How the Health Science Major Prepares You for the Job Market
Health science is the broad study of the many disciplines that make up the health care field, including dentistry, medicine, and veterinary medicine. The health care industry is expected to increase 27 percent by 2014, which compared to the national average of 14 percent growth for all work industries combined, is a major spring forward for health care employment, according to the Department of Laborís Employment and Training Administration. In fact, the health care industry is expected to add approximately 3.6 million new jobs into the job market in the next five years, the Department asserts. To prepare for a role in this booming industry, health science majors take courses in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and other topics related to increasing student understanding of the health care field. The broad range of education that students receive allows for them to be able to adapt to a multitude of health care environments, making them valuable and flexible candidates for many health care positions upon graduation.
Best Career Paths for Health Science Majors
Health sciences offers an entry into many rewarding careers in health care. The best career paths for health science majors are:
- Health Care Management. The health care industry has a business side to it, and like any business, it requires a skilled management team to ensure that it runs efficiently. Health care managers are responsible for handling the business side of health care, such as coordinating employee work schedules, keeping the health care facility within national, local, and professional standards, ensuring patient comfort, and a variety of other essential duties. They run the daily activities of the health care facility, and may even work closely with resident physicians to provide the best possible patient care. Health care managers earn an average salary of $80,240 annually, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Chiropractics. Chiropractors work with patients with musculoskeletal problems. They specialize in the treatment of the spine, utilizing manual manipulation of the spine to relieve aches, pains, and other ailments. Chiropractors work based on the principle that spinal misalignment can interfere with patient health because a misaligned spine can disrupt the nervous system. Spinal realignment, therefore, provides relief. Chiropractors assess each patient on an individual basis, determining the cause of each patientís condition and developing a unique treatment plan to cater to that patientís condition. Chiropractors earn an average salary of $66,490 annually, according to the Bureau.
How to Market Your Health Science Degree
Your health science degree has provided you with a broad educational immersion into various prosperous health care fields. This educational experience makes you a valuable candidate for many entry-level health care occupations as well as several more advanced positions. To ensure that employers understand the value of your degree, be sure to emphasize all of the real-world skills your college education has taught you. For example, stress how the research projects and internships you participated in have helped you hone your analytical and problem-solving skills. The best way to market your health science degree is to prove that you can take the skills you learned in school and successfully integrate them into field work.
