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Allied health is an umbrella term that encompasses a wide variety of assistive and therapeutic services. Unlike medical and nursing specialists, these professionals help deliver health-related services outside a doctor’s office or hospital.

Allied health professionals may work in a clinical setting. They can also work in public health and public health administration in roles such as public health officer and health education specialist, among others. Basically, they promote health and wellness in support of patient well-being.

Sometimes, allied health goals are preventive. Other times, they are to restore or maintain a high level of health among a particular subset of patients. These health professionals handle a variety of responsibilities each day, although their proximity to patients and the community will likely dictate the general nature of what they do. Their responsibilities contribute to the overall health of patients and can include the following:

• Take patient vitals — Measure basic bodily functions, including body temperature, pulse and respiratory rate.
• Accommodate disabilities — Practice empathy and sensitivity when speaking with or providing care for patients with disabilities.
• Operate medical technology — Use a medical device when providing patient care.
• Stock medical supplies — Maintain sufficient medical supplies for use during an assessment, test, diagnostic procedure or treatment, or any other phase of patient care, preparation or cleanup.
• Provide corrective or rehabilitative services — Use best practices in offering treatment for patients who have an injury, illness or disability.
• Educate patients — Provide supplementary education to inform patients of their responsibilities in the treatment or recovery process.

The exact tasks depend on the position. 

Health practitioners are individuals who have a professional license to provide healthcare services directly to patients; e.g., doctors, dentists, nurses and pharmacists. Allied health professionals are a broad category of healthcare workers who provide support services. They can be physical therapists, occupational therapists, public health workers and more. The primary difference? The scope of practice and services provided.

Generally speaking, education requirements for allied health professionals vary depending on their role within the healthcare system. For many public health-centered roles, a Bachelor of Science in Health Management is often helpful for teaching skills like decision-making and compliance. Online programs can help prepare for a career in management once someone feels ready to move on from a current healthcare role without sacrificing career or work-life balance.

These careers can fall into the category of public health.

Some allied health careers focus more on leadership and less on patient-facing experiences. For professionals who want to focus heavily on an administrative or support capacity, consider the following roles:

• Public health administrator
• Public health program manager
• Health education specialist
• Public health officer
• Community health program coordinator

Public health administrators seek to improve the welfare of their communities. They also run organizations that help promote information about health.

Many public health administrators work in the government sector, although others may be employed by nonprofit or educational institutions.

Most public health administrators have a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, although many find a master’s degree is preferable. While not public health specific, healthcare administrators in some sectors earned between  as of May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Salary ranges are not specific to students or graduates of �鶹��ý. Actual outcomes vary based on multiple factors, including prior work experience, geographic location and other factors specific to the individual. �鶹��ý does not guarantee employment, salary level or career advancement. BLS data is geographically based. Information for a specific state/city can be researched on the BLS website.

Public health program managers play a crucial role in the healthcare sector by overseeing, planning and implementing public health services and programs. They have broad, multifaceted responsibilities, sometimes managing staff, coordinating public health initiatives and evaluating program effectiveness.

Public health program managers typically have a bachelor’s degree in public health or a related field, but some organizations may prefer candidates to have a master’s degree. Salary data from BLS for public health program managers is not currently available.

Health education specialists spend most of their time assessing community health needs and devising programs to help meet those needs. They also provide training for community health workers or other healthcare providers. Health education specialists can work in various settings, including hospitals, nonprofits and public health departments.

Most health education specialists have at least a bachelor’s degree in health education or promotion. Some roles require a master’s or doctoral degree. As of May 2025, health education specialists earned between , according to BLS.

Public health officers act as the face of government agencies or other large institutions, like hospitals, universities and municipal departments. Their job primarily involves sharing information with the public or media during health crises, but other responsibilities include developing guidelines and preparing materials to share specific health information.

Public health officers typically are required to have a relevant bachelor’s degree. Having formal healthcare training and expertise may help as well. It’s difficult to nail down earning potential for this role because of the various job duties it entails. Salaries also heavily depend upon location, training and experience.