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Alternative Medical Support Services

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 51.3401 - 51.3499.

Types of Degrees Alternative Medical Support Services Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Alternative Medical Support Services can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	11
Associate’s Degree	18
Bachelor’s Degree	40
Master’s Degree	57

What Alternative Medical Support Services Majors Need to Know

Programs in Alternative Medical Support Services emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Alternative Medical Support Services graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Alternative Medical Support Services emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Alternative Medical Support Services program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Alternative Medical Support Services careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Alternative Medical Support Services graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Documenting/Recording Information	4.7 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Alternative Medical Support Services professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
HTS Vision CVS2	Eye tracking software	—
HTS Vision HTS2 Computerized Binocular Home Eye Exercise System	Eye tracking software	—
SeeRite Flash and Match	Computer based training software	—
Computer perceptual processing software	Computer based training software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Therapeutic orthoptic software	Medical software	—
Eye Tracking Exercises Enterprises Track with Letters	Eye tracking software	—
MAX Systems Max-Gold Medical Clinic Software	Medical software	—
Computer Aided Vision Therapy CAVT	Medical software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Alternative Medical Support Services graduates include:

• Naturopath
• Naturopathic Doctor
• Proctologist
• Medicine Man
• Hospice Fellow
• Acupressurist
• Osteopathic Resident
• Herbologist
• Cardiovascular Disease Specialist
• Health Officer
• Manual Arts Therapist
• Magnetic Doctor
• Tuberculosis Specialist
• Naturopathic Physician
• Herb Counselor

What Can You Do With a Alternative Medical Support Services Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Alternative Medical Support Services commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners, All Other	1.0%	$138,809	$116,859–$160,758
Orthoptists	4.8%	$135,811	$108,351–$163,270
Naturopathic Physicians	6.6%	$138,086	$113,456–$162,716

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Alternative Medical Support Services graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	45.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	41.6%
First professional degree	3.8%
Bachelor’s degree	3.8%
Master’s degree	1.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.9%
Post-doctoral training	1.9%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Alternative Medical Support Services?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 96.8% of Alternative Medical Support Services degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	122	96.8%
Men	4	3.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Alternative Medical Support Services graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	74	58.7%
Asian	3	2.4%
Hispanic or Latino	9	7.1%
Black or African American	28	22.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.8%
Two or More Races	4	3.2%
Race Unknown	6	4.8%
International Students	1	0.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Alternative Medical Support Services Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Alternative Medical Support Services graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$48,470
4 years	$29,990
5 years	$38,727

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $38,727 — roughly -20% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Alternative Medical Support Services Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Alternative Medical Support Services. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	1	0
Master’s	1	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Alternative Medical Support Services Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Alternative Medical Support Services graduates earn a median of $29,990 four years after completion — about 21% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	311,372
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants	99,987
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	90,379
Health and Medical Administrative Services	90,166
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	80,693
Public Health	41,086
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	33,946
Medicine	29,737
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	29,603
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions	24,761
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	23,250
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions	20,443

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.