Healthcare career Paths
This healthcare professional diagnoses illnesses, prescribes medications, and completes residency training after medical school.
What is a physician (MD/DO)?
Factors like housing, transportation, education, and food access are known as the social ________ of health.
What are determinants?
his measurement is often written as two numbers, like 120/80.
What is blood pressure?
This standardized exam is required for most U.S. medical schools.
What is the MCAT?
Making eye contact, listening actively, and not interrupting are examples of good ________ skills.
What is communication?
This provider practices medicine in collaboration with physicians and completes PA school instead of medical school.
What is a Physician Assistant (PA)?
When a patient cannot understand discharge instructions because the language is too complex, this barrier is called low health ________.
What is health literacy?
The “HR” in vital signs stands for this.
What is heart rate?
Shadowing helps students do this before applying to healthcare programs.
What is observe healthcare professionals / learn about the role?
Arriving on time, dressing appropriately, and being respectful all show this.
What is professionalism?
This nursing role is an advanced practice provider who can diagnose, treat, and often prescribe medication.
What is a Nurse Practitioner (NP)?
This term describes unfair and avoidable differences in health outcomes between groups.
What are health disparities (or inequities)?
This instrument is used to listen to heart and lung sounds.
What is a stethoscope?
A strong personal statement should explain your motivation for healthcare and show, not just ________.
What is tell?
This communication technique asks a patient to repeat instructions back in their own words to confirm understanding.
What is teach-back?
This healthcare professional evaluates medication regimens for safety, dosing, and drug interactions, and may work on hospital rounds with the care team.
What is a pharmacist (PharmD)?
A hospital finds that one patient group has higher readmission rates even after adjusting for diagnosis severity. This suggests a possible issue with healthcare ________ or systemic barriers.
What is inequity (or disparities in care)?
A pulse oximeter estimates the percentage of hemoglobin saturated with oxygen. This vital sign is commonly abbreviated as ________.
What is SpO₂ (oxygen saturation)?
This centralized application service is commonly used for most U.S. DO (osteopathic medical) programs.
What is AACOMAS?
In healthcare, keeping patient information private is an ethical responsibility and also tied to this federal privacy law acronym.
What is HIPAA?
Unlike physicians, PAs and NPs are often described as “advanced practice providers.” Name one major difference in training model between PA and NP education.
What is PA training follows a medical model, while NP training follows a nursing model?
This concept refers to how overlapping identities (such as race, gender, income, disability, or immigration status) can shape a person’s health risks and healthcare experiences.
What is intersectionality?
A patient’s blood pressure is 88/54 and they report dizziness when standing. This finding may suggest low blood pressure, also called ________.
What is hypotension?
In an interview, giving a specific example of conflict resolution, leadership, or failure using a clear structure is often best done with this 4-letter response format.
What is STAR?
(Situation, Task, Action, Result)
This type of bias happens when a healthcare provider’s automatic, unconscious assumptions affect communication or decision-making, even if they do not intend harm.
What is implicit bias?