AHP Careers
Diagnostic Radiography
Diagnostic radiographers use the latest technology to look inside the body in different ways.
Working life
You’ll use a range of imaging technology and techniques to work out what disease or condition is causing a patient’s illness, including:
- x-ray to look through tissues to examine bones, cavities and foreign objects
- fluoroscopy to see a real time image of the digestive system
- CT (computed tomography) which provides views of cross-sections of the body
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to build a 2D or 3D map of the different tissue types within the body
- ultrasound to check circulation and examine the heart as well as in antenatal work
- angiography to investigate blood vessels
See our information about non-ionising imaging, which includes MRI and ultrasound.
And watch this video which covers what both diagnostic radiographers and therapeutic radiographers do.
You’ll provide a service for most departments within the hospital including accident and emergency.
In the NHS, you’re likely to work in the radiology and imaging departments of hospitals to capture, interpret images and report your findings. You’ll provide a service for most departments within the hospital including accident and emergency, outpatients, operating theatres and wards. You may work in private clinics and hospitals.
As well working with other health professionals including healthcare scientists working in non-ionising imaging, you may supervise the work of radiography assistants or imaging support assistants.
Want to know more?
*Information taken from Health Careers website
Dietetics
Dietitians translate the science of nutrition into everyday information about food.
Working life
You’ll advise people and help them make informed and practical choices about their food and nutrition. You’ll assess, diagnose and treat dietary and nutritional problems. You’ll also teach and inform the public and health professionals about diet and nutrition. Your aim is to promote good health and prevent disease in individuals and communities.
Dietitians are skilled at translating scientific and medical research related to food and health into practical guidance for the general public.
In the NHS, you’ll work in hospitals or in the community. However, outside the NHS, dietitians also work in the food industry, education, sport, media, public relations, publishing or research. Some work on a freelance basis.
You’ll work with individuals and communities with both healthy and sick people.
You could, for example, work with people who:
- have digestive problems
- want to lose weight
- need to put on weight after an illness
- have HIV
- have an eating disorder
- want to improve their sports performance
- have an allergy.
As well as working with other health professionals and nutritionists, you may supervise the work of dietetic assistants. Dietitians and nutritionists have different roles and training and are regulated by different bodies.
Want to know more?
*Information taken from Health Careers website
Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy is an exciting and varied career. It offers you the chance to make a difference, a high degree of flexibility and excellent employment prospects. You’ll work with patients every day to help improve their care and their lives.
Working life
You’ll work with people who have difficulties carrying out these activities because of disability, illness, trauma, ageing, and a range of long term conditions.
“Occupational therapy allows you to make a difference to people’s lives across the community which is something that really appeals to me about the career.” Rachel Rule, occupational therapy student.
What you’ll do as an occupational therapist
You’ll see a huge variety of patients and help them with many different issues as an occupational therapist. Some examples of things you might work on include:
- helping someone adapt to life after major surgery
- helping people suffering from mental illness get back into everyday activities such as work or volunteering
- helping elderly people stay in their own homes by providing adaptations such as level access showers or stair lifts
Variety is one of the most exciting things about being an occupational therapist. As well as seeing different patients and conditions you’ll also have the opportunity to work in a multi-disciplinary team in a range of settings from hospitals and clinics to charities, prisons and social services departments
You’ll find solutions to everyday problems, for example:
- advising on how to approach a task differently
- using equipment or assistive technology
- adapting the living or working environment
- finding strategies to meet an individual’s goals
Illness, injury, disability or ageing can make ordinary tasks such daily care (washing, dressing, eating), work or education and leisure harder to do. You’ll help people find ways to continue with activities that are important to them. This might involve learning new ways to do things, or making changes to their environment to make things easier.
As well as working with individual patients and their families, occupational therapists work with groups. They work in teams with other health professionals. They may also supervise the work of occupational therapy support workers.
How to become an occupational therapist
To become an occupational therapist you’ll need to train and study at undergraduate degree level (through a full-time course or degree apprenticeship) or if you already have a relevant degree, at Masters level through a 2-year accelerated programme. Entry requirements vary depending on where you’d like to study. You can search for occupational therapy courses using our Course Finder tool.
