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Digital Health Applications

Obtaining the Basic Science Background You Need To Become an Allied-Health Practitioner

Students preparing for traditional STEM college programs such as engineering, microbiology, or pre-med will typically follow a rigorous path to obtain the prerequisite math and science background for their chosen careers. Students choosing to go into the allied-health fields, however, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, nutrition, radiography, massage therapy, and osteopathy, may not always follow a similar path leading up to college or professional program admission. For anyone who is interested in becoming an allied-health practitioner, obtaining a basic science background is an essential part of career preparation. As a first step, consider taking advantage of the many educational resources available through the various media that are a part of our daily lives. Just a few examples are: documentaries and series such as "NOVA" and "Nature;" the journals Science and Nature; YouTube channels such as “Physics Girl” and "Crash Course Physics" (as well as other Crash Course channels); a myriad of science blogs on the web; and popular, non-fiction scientific literature, such as the books by Oliver Sacks and Stephen Hawking, just to name a few. If you choose to go the reading route, don’t overlook the importance of engaging in critical reading. For instance, don’t let your eyes glaze over equations; instead substitute the full names of the parameters for the symbols as you read them, and state the relationships as words; for example, "Acceleration is directly proportional to force and inversly proportional to mass" (F = m * a) . Also, don't skip over new vocabulary words, but turn each encounter with an unfamiliar term into a learning opportunity by, you guessed it, “googling” it! There are just so many ways to incorporate learning into everyday experiences.

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