You love helping people, and you’re passionate about health and healthcare. But maybe your gift isn’t exactly dealing with blood in a calm, collected manner. Or maybe you don’t want to spend years pursuing advanced or specialty degrees. There is good news for you! The healthcare industry needs much more than just people in scrubs and white coats to keep operations running smoothly and the public healthy. With so many types of roles, there is surely one suited perfectly for your interests and talent set. Could any of these careers be for you?
Health Administrator
In the rapidly changing climate of American healthcare, a hospital needs a leader who can navigate policy changes in a way that puts patients first. Health administrators serve as a liaison between state and agencies and health-related associations, as well as overseeing the operations of a hospital. As one, you’d manage budgets, staff, facilities, and services—and make decisions that best serve patients and their families.
Skills you need: Organization, management, legal knowledge/interest
Accountant
Unfortunately, American healthcare is notorious for its complicated and convoluted payment structure. Since the ones receiving the services are often not the ones paying for them, accounts and bills must be meticulously tracked and managed. This requires excellent accountants with an eye for precision to eliminate waste and ensure things go smoothly. All of a hospital’s expenses must also be paid for, with countless vendors and employees depending on accurate and timely payment. As an accountant in the healthcare industry, you would combine knowledge of the healthcare field with your organizational and quantitative skills to help keep things running smoothly.
Skills you’ll need: Mathematics, attention to detail
Business Analyst
Medical institutions’ organization and financial structures can be incredibly complex, and let’s face it: healthcare doesn’t win awards for efficiency. A business analyst’s job is to analyze data and test solutions in order to bolster efficiency and effectiveness within the organization—whether that’s a hospital, a clinic, or a healthcare company. This could involve data of doctor schedules, patient wait times, costs, or space allocations. At the end of the day, your role as a business analyst allows more patients to be served and served well.
Skills you’ll need: Problem solving, data analytics, critical thinking, SQL Queries
Research Analyst
Medical research is the backbone of medical breakthroughs and advancement, and research analysts analysts work behind the scenes to make those breakthroughs a reality. In this position, you would track, analyze, and interpret patient and outcome data around various studies, trials, and projects. You may also conduct background research or help the research doctors write and record their conclusions. Some studies are controlled, in-lab studies, while other research involves tracking and analyzing real-world patient outcomes over time after various treatments to see if conclusions can be drawn.
Skills you’ll need: Data collection and analysis, critical thinking, detail orientation
Archivist
A hospital’s archives are a treasure trove of stories of cure, stories of loss, and the evolution of medicine. They provide scholars and researchers with the raw materials to find patterns in medical records and curious historians with antiquated equipment, old photographs and correspondences. The organization and easy-access of a hospital’s archives are vital in the institution’s ability to make medical breakthroughs. As the archivist, you’d assess materials with potential archival value based on the hospital’s mission, as well as organizing and preserving files. You may also work to promote the archive program and write pieces for community publications.
Skills you’ll need: Information technology, record-keeping software, knowledge of copyright and permission issues
Marketing Coordinator
In order to reach the people in need of medical care, and in some cases, the donors that make health care possible, a hospital needs a compelling campaign. (Who can forget those St. Jude’s Children Hospital commercials?) As a marketing coordinator in the healthcare industry, you’d work to establish a compassionate brand and promote awareness through billboards, commercials, and printed ads. You may also get a chance to promote health in general, through PSAs or educational campaigns aimed at raising public awareness around healthy behaviors. Using your creative mind, you will help build and promote a hospital’s brand and facilitate a healthier population.
Skills you’ll need: Creativity, writing, social media analytics, data analysis
Which of these jobs appeals most to you? You can find more roles and pathways in our Health Industry Group on the Vocatio Beta platform, and you can take your Personality Fit Test to see which types of roles you’re best fit for!
Check it out here!
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