Acupuncture is a technique of inserting and manipulating needles into "acupuncture points" on the body. According to acupunctural teachings, this technique restores health and well-being, and is particularly good at treating pain. The definition and characterization of these points is standardized by the World Health Organization. Acupuncture is thought to have originated in China and is most commonly associated with Traditional Chinese medicine. Other types of acupuncture (Japanese, Korean, and classical Chinese acupuncture) are practiced and taught throughout the world.

Architecture is the art and science of designing buildings and structures. A wider definition would include within its scope also the design of the total built environment, from the macro-level of town planning, urban design, and landscape architecture to the micro-level of creating furniture. Architectural design usually must address both feasibility and cost for the builder, as well as function and aesthetics for the user.

Athletic Training is an allied health care profession recognized by the American Medical Association (AMA) that specializes in the prevention, evaluation, treatment, management and rehabilitation of athletic related injuries and illnesses.

Audiology is the science of hearing and the study of hearing loss. It encompasses aspects such as acoustics, noise pollution, diseases and defects of the ear, and the effect of hearing loss on the child's development of speech and language. Audiologists are professionals educated in the study of hearing, hearing loss, and rehabilitation of the hearing impaired.

Certified shorthand reporting professionals called "certified shorthand reporters or CSRs" transcribe passages from notes taken of dictated records or legal proceedings. Certified shorthand reporters, who are professionals certifi ed by the New York State Board of Regents, perform a range of services: court reporting, freelance reporting, and real-time reporting such as closed captioning of live events.

A Clinical Laboratory Technologist- is a clinical laboratory practitioner who, pursuant to established and approved protocols of the Department of Health, performs clinical laboratory procedures and examinations and any other tests or procedures conducted by a clinical laboratory, including maintaining equipment and records, and performing quality assurance activities related to examination performance, and which require the exercise of independent judgment and responsibility, as determined by the New York State Education Department.

A Certified Clinical Laboratory Technician means a clinical laboratory practitioner who performs clinical laboratory procedures and examinations pursuant to established and approved protocols of the Department of Health, which require limited exercise of independent judgment and which are performed under the supervision of a clinical laboratory technologist, laboratory supervisor, or director of a clinical laboratory.

Cytology is the study of the formation, structure and function of cells. Cytotechnologists are trained technologists to work with pathologists to detect changes in cellular material from all body sites in the early diagnosis of cancer and other diseases. Physicians use the information supplied by the cytotechnologists to make a diagnosis. Cytotechnologists work with a wide variety of laboratory specimen preparations and a basic knowledge of contemporary procedures and technologies such as image analysis, flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy, molecular diagnostic procedures, and automation. The cytotechnologistÕs role extends beyond the detection of malignancy and includes such issues as quality improvement, laboratory management, teaching, research, and consumer/patient education. They should have excellent concentration and good judgment capabilities.

Dentists restore and maintain dental health by diagnosing and treating, operating on, or prescribing for any disease, pain, injury, deformity or physical condition of the oral and maxillofacial area. In general, this means the teeth, gums, jaws, and other areas of the head and neck as long as the mouth is involved. Under the supervision of a dentist, dental hygienists provide treatment to prevent cavities and gum diseases.

DEFINITION OF PROFESSION-Under the supervision of a dentist, dental hygienists provide treatment to prevent cavities and gum diseases.

Dental assistants perform a variety of patient care, office, and laboratory duties. They work chairside as dentists examine and treat patients. They make patients as comfortable as possible in the dental chair, prepare them for treatment, and obtain their dental records. Assistants hand instruments and materials to dentists and keep patients mouths dry and clear by using suction or other devices. Assistants also sterilize and disinfect instruments and equipment, prepare trays of instruments for dental procedures, and instruct patients on postoperative and general oral health care.

Dietitians and nutritionists plan food and nutrition programs and supervise the preparation and serving of meals. They help to prevent and treat illnesses by promoting healthy eating habits and recommending dietary modifications, such as the use of less salt for those with high blood pressure or the reduction of fat and sugar intake for those who are overweight.

Engineering is the application of science to the needs of humanity.This is accomplished through the application of knowledge, mathematics, and practical experience to the design of useful objects or processes. Professional practitioners of engineering are called engineers.

Interior designers draw upon many disciplines to enhance the function, safety, and aesthetics of interior spaces. Interior designers are concerned with how different colors, textures, furniture, lighting, and space work together to meet the needs of a buildings occupants. Designers are involved in planning the interior spaces of almost all buildings, offices, airport terminals, theaters, shopping malls, restaurants, hotels, schools, hospitals, and private residences. Designers help to improve these spaces in order to boost office productivity, increase sales, attract a more affluent clientele, provide a more relaxing hospital stay, or increase the building's market value.

