Health Care Professions Merit Badge

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Time: 2–4 weeks
Difficulty: Moderate
Setting: Indoor, medical facility visits
Best For: Scouts interested in medicine, helping others, careers
Hands-On Level: Low, Moderate
Eagle Required: No

The Health Care Professions Merit Badge helps you learn about the many people who care for patients. You will explore jobs in hospitals, clinics, laboratories, pharmacies, and other health settings. You will see how these workers depend on one another.

Download a handout about the Health Care Professions Merit Badge

As you work on the badge, you will compare several health care careers. You will learn what training each job requires and what the daily work may include. This can help you decide whether a health career might be a good choice for you.

You will also speak with a health care professional and learn about patient privacy, safety, and ethical choices. These experiences will help you understand how health workers serve others. They will also help you practice asking questions and speaking with adults in a professional setting.

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Health Care Professions Merit Badge Requirements

Health Care Professions Merit Badge Workbook / Worksheet (2026)

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Help with Answers for Health Care Professions Merit Badge Requirements

Find specific helps for some of the Health Care Professions merit badge requirements listed below. Some of these resources will just give the answers. Others will provide engaging ways for older Scouts to introduce these concepts to new Scouts.

Requirement 1: Group 1 Professions
Requirement 2: Group 2 Professions
Requirement 3: Group 3 Professions
Requirement 4: Group 4 Professions
Requirement 5: Career Visit
Requirement 6: Physician’s Oath
Requirement 7: Confidentiality
Requirement 8: Medical Discovery
Requirement 9: Volunteer Service
More Resources

Requirement 1: Group 1 Professions

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

Briefly describe to your counselor the roles these professionals play in the delivery of health care.
Describe to your counselor the educational and licensing requirements for the professionals you selected.

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)

Requirement 1: Group 1 Health Care Professions

What You Need To Do

Choose three professions from Group 1. Describe each job, the education needed, and the license or approval required to work in that field.

Helpful Tips

Pick three careers that interest you.
An MD diagnoses illnesses, treats injuries, and may perform surgery.
A DO provides medical care like an MD and also receives training in whole-body care.
A podiatrist treats problems involving the feet and ankles.
A chiropractor treats pain and movement problems, often using spinal adjustments.
A nurse practitioner gives exams, diagnoses illnesses, prescribes medicine, and manages care.
A psychologist provides counseling and treats mental and emotional conditions.
An optometrist checks vision and treats many eye conditions.
An audiologist tests hearing and helps with hearing, balance, and communication problems.
Most professions require college, advanced school, supervised practice, and a state license.
Write notes for each career before meeting with your counselor.
Include the job duties, degree, training time, and licensing steps.

Resources

Leader Tips

Help Scouts choose three different careers from the list.
Provide reliable career sources from colleges, licensing boards, or professional groups.
Encourage Scouts to compare the careers in a simple chart.
Ask follow-up questions about daily duties, training, and licensing.

Requirement 2: Group 2 Professions

Select three of the professions from Group 2 listed below which interest you, then complete the following:

Briefly describe to your counselor the roles these professionals play in the delivery of health care.
Describe to your counselor the educational and licensing requirements for the professionals you selected.

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

Requirement 2: Group 2 Health Care Professions

What You Need To Do

Choose three professions from Group 2. Describe each job, the education needed, and the license, exam, or certification required for that work.

Helpful Tips

Pick three careers that interest you.
A physician assistant examines patients, orders tests, diagnoses problems, and provides treatment.
A registered nurse gives direct care, provides medicine, checks patients, and helps manage treatment plans.
A certified nurse midwife provides pregnancy care, delivers babies, and supports patients after birth.
A certified nurse assistant helps with bathing, eating, dressing, moving, and other daily needs.
A licensed practical nurse provides basic nursing care under the direction of an RN or doctor.
A nurse anesthetist gives anesthesia, checks patients during procedures, and helps manage pain.
A pharmacist prepares prescriptions, checks medicine safety, gives some vaccines, and guides patients on medicine use.
A pharmacy technician helps prepare prescriptions, manage supplies, and serve customers.
An EMT gives emergency care and transports patients.
A paramedic provides more advanced emergency care than an EMT.
Education may include a training course, college degree, graduate degree, supervised practice, or clinical hours.
Licensing rules can differ by state, so use current information for your area.
Make notes about job duties, training time, exams, licenses, and certifications before meeting with your counselor.

