Health Care Professions Merit Badge

Overview

Explore the different types of the healthcare fields and professions with the Health Care Professions Merit Badge. Scouts will learn how professionals in different health care fields work together to keep people healthy. The Health Care Professions Merit Badge generates excitement for a possible career in the healthcare industry.

Requirements

(1) Select three of the professions from Group 1 listed below which interest you, then complete the following:

Group 1: (1) Allopathic physician (MD)—all specialties (2) Osteopathic physician (DO)—all specialties (3) Podiatrist (DPM) (4) Chiropractor (DC) (5) Nurse Practitioner (NP) (6) Psychologist (PhD or PsyD) (7) Optometrist (OD) (8) Audiologist (AudD)
- (a) Briefly describe to your counselor the roles these professionals play in the delivery of health care.
  
  Resources: What Is an Allopathic Doctor (website), Osteopathic Medicine (video), What Is a Podiatrist (video), What Is Chiropractic (video), What Is a Nurse Practitioner (video), What Is Clinical Psychology? (video), What Is an Optometrist (video), What Is an Audiologist? | The Hearing Doctor (video)
- (b) Describe to your counselor the educational and licensing requirements for the professionals you selected.
  
  Resources: M.D. vs. D.O. | Allopathic and Osteopathic Medical School Comparison (video), How To Become a Podiatrist? [What Is a Podiatrist? What Do They Do?] (video), How Long Does It Take to Become a Chiropractor (video), How To Become a Nurse Practioner (video), PhD vs PsyD | What’s the Difference? (video), How To Become an Optometrist (video), How To Become an Audiologist (video)
(2) Select three of the professions from Group 2 listed below which interest you, then complete the following:

Group 2: (1) Physician Assistant (PA) (2) Registered Nurse (RN) (3) Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) (4) Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) (5) Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN/LVN) (6) Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) (7) Pharmacist (PharmD) (8) Pharmacy Technician (9) Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)/Paramedic
- (a) Briefly describe to your counselor the roles these professionals play in the delivery of health care.
  
  Resources: What’s a PA? (Physician Assistant) (video), What Does a Registered Nurse Do? (video), What Is a Certified-Nurse Midwife? (video), Everything You Need to Know About Being a CNA I Indeed Career Tips (video), What It’s Like to Be a Licensed Vocational Nurse (video), What Is a Nurse Anesthetist (CrMA) and What Do They Do? (video), What Does a Pharmacist Do? The Top Daily Tasks (video), Pharmacy Technician a Guide to Pharmacy Tech Duties (video), Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics Careers (video)
- (b) Describe to your counselor the educational and licensing requirements for the professionals you selected.
  
  Resources: How To Become a Physician Assistant (Step-by-Step Guide) | Physician Assistant Explains (video), Registered Nurse (RN) Career Roadmap | Skills, Licensing & Salary (video), Becoming a Nurse Midwife: Time, Cost & Salary Breakdown (video), CNA / Nurse Aide Class [What to Expect] (video), How To Become an LPN / LVN Nurse (video), The Fastest Way To Become a CRMA! (video), Steps To Becoming a Pharmacist (video), Pharmacy Tech Career: How To Get Started Fast! (video), Becoming an EMT: What You Need To Know (video)
(3) Select three of the professions from Group 3 listed below which interest you, then complete the following:

Group 3: (1) Physical Therapist (DPT) (2) Occupational Therapist (OT) (3) Orthotist/Prosthetist (4) Medical Appliance Technician (5) Respiratory Therapist (RT) (6) Medical Assistant (7) Dietitian (RD) (8) Speech-Language Pathologist (Speech Therapist) (SLP)
- (a) Briefly describe to your counselor the roles these professionals play in the delivery of health care.
  
  Resources: Physical Therapists Careers (video), Career Profile—Occupational Therapist (video), Orthotists and Prosthetists Careers (video), Medical Appliance Technicians Career (video), Behind the Scenes: Respiratory Therapists (video), What Is Medical Assisting? (video), What Is a Dietitians Role? (video), What Does a Speech Language Pathologist Do? | Speech Fact Friday (video)
- (b) Describe to your counselor the educational and licensing requirements for the professionals you selected.
  
  Resources: How To Become a Physical Therapist (video), Everything You Need To Know About Occupational Therapist (video), Prosthetic and Orthotic School Comparison (video), Become a Biomedical Equipment Technician (video), How To Become a Respiratory Therapist (Step-by-Step) (video), How To Become a Medical Assistant (5 Steps To a New Career!) (video), Career: How To Become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (video), How Do You Become a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP)? (video)
(4) Select three of the professions from Group 4 listed below which interest you, then complete the following:

Group 4: (1) Biomedical Engineer (BME) (2) Medical Technologist (3) Phlebotomist (4) Radiology Technologist (5) Sonographer (6) Medical Records Specialist (7) Cytopathologist (8) Histotechnologist
- (a) Briefly describe to your counselor the roles these professionals play in the delivery of health care.
  
  Resources: So You Want To Be a Biomedical Engineer (video), What Does a Medical Technologist Do? (video), What Is Phlebotomy? (video), Radiologic Technologists and Technicians Careers (video), Sonography—A Sound Career Choice (video), Medical Records Specialists Career (video), Consider a Career in Cytology (video), Behind the Scenes: Histotechnologist (video)
- (b) Describe to your counselor the educational and licensing requirements for the professionals you selected.
  
  Resources: Biomedical Engineering (video), How To Become a Medical Technologist (website), How To Become a Phlebotomist—From Phlebotomy Training To Certification (video), How To Become a Radiologic Technologist | X-Ray Tech | Prerequisites | Radiology Program | Clinicals (video), How To Become an Ultrasound Tech: Step-by-Step Guide (video), How To Become a Medical Records Specialist (website), Choose a Career in Cytology (website/video), What It Takes to Be a Histotechnician (website)
(5) Select one career from any of the lists in Requirements 1, 2, 3, or 4 and arrange to visit that professional at their workplace. Discuss with your counselor the following:

Resources: The Informational Interview: Researching a Career (video)
- (a) Why did they choose their particular career?
- (b) What do they most like about their job?
- (c) What are their biggest challenges in doing their job?
- (d) Identify the tools/instruments that may be used in their jobs.
- (e) What has been the most surprising aspect of their career?
- (f) What continuing education requirements are required to maintain certification?
(6) Discuss with your counselor your understanding of the meaning of the Physician’s Oath.

Resources: Hippocratic Oath / Physician’s Creed (video)
(7) Describe the role of confidentiality between a patient and the health care provider. What is HIPAA?

Resources: Privacy and Confidentiality (video), What Is HIPAA? (video)
(8) Identify a medical advancement or discovery that has been in the news recently. Discuss with your counselor how this can affect patient care.

Resources: Top Medical Breakthroughs of 2025 (video), How AI Is Transforming Healthcare Across the Country (video), Cutting-Edge Medical Advances To Come in 2026 (video)
(9) With your parent or guardian’s and counselor’s approval, serve as a volunteer at a health-related event or facility in your community (e.g. blood drive, health fair, blood pressure screening event). Report to your counselor what you did and learned from the experience.

Resources

Note: This is an unofficial archive of Scouts BSA Merit Badges that was automatically extracted from the Scouting America website and may contain errors.