Explore Health Careers
Are you interested in preventing disease or removing healthcare disparities? What about being tech savvy or bilingual? Do you enjoy working with people and/or have good organizational and presentation skills? There is no limit to the skill sets and interests that can connect to a career in healthcare and there is no “best career” however, there is one that will feel like the best fit for you. Take the time to explore the resources below and allow yourself to make notes and see the different potentials in the variety of lifelong rewarding career possibilities.
Strong professionals allow themselves to see alternative options or parallel plans for their careers, so they can adapt, and pivot as needed. Graduate health professions are highly competitive and knowing you have choices allows you to have a vision of success in multiple ways. That plan could include exploring and shadowing different healthcare professionals and/or attending a post-bac or graduate program to strengthen your application.
Below is a list of a few of the many fields you can work in with your educational background and your interests in healthcare, as well as some post-bac and graduate school options.
Here are a few examples of UC undergraduate majors that can prepare you for a career in healthcare:
- Speech-Language Hearing Sciences (College of Allied Health Science)
- Social Work (College of Allied Health Science)
- Substance Abuse Counseling (UC Online)
- Public Health (College of Medicine)
- Exercise Science (College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services)
- Athletic Training (College of Allied Health Science)
The PPAC advises on Medicine, Podiatry, Dental, Physician Assistant, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Veterinary, Optometry, Chiropractic and Naturopathic. However, there are a large and ever-growing number of other health careers for you to explore. For information about additional health careers, check out ExploreHealthCareers.org or the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook on Healthcare Occupations.
- Anesthesiologist Assistant
- Animal Behaviorist
- Art Therapist
- Athletic Training
- Biostatistics
- Built Environment Specialist
- Child Life Professionals
- Clinical Research Associate (CRA)
- Genetic Counselor
- Health Administrator
- Health Informatics
- Health Care Interpreter
- Health Care Journalist
- Health Care Lawyer
- Health Politics, Policy and Law
- Massage Therapist
- Medical Librarian
- Midwife
- Orthotist and Prosthetist
- Perfusionist
- Public Health
- Surgical Technologist
- Veterinary Technician
Enrolling in a postbaccalaureate program or earning a graduate degree in a health-related field is an excellent way to strengthen your academic record and prepare you for a career in healthcare. Visit our Postbaccalaureate Programs page for more information.