Surveyors, cartographers, and photogrammetrists are responsible for measuring and mapping the earth's surface.Traditionally, surveyors establish official land, airspace, and water boundaries. They write descriptions of land for deeds, leases, and other legal documents; define airspace for airports; and take measurements of construction and mineral sites. Other surveyors provide data relevant to the shape, contour, location, elevation, or dimension of land or land features. Cartographers compile geographic, political, and cultural information and prepare maps of large areas. Photogrammetrists measure and analyze aerial photographs that are subsequently used to prepare detailed maps and drawings. Surveying and mapping technicians assist these professionals in their duties by collecting data in the field and using it to calculate map-making information for use in performing computations and computer-aided drafting.

DEFINITION OF PROFESSION-Everyone enjoys attractively designed residential areas, public parks and playgrounds, college campuses, shopping centers, golf courses, parkways, and industrial parks. Landscape architects design these areas so that they are not only functional, but also beautiful, and compatible with the natural environment. They plan the location of buildings, roads, and walkways, and the arrangement of flowers, shrubs, and trees.

Massage therapists are licensed health professionals who apply a variety of scientifically developed massage techniques to the soft tissue of the body to improve muscle tone and circulation. Massage therapists work to enhance well-being, reduce the physical and mental effects of stress and tension, prevent disease, and restore health.

Medical physics is a branch of applied physics concerning the application of physics to medicine. It generally concerns physics as applied to medical imaging and radiotherapy, although a medical physicist may also work in many other areas of healthcare. A medical physics department may be based in either a hospital or a university and its work is likely to include research, technical development and clinical healthcare. A medical physicist is a person who applies the principles of physics to direct, contain, and control radiation used for medical purposes. Some of the responsibilities of medical physicists are: protecting patients and others from unsafe and unnecessary exposure to radiation; obtaining high quality images; and delivering the proper dose of radiation to the specified area.

Physicians and surgeons serve a fundamental role in our society and have an effect upon all our lives. They diagnose illnesses and prescribe and administer treatment for people suffering from injury or disease. Physicians examine patients, obtain medical histories, and order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests. They counsel patients on diet, hygiene, and preventive health care.

A physician assistant (P.A.) is a licensed health professional who practices medicine under the supervision of a physician. A physician assistant provides a broad range of health care services that were traditionally performed by a doctor. As part of the physician/P.A. team, a physician assistant exercises considerable autonomy in diagnosing and treating illnesses. What a physician assistant does varies with training, experience, and state laws. In general, P.A.Õs can provide approximately 80 percent of the services typically provided by a family physician. They perform physical exams, diagnose illnesses, develop and carry out treatment plans, order and interpret lab tests, suture wounds, assist in surgery, provide preventive health care counseling, and in 39 states, including Maine, can write prescriptions. A P.A. can do whatever is delegated to him/her by the supervising physician and allowed by law. In most states, a P.A. can treat patients when the physician is away from the practice.

Art therapy is an established mental health profession that uses the creative process of art making to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well-being of individuals of all ages. It is based on the belief that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve insight.

Marriage and family therapists apply principles, methods, and therapeutic techniques to individuals, families, couples, or organizations in order to resolve emotional conflicts. In doing so, they modify people's perceptions and behaviors, enhance communication and understanding among family members, and help to prevent family and individual crises. Marriage and family therapists also may engage in psychotherapy of a nonmedical nature, make appropriate referrals to psychiatric resources, perform research, and teach courses about human development and interpersonal relationships.

A mental health counselor is a professional who provides counseling to individuals, couples, families, groups, or larger systems. A mental health counselor may also have training in educational and vocational counseling (MacCluskie & Ingersoll 2001). A significant point of reference to distinguish Mental Health Counselors from Social Workers, Psychologists, Nurse Practitioners, and Psychiatrists, is that Mental Health Counselors increasingly utilize a wellness model for counseling clients, versus (or in conjunction with) the more traditional medical/ illness model for assessment and diagnosis. Working with clients from a perspective of wellness is defined by emphasizing the strengths present within all people and looking for the positive aspects of the self to enhance life, rather than simply looking at people as having a set of problems that need to be solved.

Psychoanalysis is a family of psychological theories and methods based on the work of Sigmund Freud. As a technique of psychotherapy, psychoanalysis seeks to discover connections among the unconscious components of patientsÕ mental processes. The analystÕs goal is to help liberate the patient from unexamined or unconscious barriers of transference and resistance, that is, past patterns of relating that are no longer serviceable or that inhibit freedom.

As the name "midwife" (meaning "with the wife") suggests, midwives provide care and education for women before, throughout, and after the child-bearing process. The goal of a midwife is to serve the emotional and physical needs of new mothers, fostering in them a sense of self-determination and confidence. Midwives are fully capable of delivering babies under normal birthing circumstances, but usually refer high-risk cases and major complications to obstetricians. The role of the midwife does not stop at delivery, however, as most midwives continue to care for the mother and newborn child for up to six months after birth.

