Healthcare Careers

Healthcare is a growing industry with an expanding range of career paths.  The opportunities and challenges faced by healthcare organizations call for exceptional leaders and managers.  Healthcare administration graduates (MHA, MBA/Health and MPA/Health) work in a variety of settings, including:

• Healthcare providers, including healthcare systems, medical centers, hospitals, ambulatory care centers, physician group practices, long-term care facilities, home health agencies, hospice programs, physician group practices, and wellness centers
• Managed care and insurance companies
• Healthcare product developers and manufacturers, including biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies
• National, state and local government agencies
• Health policy development organizations
• Healthcare associations and advocacy groups 
• Non-profit organizations with health-related purposes
• Healthcare consulting firms.

These settings require a broad range of professionals, including:

• Executives, such as CEOs, COOs, CFOs, chief medical officers, chief nursing officers, and chief information officers as well as executives in development, facilities management, human resources, marketing, quality and patient safety, and planning
• Administrators in hospital operations, such as admitting, ambulatory services, facilities management, financial management, human resources, information technology, laboratory, marketing, physician services, planning, quality and safety, and risk management
• Administrators in hospital clinical programs, such as behavioral health, cardiovascular services, diabetes, imaging, emergency services, endocrine, nuclear medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, nursing, nutrition, obstetrics, oncology, orthopedics, pathology, pediatrics, pharmacy, plastic surgery, primary care, rehabilitation, research, residency and fellowship programs, respiratory care surgery, and women’s health
• Ambulatory care managers
• Accountants and financial managers
• Physician practice administrators
• Long-term care, home health and hospice administrators
• Product development specialists
• Marketing and sales specialists
• Healthcare program managers
• Policy analysts and development specialists
• Legislative Aides
• Strategy, marketing, operations, IT, and quality consultants

Suffolk University alumni and students are pursuing careers in many healthcare organizations, including:

Athena Health, Inc.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Biogendec
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Cape Cod Hospital
Caritas Norwood Hospital
Children’s Hospital Boston
Dana-Farber Cancer Center
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Greater New Bedford Community Health Center
Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare
Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Lowell General Hospital
Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts Hospital Association
Mount Auburn Hospital
Newton-Wellesley Hospital
Partners Healthcare
Pfizer, Inc.
Public Health Commission
Shields Healthcare
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
UMass Hospital in Worcester
St. Elizabeth Hospital
United Healthcare of New England
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Walgreens
Zoll Medical Corporation

The variety of settings and specific career options reflects the dynamic and growing nature of healthcare management career paths. Visit the American College of Healthcare Executives web site for additional advice on healthcare careers (http://www.ache.org/) or contact Suffolk University’s Healthcare Administration Programs office at HCadmin@suffolk.edu.