Resources

Leader Tips

Help Scouts choose three careers with different duties.
Guide them toward reliable sources from schools, state agencies, and professional groups.
Encourage a simple comparison chart for duties, education, and licensing.
Ask Scouts to describe each career in their own words.

Requirement 3: Group 3 Professions

Select three of the professions from Group 3 listed below which interest you, then complete the following:

Briefly describe to your counselor the roles these professionals play in the delivery of health care.
Describe to your counselor the educational and licensing requirements for the professionals you selected.

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)

Requirement 3: Group 3 Health Care Professions

What You Need To Do

Choose three professions from Group 3. Describe each job, the education needed, and any license, exam, or certification required.

Helpful Tips

Pick three careers that interest you.
A physical therapist helps patients improve movement, strength, and balance.
An occupational therapist helps patients complete daily tasks and live with greater independence.
An orthotist or prosthetist designs and fits braces, supports, and artificial limbs.
A medical appliance technician builds, adjusts, and repairs medical devices.
A respiratory therapist cares for patients with breathing problems.
A medical assistant takes vital signs, prepares patients, and helps with office duties.
A dietitian helps patients plan meals and manage nutrition needs.
A speech-language pathologist helps with speaking, language, communication, and swallowing problems.
Some careers require a college degree and graduate school.
Other careers may require a training program or on-the-job training.
Many professions also require supervised practice, an exam, or a state license.
Licensing rules may be different in each state.
Make a chart with job duties, school requirements, training time, exams, and licenses.

Resources

Leader Tips

Help Scouts choose three careers with different types of work.
Guide them toward reliable sources from colleges, state agencies, and professional groups.
Encourage Scouts to compare the careers in a simple chart.
Ask questions about daily duties, training, and licensing.

Requirement 4: Group 4 Professions

Select three of the professions from Group 4 listed below which interest you, then complete the following:

Briefly describe to your counselor the roles these professionals play in the delivery of health care.
Describe to your counselor the educational and licensing requirements for the professionals you selected.

Group 4:
(1) Biomedical Engineer (BME)
(2) Medical Technologist(3) Phlebotomist
(4) Radiology
Technologist
(5) Sonographer
(6) Medical Records Specialist
(7) Cytopathologist
(8) Histotechnologist

Requirement 4: Group 4 Health Care Professions

What You Need To Do

Choose three professions from Group 4. Describe each job, the education needed, and any license, exam, or certification required.

Helpful Tips

Pick three careers that interest you.
A biomedical engineer designs and improves medical tools, equipment, and technology.
A medical technologist tests blood, tissue, and other samples in a laboratory.
A phlebotomist draws blood for tests, donations, and treatments.
A radiology technologist takes X-rays and other medical images.
A sonographer uses ultrasound equipment to create images inside the body.
A medical records specialist organizes records and protects patient information.
A cytopathologist examines cells for signs of disease, including cancer.
A histotechnologist prepares tissue samples for study in a laboratory.
Some careers require a certificate or associate degree.
Other careers require a bachelor’s degree, medical school, residency, or fellowship.
Certification and licensing rules may differ by state.
Use current information from schools, licensing boards, or professional groups.
Make notes about job duties, school, training, exams, and licenses.

Resources

Leader Tips

Help Scouts choose three careers with different types of work.
Guide them toward reliable and current sources.
Encourage a simple chart for duties, education, and licensing.
Ask Scouts to describe each career in their own words.

Requirement 5: Career Visit

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:

Why did they choose their particular career?
What do they most like about their job?
What are their biggest challenges in doing their job?
Identify the tools/instruments that may be used in their jobs.
What has been the most surprising aspect of their career?
What continuing education requirements are required to maintain certification?

Requirement 5: Visit a Health Care Professional

What You Need To Do

Choose one career from Requirements 1 through 4. Visit a person in that career at their workplace, ask the required questions, and discuss the visit with your counselor.

Helpful Tips

Contact the professional before the visit and arrange a time.
Ask why they chose their career.
Ask what they enjoy most about their work.
Ask about the hardest parts of the job.
Ask which tools, machines, computer programs, or supplies they use.
Ask what has surprised them most during their career.
Ask about classes, training, exams, or certificates needed to keep working.
Bring the full question list with you.
Take notes during the visit.
Do not record the conversation without permission.
Follow all workplace safety and privacy rules.
Do not ask for private information about patients.
Thank the professional for their time.
Review your notes before meeting with your counselor.

