Health Science

About this career cluster: Jobs in this cluster are related to keeping people healthy and treating those who are not healthy.

Examples of jobs in this career cluster:
-Nurse
-Dentist
-Doctor 
-Medical Assistant
-Physical Therapist

Career Interview: Mariagracia Rivas, Music Therapist; Children's National Hospital in the Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders 

Career Interview: Anne Gutierrez, Pediatric Nurse; INOVA Loudoun Hospital  

What did you want to be when grew up when you were in elementary school?
I wanted to be a doctor.

What are some things you do in a day at work?
I give kids medicine to make them better, I sometimes listen to their hearts and lungs, and I make sure that they’re feeling okay. I also teach them about their disease (like if they have asthma I teach them about how to handle it), I make sure they feel comfortable and work with their parents and caregivers. I make sure that they have toys to play with and movies to watch and if they need anything that we can help them with it. 

What is your favorite part of your job?
Getting to know kids and seeing them when they first come into the hospital when they don’t feel good and then seeing them when they’re ready to go home and feeling much better with a smile on their face

What kind of training do you need to do your job?
To be a nurse you have to go to nursing school, which is usually 4 years of college or sometimes you can do it in 2 years with an Associates degree. For pediatric nursing you have to do some extra training and spend 6 months being an intern on a pediatric unit under someone else’s supervision 

What kind of qualities does someone need to have to be successful in your job?
The biggest thing to be successful is that you care about people and want to make them feel better.