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Careers for Healthcare Professionals with a Master’s in Education

Career Opportunities With a Master’s in Education for Healthcare Professionals

The diverse healthcare field offers many avenues to success and many ways to make a difference. While clinical professionals such as nurses and physicians may come to mind, this is only the beginning. Some professionals prefer to serve in a more supportive or educational capacity, sharing their insights while helping other passion-driven professionals reach their full potential.

This is where healthcare education jobs come into play. Top healthcare jobs focus on high-level training, helping both current and aspiring professionals — such as nurses, nutritionists, medical assistants, and other clinical workers — reach their full potential. This can be a wonderfully rewarding career path, but it calls for specialized training, as the skills vital to success in education may look considerably different from those used on a day-to-day basis in clinical environments.

If you're interested in exploring educational opportunities, take time to explore various pathways in healthcare and higher education. You may be surprised to discover a diverse array of roles that blend healthcare and education, all while allowing you to pursue your passion.

Careers in Healthcare You Can Get With a Master's in Education

There is no one 'right' way to leverage a master's in healthcare education. A lot depends on your goals as an educator and how or where you prefer to work with students. To help you begin the planning process, we will explore several careers in healthcare that are available to candidates with their master's in education. Keep reading to discover which healthcare career paths are most compelling and how these opportunities can lead to personal and professional satisfaction.

Healthcare Educator Roles

While there are many ways to make a difference as a healthcare educator, this role is most frequently associated with targeted training programs designed to help future healthcare workers develop clinical skills. Examples of common educational roles include:

  •       Nurse Educator. Tasked with training licensed practical nurses (LPNs), registered nurses (RNs), or even advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), nurse educators provide insight into the theories, frameworks, and hands-on activities that help nurses maintain a high standard of care. Often working within academic settings, these educators provide targeted instruction, touching on fundamental clinical concepts as well as the value of evidence-based practice.
  •       Clinical Instructor. Similar to the role of nurse educator but with a greater emphasis on practical application, clinical instruction involves direct guidance and may be prioritized within healthcare facilities or other clinical settings. Offering in-the-field guidance, these instructors can help students refine skills while offering immediate and highly impactful feedback.
  •       Patient Educator. While patient education is a core function of many clinical professionals, some dedicated roles focus exclusively on helping patients and their families understand various diagnoses or treatment options. These educators may help to explain procedures or answer questions so that patients and their loved ones feel as supported and confident as possible.

Academic and Institutional Roles

While many nurse educators inspire future healthcare professionals while serving as faculty members, there are many other ways to make a difference within academic environments. Compelling roles include:

  •       Program Director. Providing the oversight needed to produce a cohesive academic experience, academic program directors work with various faculty members and administrative professionals to plan and implement specific college degree or certificate programs.
  •       Instructional Designer. Similar to curriculum development but focused on how students learn most effectively, instructional design promotes impactful learning experiences that expose students to new perspectives and help them retain important information.

Leadership and Administrative Roles

Are you on the hunt for jobs in healthcare that pay well? There are many ways to boost earning power, but career advancement may offer the most reliable avenue to achieving strong wages and enhanced autonomy. This often means moving into leadership or administrative positions, such as:

  •       Director of Medical Education. Often focused on medical schools' graduate medical education (GME) programs, directors of medical education (DMEs) clarify the vision, mission, and objectives for high-level educational programs, ensuring that these programs align with current standards and priorities in the healthcare industry. Monitoring program effectiveness, these professionals may play a key role in helping programs maintain desired accreditation status.
  •       Chief Learning Officer in Healthcare. Bringing training and development into the C-suite, chief learning officers (CLOs) offer broad oversight, handling the strategic components of training programs. This involves establishing a clear vision along with objectives that should be closely aligned with actual learning materials and experiences.
  •       Healthcare Training and Development Manager. Overseeing often sizable teams of training and development specialists, managers may be tasked with executing the initiatives promoted by CLOs. This could involve effective implementation across multiple settings, along with coordinated scheduling and regular program evaluations.

