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Myths about Careers in Healthcare & Human Services
There can be a lot of misconceptions about careers in this field, so it’s good to be aware of the most common ones. Click the myths below to read more about the truth behind the myth.
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"The best way to save lives working in healthcare is to become a doctor."
There are multiple paths into working in healthcare. In addition to exploring common health professions, take time to consider paths like biomedical research, public health, health policy and healthcare management. These paths are also known for saving lives and play a vital role within the healthcare industry. In fact, all members of a healthcare team need to work together to provide the best care for patients. You can learn more about the collaborative approach to learning that UW-Madison graduate professional programs take on the Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education website.
"I must succeed in upper level math and science courses in order to work in a clinical healthcare setting."
Actually, there are other options if you discover that your skills and strengths may be stronger in other subjects. Start here to see all the different paths found in a clinical setting. One example is respiratory therapy.? Check-out two year training programs and masters degrees that don’t require organic chemistry. Here’s one program to explore.
"I need to go to graduate school to find a rewarding career path if I major in psychology."
Not necessarily! Transferable skills you learn include research, problem solving, human behavior and so much more.
Some of the most common types of jobs that psychology majors have applied to on Handshake, to name a few, include all different types of analyst roles, HR recruiting, consulting, and product development.
"I want to work in mental health, so I need to go on to a doctorate degree."
There are so many graduate school options for pursuing a path in counseling. How do I know which program is right for me?
Before enrolling in a graduate program, all prospective students must learn how to choose a counseling program that suits their personal interests, academic needs, and career goals. When you figure out these aspects of decision making for yourself, you can start to narrow in on the types of programs in which to apply. Here is another good resource to help in this process.
Explore Career Paths
If you’re interested in careers in helping people whether through direct care as a counselor or therapist, by managing healthcare systems to impact the patient experience, or analyzing data to improve efficiency in the delivery of services, there’s a place for you in allied health, public/global health, mental health, health administration and management, clinical research and much more.
Pre-Health Advising: If you have an interest in professional programs in healthcare, please consider making an appointment to see a Pre-Health Advisor
Looking for more? Check out our Graduate School Resources
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Allied Health
For students who are interested in careers where you are part of a medical team, “allied health care providers may play roles in evaluating and assessing a patient’s needs, keeping the physician and others informed of the patient’s progress and caring for the patient. Others work independently as specialists in exercise, nutrition, health education, speech and daily function.”
See the Center for Pre-Health Advising website Allied Health Professions for additional information about job functions, professional associations, graduate school and additional resources. L&S students interested in these professions are still able to meet with the Career & Internship Specialist in SuccessWorks.
Mental Health
Some of these professionals include counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, clinical social workers and psychiatric nurses who help children, adolescents and adults deal with a variety of life stresses and problems, including addiction/substance abuse; problems with self-esteem; aging-related mental health issues; and other emotional or behavioral issues.
Public Health
Public health is the science and art of creating healthy communities through education, research and promotion of healthy lifestyles. In public health, the focus is on health promotion and disease/injury prevention. A career in public health opens the door to diverse opportunities in a variety of sectors such as federal, state, and local organizations, private, and non-governmental organizations.
Health Administration/Management
These professionals are are the business side of healthcare and their responsibilities include developing policy, coordinating and directing planning, maintaining an efficient and effective organizational structure, managing the organization’s assets, and analyzing the organization’s profitability and efficiency. A healthcare management career requires leadership skills, specialized knowledge of the healthcare industry, financial management, human resources, healthcare technology and informatics.
Ways to Explore
Wisconsin Health Careers Area Health Education Centers (AHEC): Go to Healthcare Occupations menu to choose your area of interest. This is a good resource with Wisconsin specific employment trends
ExploreHealthCareers.org: See Start Exploring Today on the first page to find a wide variety of professions within healthcare, including Mental Health.
Career Profiles Health & Medical Career Center: Read health profession career profiles and find out information on employment trends by state.
IDENTIFY SKILLS, JOB FUNCTIONS, OUTLOOK, SALARY ETC…
ONET OnLine: O*NET OnLine has detailed descriptions of the world of work for use by job seekers, workforce development and HR professionals, students, researchers, and more!
Occupational Outlook Handbook: The OOH can help you find career information on duties, education and training, pay, and outlook for hundreds of occupations.
CareerOneStop: A source for career exploration, training & jobs. Sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Labor.
Glassdoor.com: Jobs, Company Reviews, Salaries, Interviews, Know Your Worth.
Ask a Badger
In 2016, the occupations in which workers had the highest likelihood of having a certification or license were healthcare practitioners and technical occupations (77.0 percent); legal occupations (66.8 percent); and education, training, and library occupations (55.5 percent). In most fields, licenses were the predominant credential.
Bureau of Labor Statistics: 2016
Get Experience
Ready to get a job or internship, or want to decide on your grad school or gap year plans? Here, you will find many resources to help you apply to jobs and internships in this industry as well as view featured employers that may be helpful on your path to success!
Microinternships
While searching for a job or internship, check out microinternships for a great way to get real work experience. These short-term, professional, and paid opportunities can be completed in a matter of hours.
Offered through the Parker Dewey platform, these opportunities also allow you to demonstrate your skills while working on professional projects from real employers. Given the current state of things, tasks can often be carried out remotely.
Mental Health Social Work Resume Sample
If I want to work in scientific research, do I need to go to graduate school or receive further training or certification? If yes, what is the right program(s) for me? Does it make sense to do a Ph.D. or a professional master’s program? Talk to your career & internship specialist, your academic advisor, and faculty members to learn more and to find out about different programs, here are a few resources to get you started:
Dig Deeper
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Top Healthcare Employers
GE Healthcare
Epic
UW Health
Aurora Health Care
The University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics
UnitedHealth Group
Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare
Mayo Clinic
Medical College of Wisconsin
Dean Clinic
Walgreens
Nordic Consulting Partners, Inc.
