HLT-313V Topic 1 DQ1

Select and profile (a) a high-level job position you aspire to secure in your chosen allied health field and (b) a same-level position in a different and unrelated allied health care field. What educational and professional qualifications must an individual in each of these positions possess? What is the typical career path to arrive at each position? Compare and contrast the responsibilities of each position with regard to workplace safety, risk management, and/or quality of service, and identify one element from each career path that might benefit the other.

Solution

Based on my allied health field of Radiology, a high-level job position I would like to profile is Radiology Physician Assistant. To become a radiology PA, a bachelors degree in science is required to enroll in to PA school. Bachelors in science could be obtained with two years. PA school usually takes 2 years as well. As a radiology PA, I could work in interventional radiology, and in Washington, the average annual salary for an Interventional Radiology Physician Assistant (IR PA) is around $136, 152 with salaries ranging from $113,300 to $153,500, and top earners potentially making $178,383. I have shadowed in Interventional Radiology quite a bit and this would be an exciting field to get in to and advance in.

An unrelated career that I would consider is Occupational Therapy. To become an occupational therapist, a bachelors degree in required to then take the next step, a Masters degree in Occupational Therapy. After taking the state board exam for occupation therapy, a specialty can be chosen and you can begin to practice. In Washington State, the average annual salary for an occupational therapist is around $106,888, with hourly wages averaging $51. Top earners can make over $139,875 annually, while those at the 25th percentile earn around $91,200.

Just like any medical profession, both of the careers have some risk. I would say though working in the interventional radiology lab carries more risk, due to the nature and the scope of work. Each profession has slightly different approaches to medicine, where IR could get more invasive and fix issues from within, while OT tries to correct issues without getting invasive.

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Interventional Radiology Physician Assistant Salary in Washington. (2025). Zip Recruiter. https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Interventional-Radiology-Physician-Assistant-Salary–in-Washington#:~:text=As%20of%20Mar%209%2C%202025%2C%20the%20average,Assistant%20in%20Washington%20is%20$136%2C152%20a%20year.&text=While%20ZipRecruiter%20is%20seeing%20salaries%20as%20high,(90th%20percentile)%20making%20$178%2C383%20annually%20in%20Washington.

Radiology Physician Assistant Career Guide. (2025). Vivian. https://www.vivian.com/explore/physician-assistant/radiology/

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