide solutions, which could include hearing aids and related technology to support patients’ health and recovery.
Find out more through Audiology Australia.
10. Ophthalmologist
Ophthalmologists handle all the medical aspects of eye care, including diagnoses, assessment, treatment, surgery, and post-surgery care.
While they can also prescribe glasses and contact lenses, they differ from opticians. They may see patients with more significant eye conditions that need regular health checks, interventions, or medication.
Find out more through Optometry Australia.
Ready to Find Out More?
This list is barely beginning to scratch the surface! We haven’t even started to cover the research, technology, and operational support side (there really is unlimited potential here!).
Our employer partner network is your best way to keep learning about this incredible industry. We’re partnering with the likes of I-MED Radiology, Life Without Barriers, HammondCare, Opal, Cochlear, and Peter Mac – to name a few – to bring you the latest industry updates and career opportunities!
Alongside our Healthcare Industry Profile, everything you need to get started is right here at Explore Careers.