UnityPoint Health – Meriter
University of Minnesota
Top Human Services Employers
UnitedHealth Group
UW Health
University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health
Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Life Time – The Healthy Way of Life Company
CorePower Yoga
Wisconsin Athletic Club, LLC
Allina Health
Mendota Mental Health
Tellurian, Madison
Rogers Memorial Hospital
Mental and Public Health Articles
Health & Human Services Career Exploration Resources
Healthcare Administration & Management Exploration Resources
These careers are in medical schools, major health systems on the business side of healthcare, and their responsibilities include developing policy, coordinating and directing planning, maintaining an efficient and effective organizational structure, managing the organization’s assets, and analyzing the organization’s profitability and efficiency.
To get started on exploring different career paths and options. Check out the following resources.
- American College of Healthcare Executives -This is the website for the official organization for healthcare executives/administrators.
- Public Health Online– This website provides a great overview of the field, along with recommended skills and education
- Columbia Southern Blog– This post does a nice job highlighting the fact that there are many different paths and job choices in healthcare administration.
Modern Healthcare & Healthcare Executive Podcast– These are just some great resources for current topics and discussions happening in the healthcare realm, interesting articles/podcasts for people who may want to get some insight on the industry
Build Your Experience & Skills
Use these sites to search for Internships, Volunteer, Part-time/Full-time jobs. Learn position requirements and qualifications to find out what skills and experiences you need for jobs of interest. In addition, search specific healthcare and mental health organization websites for other job listings.
Handshake: Find opportunities specifically for UW students and recent grads.
Indeed Human Services: A job search site listing positions at the national level.
LinkedIn: Search human services, mental health.
Idealist.org: Non-profit jobs and internships.
Glassdoor: Search by job title or company.
Wisc.jobs: Find jobs in the State of Wisconsin.
EXAMPLES OF ON CAMPUS RESOURCES
Center for Leadership and Involvement, UW-Madison Student Job Center, International Internship Program, Morgridge Center for Public Service
Graduate School
If I want to work in healthcare and wellness, do I need to go to graduate school or receive further training or certification? If yes, what is the right program(s) for me? Does it make sense to do a Ph.D. or a professional master’s program? Talk to your career & internship specialist, your academic advisor, and faculty members to learn more and to find out about different programs, here are a few resources to get you started: The Top PhD Resource on the Web, Commission on Accreditation, Schools in Public Health and Masters in Healthcare Administration.
Connect with Professionals
LinkedIn: Build your online presence by developing a profile, search for alumni in your major to learn the different paths you could consider, search for opportunities and more!
Use the Higher Education section to access guides on how to best use LinkedIn.
Badger Bridge: Whether you are fresh off Bascom Hill, a seasoned professional, or still a student, Badger Bridge is for you! Consider this your go-to resource for:
- Seeking alumni connections for professional advice
- Making a career change
- Connecting with alumni in your city or cities across the globe
- Considering relocating
Professional Development, Licensing & Training
A good way to further explore career interests is by checking out professional associations’ career and education resources. You can also learn about relevant events and conferences to attend, which is a great way to meet people in the field and make connections.
Psychology
Counseling
- American Counseling Association
- Clinical Social Worker vs. Mental Health Counselor
- Licensed Counselor Guide
- American Mentalhealth Counselor Association
- The National Rehabilitation Association
Social Work
Industry Research
- National Organization for Human Services
- U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Healthcare Management
American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management …
American Health Information Management Association
American College of Healthcare Executives
Public Health
Featured Employers
EPIC
As a leader in the development of software for healthcare organizations, Epic is driving change for an entire industry – one that affects the quality of life for everyone. Our team works with some of the world’s most respected healthcare organizations and collaborates with the best minds in medicine. The challenges we tackle on a day-to-day basis impact the lives of more than 180 million patients in the U.S, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia.
Jobs & Internships on Handshake
Set up your profile in Handshake to take care of everything you need to explore career events, manage your campus interviews and apply to jobs and internships from 200,000+ employers around the country.
SuccessWorks now offers an exciting resource for you called Big Interview. This great tool helps you learn, practice, and analyze your interviewing skills.
It’s easy to sign up, it’s free, so check it out and help your future self ace your next interview!
Looking to get started now? We have made a specialized assignment for you to practice the four most common interview questions. Just go to the “Assignments Tab” and enter code: 3237e2
Check out these courses
WOMEN AND THEIR BODIES IN HEALTH AND DISEASE
Prerequisites: None
Information on physiological processes and phenomena relating to health (for example, menstruation, pregnancy) and ill health (for example, cancer, maternal mortality, depression). Attention to how bodies are located in social contexts that influence health and illness. Explorations of how multiple kinds of social inequalities shape health and health disparities. Information on roles that female-assigned and women-identified people play as healthcare consumers, activists, and practitioners.
HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS: INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH
Prerequisites: None
Introduction to health care systems. Factors affecting health and the value placed on health, the delivery of healthcare in different settings, the roles of various health workers, and the sociological and economic aspects of healthcare.
INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
Prerequisites: Not open to students who have taken PSYCH 201 or PSYCH 281
Behavior, including its development, motivation, frustrations, emotion, intelligence, learning, forgetting, personality, language, thinking, and social behavior
INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH POLICY IN THE UNITED STATES
Prerequisites: None
Examines the ways in which government plays a role in the provision and regulation of health care. Explores key aspects of health policy including the economics of health care and special topics of interest such as policy addressing risky health behaviors, aging, mental health, and the Affordable Care Act.