A bachelor of health science degree is designed to move you towards a senior position in health care. But that can mean a lot of different jobs, depending on where your interest lies.

Colleges offer a wide variety of Bachelor of Science (BS) or Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees in health science. While BS degrees generally lean a bit more toward clinical health care and the BA involves studying more of the broader humanities subjects, there’s actually a good deal of overlap between the two. Both types of bachelor of health science degrees are popular with students who already have some experience in health care and want to move into a new specialty or simply move up into a more managerial position. Many schools, in fact, call these “completion” degrees, and design them for students who already have an associate’s degree or some college credits completed.

Below are some of the professions you can take out of your Health Science Degree:

Anaesthetists

Anaesthetists administer different forms of anaesthetics to make patients unaware and free of pain during and after surgical procedures. Anaesthetists may also specialize in intensive care or pain medicine. They consult patients to ascertain their history in respect of allergies, previous reactions to anaesthetics and current medication and then monitor patients throughout the medical procedure and their recovery from the anaesthetic. They also follow up on patients' immediate post-operative recovery to establish whether the anaesthetic is causing any adverse side effects.

Chiropractors

Chiropractors diagnose and treat patients, usually with manipulation, with health problems associated with the neuro-musculo-skeletal system. It is believed that interference with this system impairs the normal functions of the body and lowers its resistance to disease. They first take their patients' medical histories. Diet, exercise, lifestyle and hereditary factors are considered when diagnosing and treating dysfunctions and imbalances of the nervous, skeletal and muscular systems. They examine the patient physically, sometimes using x-rays. Spinal analysis and neurological tests are essential components in the treatment of patients.

Dieticians

Dieticians, also known as nutritionists, apply the science of human nutrition to influence the eating behaviour of individuals, groups and communities, and select food to promote and maintain health and to prevent and treat illness and disease. Nutritionists are usually limited to advising the general public about correct eating habits for health. Dietitians use their skills and knowledge to modify diets in order to treat medical conditions.

Health inspectors

Health inspectors' work includes the supervision and safeguarding of environmental sanitation, food, water supplies, housing conditions and the prevention of disease. It is their duty to: ensure a safe water, milk and food supplies; inspect establishments where food, drugs and cosmetics are made, handled, stored, sold or conveyed; investigate the structural and sanitary conditions of premises, personal cleanliness and handling of products; inspect non-food business premises and private premises, and carry out slum clearance and pest control.

Optometrists

Optometrists specifically deal with human vision and aim to give patients clear and normal eyesight. They measure the efficiency of their patient's eyes and where necessary, take steps to improve or prevent deterioration of vision. They examine eyes for vision problems, disease and other abnormal conditions and test for proper depth and colour perception and the ability to focus and coordinate the eyes. Optometrists specialize in visual defects of the physiological healthy eye. They are able to prescribe spectacles or contact lenses to rectify or alleviate visual defects such as far-sightedness, short-sightedness, astigmatism (image distortion) and presbyopia (far-sightedness as the result of age). They may prescribe corrective eye exercises or other treatment not requiring drugs or surgery. They may also give advice on environmental factors which affect visual efficiency. They evaluate the specific needs, working demands and hobbies of their patients in order to prescribe the most suitable correction.