What are consumer services?

Here are some industries and jobs within them that perform consumer services:

• Healthcare

  A nurse works in the hospital setting or at an ill patient's home. They have a number of different duties in these environments. They give care for a patient's physical needs by observing and monitoring the patient and by recording any relevant data that helps to aid in the process of treatment decision-making.

  A psychiatrist is a doctor of medicine (MD) or doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) and has had four years of psychiatric residency. Psychiatrists also diagnose and treat mental disorders by providing psychotherapy and counseling to patients and prescribing medication.

  An anesthesiologist is a physician that specializes in perioperative care, developing anesthetic plans, and the administration of anesthetics to patients. They are medical doctors, just like a primary care physician or surgeon. Anesthesiologists also concentrate on pain management and critical care medicine.

  Doctors may specialize in one area of medicine or have a more general title, like a physician. A doctor observes patients' symptoms and forms a diagnosis. They also develop treatment plans for ill patients. Doctors work in hospitals, individual offices, urgent care clinics, and other medical environments.

  A nurse practitioner often provides specialized care to groups of people with specific medical needs. A nurse practitioner also emphasizes health promotion and preventive care for their patients. There are a lot of areas a nurse practitioner can pursue, including family care, pediatrics, women's health, mental health, as well as many others.

• Restaurant

  Executive chefs are reserved for large-scale restaurants, including some chains, and those at hotels, resorts, cruise lines, and other venues. Executive chefs generally do very little actual cooking.

  Their primary work task is to manage the kitchen staff and the kitchen itself. Duties include managing and training personnel, planning menus, overseeing the culinary budget, and sometimes kitchen purchases. All executive chefs have a lot of experience in lower-level chef roles, as they need to understand how every aspect of a kitchen operates effectively.

  Head Chef, also referred to as the Chef de Cuisine, is at the top of the hierarchy in a kitchen that does not have an executive chef. They also control all aspects of a kitchen. Responsibilities include creating menus and special meals, controlling kitchen costs, and overseeing kitchen staff.

  Some head chefs opt to leave the cooking to the sous chefs and the rest of the kitchen team, while others take a more hands-on approach and prefer to be a part of the daily cooking activities.

  The deputy chef, also known as the sous chef, is the second in command in a kitchen. Some restaurants have several sous chefs, while others only have one. Some duties of the sous chef may overlap with the head chef, although a sous chef is always going to be a hands-on chef, participating in much of the cooking and other kitchen duties.

  The sous chef oversees the subordinate kitchen staff and the daily activities in the kitchen.

  The station chef also referred to as the Chef de Partie, has perhaps one of the most critical participating roles in the kitchen. These chefs cook the meals that are being brought out to the customers of a restaurant.

  However, normally there are multiple positions for a station chef, meaning there are usually several station chefs in a kitchen. Station assignments may include fish cooking, meat cooking, sauce making, vegetables, sauteing, and pastries.

• Tourism and Hospitality

  A flight attendant provides services to the passengers of a commercial airline flight. They hand out food, drinks, snacks, and pillows and do anything they can to increase the comfort and safety of the customers on the flight. They also answer any questions passengers may have about the flight.

  Flight attendants also play a critical role in flight safety. They give demonstrations on oxygen masks, what to do in the event of a plane crash or emergency landing, and make sure all passengers sitting in emergency exit rows are capable of handling the responsibilities of sitting in those seats.

  A concierge is a professional in the hotel setting who helps guests handle different tasks during their stay at the hotel; these include setting up transportation and letting them know about available activities and services. Generally, concierges work in high-end hotels, but they may also work in smaller boutique hotels as well.

  A sommelier is an expert and connoisseur in all facets of wine. They often work at high-end restaurants that have long and impressive wine lists. Here they educate both customers and staff about the various wines the restaurant offers.

  They also try to find the proper matches for different customers' tastes in wine by giving them recommendations. In addition, sommeliers help restaurants locate and order wine.

  Travel agents are professionals who organize and plan travel for clients. These include work trips and recreational trips, like vacations. In addition to flight travel, they may also coordinate ground transportation and hotel accommodations for their clients. Travel agents also sometimes arrange special activities for clients, such as tours or cruises.