A registered professional nurse (RNs) execute medical regimens as prescribed by licensed physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and podiatrists, and help patients to maintain or re-gain good health. RNs diagnose and treat health problems while performing ongoing health assessments. RNs also teach and counsel on health issues work as members of an interdisciplinary health care team to plan and implement the health care needs of consumers.

A licensed practical nurse (LPN) provides nursing care under the direction of an RN, physician, or other authorized health care provider.

A nurse practitioner is an RN who has earned a special certification through additional education and experience. Nurse practitioners may diagnose, treat, and prescribe within their specialty area of practice. This is done in collaboration with a licensed physician qualified to collaborate in the specialty involved in accordance with an approved written practice agreement and protocols. Nurse practitioners diagnose illnesses and conditions, determine a plan of care including diagnostic tests, and prescribe medicines and interventions.

Occupational therapists (OTs) are licensed rehabilitation care professionals who work to restore or improve physical abilities, promote behavioral changes, adapt surroundings, and teach new skills; the goal is to have the individual achieve her or his best physical and/or mental functioning in daily life tasks. Occupational therapists provide these services on the referral or prescription of a physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner. Occupational therapy assistants provide treatment according to a plan developed by or in collaboration with a licensed occupational therapist. They must work under the supervision of a licensed occupational therapist or a licensed physician.

Occupational therapist assistants and aides work under the direction of occupational therapists to provide rehabilitative services to persons with mental, physical, emotional, or developmental impairments. The ultimate goal is to improve clientsÕ quality of life and ability to perform daily activities. For example, occupational therapist assistants help injured workers re-enter the labor force by teaching them how to compensate for lost motor skills or help individuals with learning disabilities increase their independence.

Optometry (Greek: optos meaning seen or visible and metria meaning measurement) is a health care profession concerned with eyes and related structures, vision, visual system and vision information processing in humans.

Pharmacists are health professionals who practice the art and science of pharmacy. In their traditional role, pharmacists typically take a request for medicines from a prescribing health care provider in the form of a medical prescription and dispense the medication to the patient and counsel them on the proper use and adverse effects of that medication. In this role, pharmacists ensure the safe and effective use of medications. Pharmacists also participate in disease state management, where they optimise and monitor drug therapy; often in collaboration with physicians and/or other health professionals. Pharmacists have many areas of expertise and are a critical source of medical knowledge in clinics, hospitals, and community pharmacies throughout the world.

A physical therapist (PT) is a licensed health care professional who examines and evaluates a patient's condition and then plans and administers treatments to promote optimal health. Physical therapists seek to relieve pain, improve the body's movement and function, maintain cardiopulmonary function, restore, maintain and promote optimal physical function; and limit disabilities resulting from injury or disease.

A physical therapist assistant is a licensed health care professional who provides treatment according to a plan developed by and under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist.

A podiatrist is a doctor of podiatric medicine (DPM) who is a licensed health care professional who diagnoses, treats, operates and prescribes for any disease, injury, deformity, or other condition of the foot.

A psychologist is a health care professional who diagnoses and treats mental, nervous, emotional, and behavioral disorders and ailments. PsychologistsÕ practices also include industrial/organizational psychology, research, and teaching. In providing services to individuals, organizations, and the public, psychologists apply principles, methods or procedures of understanding, predicting or infl uencing behavior.

Licensed accounting professionals - called certifi ed public accountants or public accountants - prepare, evaluate, and attest to the accuracy and completeness of financial statements and related information. The term "public" typically refers to third-party reliance on the integrity of the financial information presented by the licensed accountant.

At the direction of a licensed physician, a respiratory therapist evaluates and treats cardiopulmonary (lungs and heart) health. This includes teaching patients and their families about treatment and maintenance of pulmonary health problems, including the use of respiratory therapy equipment and medications. Respiratory therapy technicians perform these services under the supervision of a licensed respiratory therapist or a licensed physician.

Social work is a profession that helps individuals, families, and groups change behaviors, emotions, attitudes, relationships, and social conditions to restore and enhance their capacity to meet their personal and social needs. Social workers are trained to provide a variety of services, ranging from psychotherapy to the administration of health and welfare programs. They work with human development and behavior, including the social, economic, and cultural systems in which people function.

A speech-language pathologist is a licensed health care professional who diagnoses, evaluates, and treats disorders of speech, voice, swallowing, and/or language.

The practice of veterinary medicine includes the diagnosis and treatment (including prescriptions and surgery) of all animal disease. "Animal" includes every living creature except humans.

The practice of veterinary technology includes the performance of services within the fi eld of veterinary medicine by a person (called a veterinary technician) who carries out medical orders prescribed by a supervising veterinarian.