Do you have advisees who have thought about going to medical school, but aren’t sure that committing to at least a decade’s worth of additional education and training is for them? Perhaps they’re passionate about working with patients, but are having trouble mastering organic chemistry. Kaplan recently hosted an event with Kris Waldron, former health management executive and Associate Director of Cornell University’s Sloan Program in Health in Administration and Policy, on the multitude of healthcare careers that exist, and how students can find the graduate program that best suits their skills and future plans.
A few of the several degrees and careers about which Kris spoke in-depth include:
– Master’s in Public Health (MPH): While MDs generally work to treat illness, an MPH’s job is to prevent it by working with communities to determine their needs and promoting healthy living habits. MPH curricula focus heavily on statistics and economics, and a strong orgo background is not necessary. Common focuses include epidemiology and biostatistics.
– Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant: Both of these roles are meant to aid primary care physicians by performing patient care duties. There are currently 14,000 too few primary care MDs in the United States, and as that number is expected to rise to 25,00-30,000 by 2025, NPs and PAs will become increasingly important. Nurse practitioners must generally become a Registered Nurse and then complete a Master’s In Science of Nursing or Doctor of Nurse Practicing degree. Generally, Physician Assistants obtain a graduate degree in either Physician Assistant studies or Health Science.
– Master’s in Health Administration: For students who are interested in running a hospital or health system, an MHA could be the perfect route. This graduate degree confers the business skills that one might get in an MBA program, with a specific focus on how to manage not-for-profit hospitals. Many MHAs also work for think tanks and on healthcare policy.
The full recording can be found here – for anyone who is interested in a career in healthcare (other areas of expertise that Kris discusses include audiology, medical imaging, and child life specialties), this event and the resources included are a great place to start!
