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Alternative Medical Support Services

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

Coursework for 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

Coursework in 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 emphasized by a Alternative Medical Support Services program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 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

Innate 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.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 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
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	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	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
SeeRite Flash and Match	Computer based training software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Computer perceptual processing software	Computer based training software	—
HTS Vision CVS2	Eye tracking software	—
HTS Vision HTS2 Computerized Binocular Home Eye Exercise System	Eye tracking software	—
Computer Aided Vision Therapy CAVT	Medical 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	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Alternative Medical Support Services graduates include:

• Naturopathic Doctor
• Naturopath
• Neonatologist
• Doctor of Medicine
• Drugless Doctor
• Naprapath
• Magnetic Healer
• Doctor of Naprapathic Medicine
• Colon Therapist
• Medicine Worker
• Herbalist
• Laryngologist
• Magnetic Doctor
• Proctologist
• Medical Resident

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%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.9%
Master’s degree	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. Wages typically rise 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

Fully online options are documented 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	CIP Code
Health Care Professions	51
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences	51.05
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	51.08
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	51.09
Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems	51.33
Chiropractic	51.01
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions	51.10
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	51.02
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions	51.06
Dentistry	51.04
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services	51.31
Energy and Biologically Based Therapies	51.37

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.