Find out more about entry requirements and training to become an occupational therapist
“Helping to find solutions and deliver therapy that improves children’s health and quality of life is really satisfying.” Anne Gordon, paediatric occupational therapist
Want to know more?
*Information taken from Health Careers website
Operating Department Practitioner
Operating Department Practitioners work with patients of all ages and are involved in each phase of a person’s operation.
Working life
You’ll provide high standards of skilled care and support during each phase of a patient’s perioperative care – anaesthetic, surgical and recovery.
You’ll have an important role in three of the phases of perioperative care:
You’ll be primarily employed within operating theatres but increasingly in other critical care areas of a hospital.
The anaesthetic phase
You’ll:
- assist the patient prior to surgery and provide individualised care
- need an ability to communicate and work effectively within a team
- undertake a role which will involve many clinical skills, such as the preparation of a wide range of specialist equipment and drugs. This includes; anaesthetic machines, intravenous equipment and devices to safely secure the patient’s airway during anaesthesia
The surgical phase
You’ll play an important part of the surgery team and will:
- prepare all the necessary instruments and equipment for the operations, including microscopes, lasers and endoscopes
- provide the correct surgical instruments and materials to the surgeon
- be responsible for surgical instruments, equipment and swabs during the operation
- act as a link between the surgical team and other parts of the theatre and hospital
- anticipate the requirements of the surgical team and respond effectively
The recovery phase
You’ll:
- support the patient on their arrival into the recovery unit
- monitor a patient’s physiological parameters
- provide appropriate treatment until the patient has recovered from the effects of the anaesthesia and/or surgery
- assess the patient in order to ensure they can be discharged back to a ward
- evaluate the care given during each phase
Where do ODPs work?
You’ll be primarily employed within operating theatres but increasingly in other critical care areas of a hospital.
ODPs also manage the preparation of the environment, equipment and act as the link between the surgical team and other parts of the operating theatre and hospital. They must be able to anticipate the requirements of the surgical team and respond effectively.
How to become an ODP
To become an ODP you’ll need to train and study at degree or diploma level. Entry requirements vary depending on where you’d like to study. You can find the ODP course to suit you using our Course Finder tool.
Want to know more?
*Information taken from Health Careers website
Orthoptist
Orthoptist specialise in diagnosing and managing eye conditions, in a wide age range of patients, that largely affect eye movements, visual development or the way the eyes work together.
Working life
Orthoptics is an exciting and varied career. It offers you the chance to make a difference, a high degree of flexibility and excellent employment prospects. You’ll work with patients every day to help improve their care and their lives.
Orthoptists investigate, diagnose and treat defects of binocular vision and abnormalities of eye movement. For example, they may deal with:
- misalignment of the eyes (strabismus or squint)
- double vision (diplopia)
- reduced vision (amblyopia)
What you’ll do as an orthoptist
You’ll see a huge variety of patients and help them with many different issues as an orthoptist. Some examples of things you might work on include:
- assessing the vision of babies and small children including children with special needs
- ensuring speedy rehabilitation of patients who have suffered stroke or brain injuries
- diagnosing and monitoring long term eye conditions such as glaucoma
Variety is one of the most exciting things about being an orthoptist. As well as seeing different patients and conditions you’ll also have the opportunity to work independently as well as part of a multi-disciplinary team including consultant eye surgeons (ophthalmologists), optometrists and nurses.
Treatments can include eye patches, glasses or exercises. Some eye problems, such as double vision, may be indicators of other health problems including multiple sclerosis or tumour. You’ll play an important part in spotting these serious conditions.
Most orthoptists work in the NHS. You may work in an eye hospital, hospital eye department or a community health centre. You may also visit schools, including special schools. Outside the NHS, you may work in private clinics.
You’ll work independently or with other eye specialists such as consultant eye surgeons (ophthalmologists), optometrists and nurses. You may work in multidisciplinary teams dealing with, for example, children or stroke patients.
