Have you ever considered a career in the healthcare industry, or perhaps you would just like to work with people in a fitness or sporting capacity but don’t know how?
Many people have a passion in their lives that ends up being unfulfilled due to not knowing where to start or having the wrong qualifications.
Here are some career options and how you might consider joining those fields.
What is the difference between healthcare, health, and wellness?
While all these areas deal with the general well being of a person they differ in some aspects.
Health in general just means the absence of any disease or illness, plus of course a lack of injuries, whereas wellness refers to other areas. Wellness could be considered to refer to social and spiritual health plus emotional wellbeing. That isn’t to say wellness doesn’t refer to the physical health of a person but that it also refers to the environment around them and any mental issues such as anxiety and stress.
Healthcare refers to providing medical care, diagnosis, treatments, and systems to help patients. Although these three areas refer to health in general they all have different meanings.
What is needed qualification wise, to work in these areas?
For many roles in wellness, you might not need a lot of qualifications but if you wanted to create a career then a degree is advisable.
A Master’s can help with finding a mid-level role once you graduate. These days it is sometimes necessary to have a Master’s in Business Administration just for entry-level positions. But, don’t fret, obtaining a degree may not be out of your reach.
How hard is it to study for an MBA?
It takes time. How long may depend on you and also the domain you wish to study in. Searching on the internet for different schools or advice will return varying time scales, but the consensus is that it will take between 1 and 3 years to complete. A part-time one could take up to six years but this is in exceptional cases where the modules are taken at a much slower pace.
What types of MBA are there?
An MBA is more than a certificate to hang on the wall. It is a degree that helps you work in a wide variety of fields. You can pick a Master’s with an emphasis on the area that you want to work in. For instance, if you wanted a career in Sports Medicine then you would pick an MBA with an emphasis on this.
You already work so how can you study?
Modern further learning has evolved from schooling decades back. No longer do you have to attend school full-time. Nowadays, it is possible that you can take your degree on a part-time basis on campus or you could do it online. Sometimes they might be combined. This allows many more people to continue their education and advance in different careers.
What career options will there be after taking a Master’s?
It will depend on what degree you took and also what you are interested in doing but for example, if you graduated with a health systems management degree then you could consider the following options:
Hospital Administrator
As an administrator, you would work behind the scenes making sure that the hospital and all areas of its operations ran smoothly.
Medical Practice Manager
Much like a hospital administrator you would control budgets and manage staff but on a smaller scale.
Nursing Home Administrator
A nursing home administrator overlooks the whole of the business and controls budgets, policies, and of course has a great interest in the patients or guests.
Hospital CEO
This is right at the top and is obviously not an entry-level position, but it is one that an MBA makes more realistic. If you reach the heights of CEO or CFO then you would earn an average salary of over $150,000.
What other health career options are there?
The above positions would be considered by someone studying for an MBA in Health Systems Management but you may want to look at other areas.
If you were more fitness-minded then choosing the right degree could lead you towards being a fitness instructor. If you wanted to consider a career in health and wellness then you could look at these roles; wellness and recovery specialist, or a market health and wellness director.
If you wanted to be involved in sports but on a management level then a sports management degree could lead to being an agent, public relations officer, marketer, publicist, or stadium manager.
Summary
Whichever area you are interested in health management to wellness there is a degree available that can help you to form a long-lasting and rewarding career.