Overview
This careers article explores non-scientific routes into healthcare, covering social work, hospital administration, data management, and specialist nursing. Practical and accessible, it is relevant to career changers, graduates, and anyone considering a high-impact healthcare role without a traditional medical or science background.
Introduction
Most traditional healthcare roles involve a scientific background. Nurses, for example, hold a degree titled “Bachelor’s in Science of Nursing”. However, as populations age and community healthcare requirements become increasingly complex, the need for professionals with skills that fall outside the traditional scope continues to increase.
Doctors and nurses aren’t going anywhere, but now they work alongside data specialists, social workers, and administrators to deliver the highest possible level of care.
In this article, we take a look at careers in the world of healthcare that do not require a scientific degree.
Social Work
Social workers have long operated within the healthcare system. They’re there to help vulnerable patients access medication and treatment.
They ensure that at-risk segments of the population, including those living in poverty or experiencing homelessness, have a safe and stable environment they can return to after their hospital stay.
They also play an important role in ensuring that the needs of older patients are adequately met. They help make sure patients have someone who can take them to appointments, pick up medications, and assist them around the house if needed.
As the population continues to age, social workers will play an increasingly important role in delivering high-quality healthcare services.
To become a social worker in the healthcare field, you’ll need to start with an undergraduate degree. Any degree will do, though majoring in social work does make the second leg of the process more streamlined.
Once you’ve earned a college degree, you’ll then need to enter a master’s program in social work with a special emphasis on healthcare roles. This not only improves your employment opportunities but also allows you to take on significantly more responsibility in your role as a healthcare social worker.
Admin
Hospital administrative work is, admittedly, less glamorous than patient-side care. It’s not administrators, after all, who experience the immediate thrill of saving a life.
Nor are they the ones who see families through difficult times, or provide little moments of light in circumstances that would otherwise feel hopelessly bleak.
They mostly refine policies and procedures.
Not exactly the stuff of hit televised medical dramas. Here’s what is true:
- Administrators make choices that impact the lives of thousands of people.
- The work that they do is more business-oriented than it is specific to patient care.
- Because of this, they do not need strong science skills.
- They still make a big difference in the communities they serve.
- Their choices may, in the long run, positively impact the lives of more people than a single nurse or doctor possibly could.
It’s also worth mentioning that admin staff (typically) work more conventional hours. Unlike doctors or nurses, who may be required at any time. Regardless of weekends or holidays, many administrators work 9-5, M-F hours.
You can begin an admin career with only an undergraduate degree. That said, the field is very competitive. Many administrators will go back to school to get a master’s degree—or possibly higher.
Data Management
There is an increasing demand for data-centric positions in the world of healthcare. Some of them are patient care-oriented.
There are, for example, nursing jobs that have a high level of data involvement.
That said, if you’re interested in data only as a direction for your career, there are analyst and management positions that will allow you to focus on population information and organisational health rather than patient-care specific considerations.
While there is a wide range of degrees relating to data, common options include:
- Data science
- Mathematics
- Computer science
- Data engineering
- Business/finance
You can generally get an entry-level position in a data-related career with only a bachelor’s degree. That said, it is very common for data professionals to go on to get a graduate degree.
Specialised Nursing Positions
Nurses also have endless specialisation opportunities. Admittedly, most of these jobs do fall within a scientific context. However, the primary STEM-related work is done on the front end as the nurse achieves their BSN.
From there, nurses are able to pivot into specialised fields, typically through a specialised certification route. Certification program requirements will vary based on the position, but they typically involve completing on-the-job experience hours along with light coursework.
During the period of supervised clinical hours, the nurse is able to work within their new position, earning money as they develop their experience.
There are literally dozens of specialisations within nursing, including education positions, school nursing jobs, forensic nursing careers, and more.
If you are interested in getting into nursing, there are many routes available, particularly for people who already have a college degree.
In that case, you’re eligible to pursue an accelerated program that will allow you to make the pivot in about a year instead of four years.
You should note that accelerated programs are very regionally specific because of varying accreditation requirements. You don’t just want to look up ABSN programs. You want to look up Oklahoma ABSN programs or Illinois ABSN programs.
Specialised nursing positions are an excellent way to serve your community at a very high level while focusing on the skills and practice areas that interest you the most.
Conclusion
It’s common for people to rule out healthcare as a career, thinking that they just don’t have the scientific thought process for the job.
While science certainly is an important element of medicine, it’s also just a single facet of what it takes to run a robust healthcare system.
Understand that there are even more ways to serve your community than we were able to describe in this article. For example, healthcare systems have:
- Marketing specialists
- Advertising teams
- HR departments
- Sales
- And more!
Hospitals employ thousands of people literally. Only a relatively small percentage of them do work that requires a degree in the sciences.
It takes many different types of skills to run a hospital. If you are interested in a high-impact career, start by making a list of your skills. You’ll likely find many career options within the world of healthcare that require dedicated professionals with your abilities.
