The physician assistant takes medical histories, performs physical evaluations, orders lab tests, makes preliminary diagnoses, prescribes appropriate treatments, and recommends medications. They also treat minor problems such as lacerations, abrasions, and burns. Family practice, internal and emergency medicine, general and thoracic surgery, pediatrics and other medical subspecialties use physician assistants. This field uses radiant energy for disease diagnosis and treatment. A large portion of radiologic technology is diagnostic imaging.
Specialization includes nuclear medicine, sonography, and radiation therapy.
The respiratory therapist helps those with breathing problems. Besides providing patient care, the therapist may enter research, teaching, management, rehabilitation, or diagnostics. Speech pathologists identify, assess, and treat persons with speech disorders. Audiologists treat hearing impaired individuals. In speech, language, and hearing clinics they may develop and implement a treatment program.