How to become an orthoptist
To become an orthoptist you’ll need to train and study for an undergraduate degree. Entry requirements vary depending on where you’d like to study. You can find the orthoptics course to suit you using our Course Finder tool.
Want to know more?
*Information taken from Health Careers website
TBC
Paramedic Science
Paramedics have a highly responsible role, often being the senior ambulance service healthcare professional in a range of emergency and non-emergency situations. You will be one of the first healthcare professionals to arrive at the scene.
Working life
Paramedics are usually the senior member of a two-person ambulance crew, with an emergency care assistant or technician to support them.
“Most of all, I love the feeling that I’ve helped others in their moment of need”
Or you might work on your own, using a motorbike, emergency response car or a bicycle to reach your patients. You might also work to provide advice over the telephone from a control room or clinical ‘hub’.
You will assess the patient’s condition and make potentially life-saving decisions about whether the patient can be treated at the scene or transferred to hospital. In non-life-threatening situations, you’ll use your professional judgement to make key clinical decisions.
In an emergency, you’ll use high-tech equipment such as defibrillators (which restore the heart’s rhythm), spinal and traction splints and intravenous drips, as well as administering oxygen and drugs.
You will be trained to drive what is in effect a mobile emergency clinic and to resuscitate and/or stabilise patients using sophisticated techniques, equipment and drugs. For example, you might be called out to someone who has fallen from scaffolding or an elderly person with a suspected stroke.
You will be trained to resuscitate and/or stabilise patients using sophisticated techniques, equipment and drugs.
As well as contact with your patients, you will also deal with their relatives and friends and members of the public, some of whom might be highly distressed or aggressive. You will also often work alongside the police and fire and rescue services.
Based at a local ambulance station, you will work shifts, including evenings and weekends, going out in all weathers at all hours of the night or day. You will work closely with other healthcare teams in the community, such as:
- GPs
- occupational therapists
- mental health teams
- diabetes specialists
- doctors and nurses in hospital emergency departments
During your career, you may have the opportunity to undertake further higher education to progress to one of the roles for experienced paramedics.
Want to know more?
*Information taken from Health Careers website
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapists work with people to help with a range of problems which affect movement using exercise, massage and other techniques.
Working life
You’ll help and treat people with physical problems caused by illness, injury, disability or ageing. You’ll see human movement as central to the health and wellbeing of individuals so they aim to identify and maximise movement. As well as treating people, you promote good health and advise people on how to avoid injury.
You’ll treat many types of conditions, such as:
- neurological (stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s)
- neuromusculoskeletal (back pain, whiplash associated disorder, sports injuries, arthritis)
- cardiovascular (chronic heart disease, rehabilitation after heart attack)
- respiratory (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis)
Once they have diagnosed the client’s movement problem, you’ll then work with the patient to decide how to treat it. This could include:
- manual therapy (such as massage)
- therapeutic exercise
- electrotherapy (such as ultrasound, heat or cold)
In the NHS, you may work in hospitals where you’re needed in nearly every department. In intensive care, for example, you’re needed for round-the-clock chest physiotherapy to keep unconscious patients breathing.
You may also work in:
- outpatients’ departments
- women’s health
- elderly care
- stroke services
- orthopaedics
- mental health and learning disability services
- occupational health
- paediatrics
More physiotherapy is also being delivered in the local community so you could be based in health centres and treat patients in their own homes, nursing homes, day centres or schools.
You could also work outside the NHS, for example in:
- private hospitals and clinics
- sports clubs and gyms
- private practice
Wherever you work, you can choose from a range of equipment to use with patients such as gyms, hydrotherapy and high-tech equipment for specialist therapy.
You may work alone or in a team alongside health and/or social care professionals. Depending on where you work, this could include occupational therapists, GPs, health visitors, district nurses and social workers. You may supervise the work of support workers such as physiotherapy assistants.
Outside the NHS, you could work with sports coaches or personal trainers.
Want to know more?
*Information taken from Health Careers website
Podiatry
Podiatry is an exciting and varied career. It offers you the chance to make a difference, a high degree of flexibility and excellent employment prospects. You’ll work with patients every day to help improve their care and their lives.
