Courses in Paramedicine and Alternative Health Care

Major paramedical courses are Radiography or Radiology; Medical Lab Technology; Physiotherapy or Physical Therapy; Rehabilitation Therapy or Occupational Therapy; Pharmacy; Optometry; Prosthetic and Orthodox Engineering and Speech Therapy.

Paramedical professionals trained in radiography can work as X-ray technicians and radiographers while professionals trained in medical lab technology are known as medical lab technicians. Physiotherapists or physical therapists; prosthetic and orthodox engineers; rehabilitation therapists or occupational therapists; pharmacists; optometrists; and speech therapists are also part of paramedical professional team.

Medical Lab Technology (MLT): This paramedical course is designed to train the candidates for sampling and accurate diagnosis of medical samples of blood, urine, etc. Both degree and diploma courses are available for interested candidates. B.Sc in MLT is a three year duration degree level programmes while MLT diploma is a one year diploma level course.

Radiography: includes two major branches; radiology or radio diagnosis, which is used for diagnosing the diseases using X-ray images and radiation therapy, which is used for treating cancer patients using radioisotopes. Two types of radiography courses, post graduate diploma and master level programmes, are offered by various paramedical institutes. The duration of PG diploma course varies from one year to two years while master programme in radiography is a two year programme. Graduation in science stream is the minimum eligibility to apply for this course.

Speech Therapy: is used for treating patients with speech and language defects and swallowing and eating problems. Both B.Sc and M.Sc courses in speech therapy are offered for interested candidates by various paramedical institutes.

Occupational Therapy/Rehabilitation Therapy: is used for the treatment and rehabilitation of the patients with physical and mental disabilities. Both degree and diploma level courses in occupational therapy are available.

Prosthetic and Orthodox Engineering: is dealing with the reconstruction of body parts such as legs or hands for physically handicapped patients. Degree and diploma level courses in this field are offered by various paramedical institutes and duration of this course varies from two to three years.

Optometry / Ophthalmic Technology: is used for treating eye diseases and other visual defects using various optical instruments. Diploma in Optometry and Diploma in Ophthalmic Technology are the major courses available in this field and course is of two years’ duration