Resources

The Informational Interview: Researching a Career (video)

Leader Tips

Help the Scout find a safe and suitable workplace visit.
Review youth protection rules and transportation plans before the visit.
Guide the Scout in preparing clear questions ahead of time.
Ask the Scout to share details from the visit, including tools, duties, and training.

Requirement 6: Physician’s Oath

Discuss with your counselor your understanding of the meaning of the Physician’s Oath.

Requirement 6: The Physician’s Oath

What You Need To Do

Review the Physician’s Oath and discuss its meaning with your counselor. Focus on the duties, values, and promises doctors follow when caring for patients.

Helpful Tips

The oath is a promise made by doctors.
Many versions come from the Hippocratic Oath.
The wording may differ between medical schools.
Patient safety is a main part of the oath.
Doctors should avoid causing harm.
Doctors should treat patients with respect.
Private patient information must stay protected.
Doctors should give honest and clear information.
Patients need facts before making medical choices.
Doctors should admit mistakes and correct them.
Health care often requires teamwork.
Doctors must keep their skills current through study and training.
The oath guides choices during difficult situations.
Be ready to give examples of how the oath affects patient care.

Resources

Hippocratic Oath / Physician’s Creed (video)

Leader Tips

Provide a short, modern version of the oath for review.
Ask the Scout to connect each promise with a real health care situation.
Guide the discussion toward safety, honesty, privacy, and respect.
Keep the focus on the meaning of the oath, not memorizing its words.

Requirement 7: Confidentiality

Describe the role of confidentiality between a patient and the health care provider. What is HIPAA?

Requirement 7: Confidentiality and HIPAA

What You Need To Do

Describe how confidentiality protects private patient information. Define HIPAA and describe how it protects health records and patient privacy.

Helpful Tips

Confidentiality means keeping patient information private.
Patients may share details about health, medicine, family, and personal concerns.
Privacy helps patients speak honestly with health care workers.
Clear and complete information helps providers give safer care.
Health workers should discuss patient information in private places.
Paper records must be stored in secure locations.
Computer records need passwords and other security steps.
Patient information should only be shared for care, payment, or other allowed reasons.
A patient may give permission for information to be shared.
Some laws require providers to report certain safety concerns.
HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
HIPAA sets rules for using and sharing protected health information.
HIPAA gives patients access to many of their medical records.
Patients may ask for errors in their records to be corrected.
Breaking privacy rules may lead to fines or other penalties.

Resources

Leader Tips

Use simple examples involving records, conversations, and computer screens.
Guide Scouts in separating private information from general health facts.
Include examples of times when the law may require information to be shared.
Keep the discussion focused on privacy, trust, and safe patient care.

Requirement 8: Medical Discovery

Identify a medical advancement or discovery that has been in the news recently. Discuss with your counselor how this can affect patient care.

Requirement 8: Recent Medical Discovery

What You Need To Do

Choose a recent medical advancement or discovery from the news. Discuss how it may change the way patients receive care.

Helpful Tips

Choose a discovery reported within the past year.
Use a reliable news source, medical center, government agency, or science journal.
Record the title, source, and date of the article.
Describe the discovery in your own words.
State which illness, injury, or health problem it addresses.
Include how it may prevent, diagnose, monitor, or treat a condition.
Consider whether it may help doctors find problems earlier.
Consider whether it may make treatment safer or more effective.
Include possible risks, limits, side effects, or high costs.
New discoveries may need more testing before wide use.
Some treatments may only help certain patients.
Examples include vaccines, cancer treatments, genetic testing, imaging tools, and wearable devices.
Bring the article or a copy of your notes to the counselor meeting.
Be ready to describe how patient care may change.

Resources

Leader Tips

Guide Scouts toward a recent and reliable source.
Help them separate proven results from early research.
Ask how the discovery may affect safety, cost, access, or treatment.
Keep the discussion focused on patient care.

Requirement 9: Volunteer Service

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.

Requirement 9: Health-Related Volunteer Service

What You Need To Do

Get approval from your parent or guardian and merit badge counselor. Volunteer at a health-related event or facility, then report what you did and what you gained from the experience.