Working life
You’ll work with people who have difficulties carrying out these activities because of disability, illness, trauma, ageing, and a range of long term conditions.
“Occupational therapy allows you to make a difference to people’s lives across the community which is something that really appeals to me about the career.” Rachel Rule, occupational therapy student.
What you’ll do as an occupational therapist
You’ll see a huge variety of patients and help them with many different issues as an occupational therapist. Some examples of things you might work on include:
- helping someone adapt to life after major surgery
- helping people suffering from mental illness get back into everyday activities such as work or volunteering
- helping elderly people stay in their own homes by providing adaptations such as level access showers or stair lifts
Variety is one of the most exciting things about being an occupational therapist. As well as seeing different patients and conditions you’ll also have the opportunity to work in a multi-disciplinary team in a range of settings from hospitals and clinics to charities, prisons and social services departments
You’ll find solutions to everyday problems, for example:
- advising on how to approach a task differently
- using equipment or assistive technology
- adapting the living or working environment
- finding strategies to meet an individual’s goals
Illness, injury, disability or ageing can make ordinary tasks such daily care (washing, dressing, eating), work or education and leisure harder to do. You’ll help people find ways to continue with activities that are important to them. This might involve learning new ways to do things, or making changes to their environment to make things easier.
As well as working with individual patients and their families, occupational therapists work with groups. They work in teams with other health professionals. They may also supervise the work of occupational therapy support workers.
How to become an occupational therapist
To become an occupational therapist you’ll need to train and study at undergraduate degree level (through a full-time course or degree apprenticeship) or if you already have a relevant degree, at Masters level through a 2-year accelerated programme. Entry requirements vary depending on where you’d like to study. You can search for occupational therapy courses using our Course Finder tool.
Find out more about entry requirements and training to become an occupational therapist
“Helping to find solutions and deliver therapy that improves children’s health and quality of life is really satisfying.” Anne Gordon, paediatric occupational therapist
Want to know more?
*Information taken from Health Careers website
Speech & Language Therapist
Speech & Language Therapy is an exciting and varied career. It offers you the chance to make a difference, a high degree of flexibility and excellent employment prospects. You’ll work with patients every day to help improve their care and their lives.
Working life
Speech and language therapists provide life-changing treatment, support and care for children and adults who have difficulties with communication, or with eating, drinking and swallowing.You’ll help people who, for physical or psychological reasons, have problems speaking and communicating. Patients range from children whose speech is slow to develop, to older people whose ability to speak has been impaired by illness or injury. It also includes treatment for those who have difficulty with eating or swallowing.
What you’ll do as a speech and language therapist
You’ll see a huge variety of patients and help them with many different issues as a speech and language therapist. Some examples of things you might work on include:
- helping adults and children with learning difficulties communicate with others
- helping people overcome their stammering
- helping adults with speech difficulties as a result of head, neck or throat cancer
Variety is one of the most exciting things about being a speech and language therapist. As well as seeing different patients and conditions you’ll also have the opportunity to work in a multi-disciplinary team in a range of settings from hospitals to community clinics to the homes of patients.
You’ll also help children with:
- mild, moderate or severe learning difficulties
- physical disabilities
- language delay
- specific difficulties in producing sounds
- hearing impairment
- cleft lip and palate
- stammering
- autism/social interaction difficulties
- dyslexia
- voice disorders
- selective mutism
- mental health
- developmental language disorder.
You’ll help adults with:
- communication or eating and swallowing problems following neurological impairments and degenerative conditions, including stroke, head injury, Parkinson’s disease and dementia
- voice problems
- mental health issues
- learning difficulties
- physical disabilities
- stammering
- hearing impairment
You would also work closely with teachers and other health professionals, such as doctors, nurses and psychologists. They may also supervise the work of speech and language therapy assistants.
How to become a speech and language therapist
To become a speech and language therapist you’ll need to train and study at degree or postgraduate level. Entry requirements vary depending on where you’d like to study. You can find the speech and language therapy course to suit you using our Course Finder tool. A degree apprenticeship standard has also been approved.
Want to know more?
*Information taken from Health Careers website