If you’re considering a career in health, you might not know exactly where to start. Health sciences are a great option if you’d like to choose from a breadth of lucrative jobs that allow you to develop and apply skills in research, technology, leadership, and interpersonal communication to a meaningful career. Health sciences comprise a variety of disciplines, including hospital administration, healthcare management, and patient care.

Applying the science of health to real-world scenarios is vitally important to individual and societal well-being. Earning a health sciences degree could open doors to an in-demand career that improves the health of entire communities. Many health sciences degrees grant students a well-balanced understanding of healthcare, equipping them with a dynamic tool set for highly sought-after job roles in the industry.

This article discusses 10 jobs that a health sciences degree can prepare you for, including day-to-day responsibilities and skill qualifications for each.

Jobs You Can Pursue with a Health Sciences Degree

1. Pharmaceutical Sales Representative

Pharmaceutical sales representatives [hyperlink to CG when ready] offer medications and other medical supplies to healthcare facilities like hospitals and clinics. They research the prescription needs of doctors and healthcare professionals and then sell and promote products, often traveling to do so. These representatives may host product seminars for clients and often attend pharmaceutical trade shows and conferences.

Common skills for the role include the following:

• Communication and negotiation skills
• Presentation skills
• Assertiveness
• Understanding of pharmaceutical products for sale
• Knowledge of industry market trends

2. Patient Educator

Patient educators work alongside clinical staff to help patients understand treatment plans. They answer patient questions and discuss expectations before and after treatment is administered. To perform their jobs effectively, patient educators must also communicate regularly with doctors, nurses, and healthcare providers about how to best treat and care for patients.

Patient educators often develop skills in the following areas:

• Treatment plan knowledge
• Empathy and cultural awareness
• Understanding of medical technology
• Listening skills and attentiveness
• Teamwork and collaboration

3. Clinical Technologist

Many—if not all—healthcare centers employ clinical technologists to assist doctors and other staff with diagnostic procedures. These individuals use medical equipment and technology to help diagnose patients, test for disease or illness, collect biological samples, and more. Some clinical technologists might specialize in a field like phlebotomy or immunology, while others perform more general tasks like recording patient height, weight, or blood pressure.

For clinical technologists to succeed in their role, they should be skilled in operating and maintaining equipment and develop a detail-oriented mindset to yield accurate test results.

 4. Clinical Director

A clinical director plays an indispensable role in supervising a healthcare facility’s overall operation. These leaders employ various management strategies to ensure that patients are properly cared for. Directing responsibilities often involve hiring and training staff, managing finances, and executing on big-picture goals to optimize business performance.

Clinical directors need to understand how clinical procedures and policies factor into their role, applying skills in organizational planning, leadership, clinical knowledge, and effective communication.

5. Clinical Manager

Clinical managers often carry out administrative tasks set by clinical directors. Their responsibilities may include onboarding new hires, developing training materials, organizing patient health records, or syncing with physicians, nurses, and other staff members as needed. Even though clinical managers might not be in daily contact with patients, their efforts help to keep clinics, hospitals, and other facilities functioning smoothly.

Clinical managers should be confident in a leadership role, exercising skills in communication, clinical computer software, and human resources.

6. Nursing Home Manager

Nursing homes and assisted living centers often require sensitive, empathetic care of residents. These patients can experience a wide variety of health challenges as they strive to live comfortably. Nursing home managers are responsible for fostering that comfort through planning budgets, maintaining effective patient treatment plans, organizing nursing staff schedules, and consistently training employees on best practices.

Nursing home managers can thrive in their career as long as they apply their skills in interpersonal communication, problem-solving, and leadership.

7. Resident Care Coordinator

Resident care coordinators—sometimes called “residential care facilitators”—focus on providing the best possible care to patients in assisted living facilities. Specific day-to-day tasks of a resident care coordinator include creating patient care policies, instructing nurses on administering treatment plans, and communicating with staff members to establish standardized performance goals.

Resident care coordinators should be equally skilled in business administration and healthcare management. Though they hold a high-level position, resident care coordinators should always have strong empathy toward their coworkers and their patients.

8. Patient Experience Manager

Whether they work in a hospital, doctor’s office, mental health clinic, or another similar environment, patient experience managers devote their time to educating and supporting patients. Depending on their patients’ health situations, patient experience managers may develop treatment plans, encourage patients during occupational or physical therapy, or act as liaisons between patients and care providers. Patient experience managers also keep up-to-date records on patient progress.

Common skills for patient experience managers include the following:

• Teamwork
• Empathy
• Understanding of patient management software
• Patience
• Knowledge of and compliance with healthcare regulations

9. Care Manager

Care managers assist patients through their treatment processes, therapy regimens, and post-procedure recovery. Most care managers collaborate closely with doctors, surgeons, therapists, and other similar professionals to learn how they can best support patients. Care managers are primarily concerned with their patients’ medical well-being, often helping them navigate the details of various medical services and resources.

For the best patient outcomes, care managers should develop skills in communication, patient education, and problem-solving.

10. Case Manager

Case managers perform similar tasks to care managers but tend to focus more on the administrative aspects of patient health. Most case management work involves helping patients find the best treatment plans, educating patients on health insurance policies, and referring patients to relevant social services as needed.

Patients benefit the most when their case managers are skilled in navigating complex healthcare systems and have a thorough understanding of healthcare providers.

Exploring the Boundless Opportunities in Health Sciences Careers

As you prepare for a career in health sciences, spend time reflecting on your individual interests and professional goals. Do you like working with technology? What about serving in a leadership role? Would you rather be part of a team or spend one-on-one time with patients?

Answering these types of questions can help you find an enriching, fulfilling job that plays to your strengths. A varied skill set in health sciences could even help you pivot to other similar jobs so you can find the role best suited to you.

Ready to earn a degree and open doorways to opportunity? Consider WGU. We offer more than a dozen online, accredited bachelor’s and master’s programs in healthcare, including health sciences, health and human services, and healthcare administration. In addition, WGU’s competency-based education model means that you advance through coursework as quickly as you show mastery of the material, so you can potentially graduate faster and save money.

Get started today.