Helpful Tips

Get approval before arranging the service.
Choose an event or facility that accepts youth volunteers.
Possible choices include a blood drive, health fair, screening event, clinic, or care center.
Ask about age limits, forms, clothing, and arrival time.
Follow all safety and privacy rules.
Complete only the tasks assigned to you.
Tasks may include check-in, setup, cleanup, restocking, guiding visitors, or handing out supplies.
Do not handle medical tools unless a trained adult gives permission and supervision.
Do not ask patients or visitors for private health information.
Pay attention to how workers and volunteers share duties.
Watch how supplies, schedules, and safety steps keep the event running.
Treat every visitor with patience and respect.
Record the date, location, hours, and tasks you completed.
Include what surprised you, what was difficult, and what you would do differently.
Thank the event leader or facility staff before leaving.

Leader Tips

Confirm the service follows youth protection and facility rules.
Help the Scout find a role with clear and safe duties.
Encourage the Scout to keep notes soon after the event.
Ask for details about service, teamwork, safety, and communication.

More Merit Badge Resources

The Health Care Professions Merit Badge fits well into the overall merit badge program because it helps Scouts explore a wide field that affects everyday life. It introduces many different careers, which makes it a good choice for Scouts who want to learn about future paths. Like other badges, it encourages curiosity, hands-on learning, and real-world experiences. It also connects to science, service, and communication skills found in other badges.

This badge also adds variety to the large list of merit badges. Some badges focus on outdoor skills, while others focus on hobbies or careers. The Health Care Professions Merit Badge gives Scouts a way to explore how health systems work and why teamwork matters. It expands the program by helping Scouts look at a major part of their community.

Learn More about Scouts BSA

The Health Care Professions Merit Badge also fits the larger goals of Scouts BSA. It teaches responsibility, respect, and teamwork. Scouts learn how health workers care for others and protect privacy. These lessons connect to leadership and character growth.

This badge supports personal development by helping Scouts think about their future. It also connects to fitness, since many health careers focus on keeping people well. By serving at a health event, Scouts practice citizenship and service. The badge strengthens the values that guide the entire program.

What is the Health Care Professions Merit Badge about?

It helps Scouts learn how health care works and how many jobs are part of the system. You explore different careers and how each one helps patients.

Do I have to choose only one career to study?

No. The Health Care Professions Merit Badge asks you to look at groups of careers. You choose several from each group to learn about.

Do I need to visit a real workplace?

Yes. You must visit a health worker with your counselor’s approval. This visit helps you see real tools, real tasks, and real teamwork.

Is the visit hard to arrange?

Not usually. Many clinics, offices, and hospitals welcome students. A parent or leader can help set it up.

Do I need special skills before starting?

No. The Health Care Professions Merit Badge is meant for learning. You start with simple research and build from there.

Why do I learn about confidentiality and HIPAA?

Health workers protect patient privacy. This is a key part of health care. The badge teaches why trust and privacy matter.

Why does the badge include volunteer work?

The Health Care Professions Merit Badge helps you understand service. Volunteering at a health event shows how communities stay healthy.

Is this badge useful for future careers?

Yes. It helps you explore different jobs and understand what interests you. It also teaches respect, teamwork, and responsibility.

Does this badge teach medical skills?

It teaches basic ideas, not advanced medical work. The goal is to learn how health care works and what each job does.

Can this badge help me decide on a career path?

Yes. The Health Care Professions Merit Badge gives you a clearer picture of many health jobs. It may help you choose classes or future goals.

The Health Care Professions Merit Badge helps Scouts explore many careers in medicine. It shows that health care is not just about doctors and nurses. Many people work together to help patients. Scouts learn how each job plays a part in keeping communities healthy. This badge gives a clear picture of how teamwork supports care.

The Health Care Professions Merit Badge also teaches important ideas like ethics, privacy, and respect. Scouts learn why patient information must be protected. They also learn how health workers follow rules to keep people safe. These lessons help Scouts understand the values behind good care.

Another part of the Health Care Professions Merit Badge is meeting real health workers. Scouts visit a workplace, ask questions, and observe daily tasks. This visit helps them see what health jobs look like up close. It also helps them think about their own future interests.

Scouts also take part in a volunteer activity. This gives them a chance to support a health event in their community. They learn that service is an important part of health care. The badge helps Scouts build confidence while learning about careers that help others.

Health Care Professions Merit Badge

Free Resources and Answers