The healthcare industry is a rewarding field that allows you to make a difference in the lives of others. It takes a diverse team to execute the necessary functions to keep a health center running, and roles within this high-demand industry can extend beyond patient care.
To celebrate National Health Center Week, we’re sharing four health center careers you can pursue through Georgia State Online’s degree programs.
If you already hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing, you can level up your career by pursuing your master’s degree in nursing to become a nurse practitioner. Nurse practitioners work in specialized care settings and healthcare leadership roles to treat patients and coordinate care.
This thriving profession is essential in health centers, and our online program includes four different concentrations – adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner, pediatric primary care nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.
Nurse practitioners serve health care centers in both clinical and administrative roles and have the opportunity to become impactful leaders in the field. Registered nurses who do not hold a bachelor’s degree can also enroll in our R.N. to M.S. bridge program to earn this degree.
Social workers play an important role in health centers by educating patients about their conditions, connecting them with valuable community resources and coordinating post-discharge services such as therapy, rehabilitation and in-home care.
Depending on your level of education, you can earn your bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in social work through Georgia State Online. Our programs are based around accreditation and licensure rules in Georgia.
While the bachelor’s degree program provides students with the foundational knowledge they need for success as social workers, the master’s degree program focuses on community engagement and partnerships that promote social and economic justice. Both programs will prepare you to effectively serve patients in a health center setting.
Not all roles within a health center include patient care. If you have business savvy and are interested in a healthcare leadership role, earning your MBA will provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to manage a healthcare organization’s budget and finances.
In Georgia State Online’s program, you can also customize your degree to include a concentration in healthcare enterprise management, which focuses on the integration of information technology and healthcare management systems. You’ll learn topics including enterprise resource planning systems, mobile health technologies and predictive analytics in healthcare and gain an understanding of how these technologies can lead to innovation in the industry.
Any bachelor’s degree will qualify you to earn your MBA, so don’t be afraid to change career paths if this field is of interest to you.
Healthcare Informatics Professional
A healthcare informatics professional analyzes healthcare data to determine trends that inform a healthcare center’s decisions about operations and patient care. Healthcare informatics is a growing field, and healthcare informatics professionals play critical roles in driving healthcare innovation and making informed administrative decisions within healthcare organizations.
Our master’s degree in health sciences with a concentration in healthcare informatics is offered fully online and includes unique, interdisciplinary courses taught by healthcare informatics and nursing faculty. This program will give you the tools you need to design and develop information technology-based healthcare innovations.
Individuals with backgrounds in information technology or clinical settings do well in this academic program, but anyone with a bachelor’s degree is eligible to apply.
Ready to start your journey to a rewarding healthcare career? Contact an enrollment coach today.