I am pleased to welcome you to the eighth edition of North Carolina Health Careers. The North Carolina AHEC (Area Health Education Center) Program has produced this resource for the past 18 years in order to provide the latest information about educational requirements for health careers, North Carolina schools offering degree programs in the health fields, information on scholarships available in the state, and much more. In every listing of the hottest jobs in the U.S. over the next decade, jobs in the health field are some of the ones expected to grow the fastest.
     North Carolina Health Careers is only one of many resources available to you through the NC AHEC Program. If you are considering a career in a health field, I encourage you to contact the AHEC regional center that serves your county. The director of Health Careers and Workforce Diversity at that AHEC can help arrange your visit to a health care facility or introduce you to a health professional in your field of interest. If you are a teacher or counselor and would like to plan an educational program or request additional information, please contact your AHEC.
     Many people were involved in the production and distribution of this manual. The directors and staff of the AHECs, the staff of the NC Department of Public Instruction, and our colleagues at the NC Community College System have been essential to this effort through their work in distributing the manual to their constituents throughout the state. College Foundation of North Carolina provided the financial aid section and other information for the manual, and dozens of expert readers, photographers, and health care professionals who appear in our pages made important contributions to the overall effort. Additional sources include the National Health Council’s 300 Ways to Put Your Talent to Work in the Health Field and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook.
     Again, I hope you will find this an important resource as you explore opportunities in the health care field.

      Thomas J. Bacon, DrPH
      Director, NC AHEC Program
      Executive Associate Dean, UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine