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Health care jobs are the hottest career going right now.

Okay, we all know that if you study medicine, you can eventually become a doctor or a nurse. When it comes to health care jobs, this seems to be the only two things that pop into most people's minds.

However, there is actually a very wide array of career opportunities for those who want to take up health care without necessarily going through the long years of intensive study required to become even a general practitioner type of doctor, much less a specialist. Here are some of the other types of jobs available in the health care industry that you may want to look into.

Physical Therapist - as a physical therapist, your main job description is all about helping people who have physical motor impairments for one reason or another. It can range from teaching someone just recently crippled in the leg to walk again, to assisting a man with a broken shoulder learn to use his arm.

Physical therapists are also versed in massage, so you'll have to be very good with your hands. Generally, physical therapy is an occupation taken by those who love living active lives, and want to help others get their bodies in working order again after an injury.

Pharmacology and Pharmaceutics - this is all about those little pills and syrups that patients hate with a passion. The studies of pharmacology and pharmaceuticals has to do mostly with memorization and practical logic. If you want to help heal people but can't stand the sight of blood or know that you're fumble fingered and will most likely stab yourself with a needle, then this is the job for you. A keen memory that lets you know which medicines are especially helpful for which ailments, and a good logical mind for mixing and matching your concoctions are the best tools for this trade.

Sports Science and Kinesthetics - this is one field of health care jobs that has less to do with repair, and more to do with development and preventive maintenance. Sports scientists and kinesthologists are closely related to physical therapists in that the body's motor functions are their prime area of study. However, instead of repairing damage to injured limbs and such, they work with optimizing the athletic capabilities of their patients, with an eye towards functionality and health.

Dietologist - this is an often overlooked area of health care jobs that is vital despite it's lack of acclaim. Dieticians help analyze the eating habits of their patients and recommend the healthiest possible eating habits for them. On a light note, dietitians most commonly see patients whose main problems are either obesity or being underweight.

In these simple cases, balancing their patient's diet is enough to get them fixed up. On a more serious note, dietitians can also expect to encounter patients whose eating habits are affected by physical disorders like diabetes or allergies, and have to recommend diets for them that will allow them to keep a comparatively balanced nutrition despite the restrictions placed on them by their ailments.

Rehabilitative Therapist - this is a type of therapist specializing in the treatment of people who were hooked on cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs. A combination of skills go into this, ranging from simple herbal medicinal treatment, to physical therapy geared towards alleviating withdrawal symptoms, to psychology. Rehabilitative therapists are rare, simply because most rehab clinics are government or charity sponsored, so the pay isn't all that high. However, the real reward comes from each life changed for the better.

Midwifery - lastly, another health care job that people often overlook is midwifery. This is simply specializing in helping women through childbirth. In ancient times, midwifery was restricted to helping women during the actual act of delivering the baby. In modern times, midwifery has expanded to include dietary and medicinal tips for pregnant women, and both physical and psychological therapy for women during conception and after birth.

These are just some of the major health care jobs available for those who want to help other people, but have always been reluctant due to the belief that if you study medicine, you wind up having to go through years of training and becoming a doctor. The human body is an infinitely complex machine, so it's only logical that there have to be people to take care of the small things as well as the large when it comes to healing and staying healthy.

Monica Nelson writes about health topics, about womens health questions issues, and about specific topics such as online nursing schools and online nursing degrees. These health articles are provided as a helpful news service and are not to be considered medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about health issues.