Why Get a Bachelor’s in Healthcare?
How a Bachelor’s Degree can Jumpstart a Healthcare Career
Within the complex and ever-evolving American health care industry, careers are trending towards the requirement of a health care bachelor’s degree as a minimum qualification for employment and/or career advancement. Attainment of a bachelor’s degree in a health-related field represents a well-rounded knowledge and specialization in in-demand medical concepts, as well as leadership potential.
Why Pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare Studies?
Health care career paths and specializations are more diverse than ever, with placements existing in a wide range of public and private settings, including hospitals, assisted living and nursing homes, private medical practices, hospice care, schools, and community health centers. In order to better meet patient needs and deliver care at these locations, organizations consider a bachelor’s degree for many in-demand, sought-after career paths such as radiology technicians, respiratory therapists, physical therapy assistants, pharmaceutical sales, and health care managers.
Whether just getting started in a career or looking to advance to the next level, a bachelor’s degree in health care studies can be a fundamental building block. In particular, a health care studies degree fosters the discovery of professional interests through an integrated, interdisciplinary curriculum.
Through a bachelor’s degree in health care studies, students are exposed to a wide-range of course topics, providing the opportunity to discover the areas of study they are most passionate about. As a result of a diverse curriculum, students are set up for pursuit of a best-fit career, career advancement, or continued graduate education for further specialization in health care.
Additionally, over the length of their careers, bachelor’s-educated health care professionals typically have higher earning potential, greater job security, and increased likelihood for promotion consideration than peers with lower academic credentials.
Immediate Degree Applicability
A bachelor’s degree in health care studies stands out in its applicability and relevance in the increasingly complex state of the American health care system. Course curriculum, like that of Ohio University’s Bachelor of Science in Integrated Healthcare Studies, is diverse, building knowledge and skills in health care topics as well as communications, sociocultural concepts, critical thinking, leadership, and professional skills.
As a result of such well-rounded coursework, the bachelor’s degree in health care studies is immediately applicable and relevant—especially for working professionals pursuing the degree for career advancement. Students can apply the knowledge gained in real-time, which allows for rapid growth and increased professional influence.
Increased Flexibility in Structure of Bachelor’s Degrees
The traditional format of college degrees only being offered on-campus with a regular daytime schedule has eroded over time. With the rapid advancement and increased accessibility of the Internet and improvement of educational technology combined with strong demand for schedule flexibility, higher education institutions have expanded program structure offerings. This means institutions are increasingly breaking away from the rigid traditional format and are actively developing alternative degree structures, including online, evening, and hybrid options.
The alternative degree structures are not only flexible and convenient for students, they are also typically fully accredited and highly valued by potential employers. This reinforces that non-traditional academic degree formats do not lack in substance, quality, or overall student experience in comparison to fully on-campus programming.
For instance, Ohio University’s Bachelor of Science in Integrated Healthcare Studies degree is offered in both on-campus and 100% online formats, allowing students to select the best-fit program structure. Additionally, Ohio University’s courses for this degree program can be pursued at either an accelerated seven-week or full 14-week pace, reflecting students’ individualized scheduling needs. Ohio’s 200 year history of offering academic excellence bolsters the student experience with access to top curriculum, expert faculty, and an array of support resources.
Advantages of a Bachelor’s Completion Degree in Healthcare
In addition to developing alternative degree delivery formats, higher education institutions have expanded to offer bachelor’s completion degrees. A bachelor’s completion degree takes into account previously completed college coursework, guiding completion of the remaining required credit requirements to earn a bachelor’s degree.
This is an advantageous approach for a more timely completion of a bachelor’s degree, helping to also balance work, life, and academic goals and responsibilities. This flexibility and individualized course scheduling especially caters to working professionals, those looking to pursue further graduate studies, students with an associate degree in a health field, and even those looking to change their undergraduate major.
Healthcare Career Invigoration Through a Bachelor’s Degree
Health care professionals and health care support are among the fastest-growing occupations, with many of the most sought after positions expecting the achievement of a bachelor’s degree in health care as a minimum credential for employment. If you’re interested in jump starting an invigorating and fulfilling health care career, get started by learning more about Ohio University’s Bachelor of Integrated Healthcare Studies degree today.