Public Health and Community Education Roles

Public health promises to improve the quality of life across sizable populations, drawing on evidence-backed insights to reduce the spread of disease and help communities adopt healthy lifestyle habits. This field has a strong educational component, as public health leaders strive to get the word out about emerging health risks and mitigation strategies. Roles that blend public health and education include:

  •       Health Education Specialist. Responsible for developing community-based educational programs, health education specialists are driven to inform people about the conditions and behaviors that impact their well-being. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reveals the diversity of this role, demonstrating how specialists can bring powerful educational opportunities to healthcare facilities or develop public health campaigns that help community members learn about everything from nutrition to immunizations.
  •       Community Health Educator. Bringing the benefits of health education to diverse populations, community health educators implement the training programs developed by the aforementioned health educational specialists. Typically working at the grassroots level, these educators largely focus on community engagement and outreach.
  •       Corporate Health and Wellness Trainer. Research suggests that optimal health can have a positive impact on business outcomes. To that end, many corporate leaders have implemented health and wellness programs, which passionate trainers may administer. These professionals may work individually with private-sector professionals to develop health and wellness goals, also offering workshops or classes to inform larger groups of employees about topics such as nutrition, sleep hygiene, or mental health.

Online and Private Sector Education Roles

In an effort to find balance, many healthcare students or other individuals actively seek online programs that promote expanded geographical access along with scheduling flexibility. This, in turn, has opened the door to many consulting and remote job opportunities:

  •       E-Learning Developer. As more healthcare training activities are pursued online, e-learning developers ensure these experiences are as engaging and resonant as possible. This means leveraging advanced technologies to promote immersive online learning experiences while helping students feel connected and supported.
  •       Healthcare Consultant. Providing valuable outside perspectives regarding educational materials or activities, education-focused healthcare consultants can reveal weaknesses or hidden opportunities within various training programs. They may offer targeted recommendations for improving instructional design or for aligning educational programs with industry standards.
  •       Freelance Health Coach. Offering tailored insights for private clients, freelance health coaches, or educators reveals how various habits or behaviors can influence long-term health outcomes. They provide much-needed encouragement, empowering clients to take control of their own health and well-being.

Skills Gained From a Master’s in Education for Healthcare Professionals

Even the most experienced and knowledgeable healthcare professionals can sometimes struggle to make the transition to instruction, as this calls for a unique skill set that may not be sufficiently addressed through clinical training programs. The master's in healthcare education provides the chance to explore evidence-based pedagogical techniques, including curriculum mapping, responsive instruction, and even simulation-based learning.

Education for Healthcare Professionals (EDHP) courses also cover summative and formative evaluation strategies that help instructors assess learner progress and performance. Just as critical are hands-on instructional skills, including the ability to incorporate learning theories while engaging in recommended instructional practices. These hands-on opportunities emphasize soft skill development, including essentials such as active listening, empathy, and problem-solving.

Is Healthcare a Good Career Path for Educators?

Many roles and specializations allow healthcare educators to support a diverse array of students while bringing a high level of competency to the demanding healthcare sector. Having already achieved clinical success, many potential educators wonder, is healthcare a good career path when it also involves education? There is no one right answer, as a lot depends on personality and preferences regarding lifestyle or work environment, but this certainly can be a rewarding field.

While making the transition from healthcare to education, ambitious professionals are pleased to discover that both areas share a few key qualities, including the ability to positively influence others while drawing on specialized knowledge and a wealth of passion. Those who desire a bit more stability in their day-to-day lives may prefer the slightly slower pace of education. This is also a great option for those who find fulfillment in mentoring students and those with a desire to drive long-term change in the healthcare sector.

How to Choose the Right Master’s in Education Program

As you clarify your career goals, consider how you will make the leap from clinical care to healthcare education. Targeted training is essential. Look for a program emphasizing cutting-edge pedagogical research while promoting collaborative learning and hands-on application.

Be mindful of scheduling and flexibility. Online programs can help you develop new skills while remaining immersed in the healthcare environment as a working student. The ultimate goal is to blend the flexibility of an online program with real-world learning opportunities.

Explore Compelling Careers in Healthcare Education With TAMU's EDHP Program

Ready to take the next step in your healthcare career? Texas A&M offers multiple options worth exploring, including a curated master's degree program designed to support passion-driven professionals. Focusing on learning theories and research-backed instructional techniques, this program provides the chance to put pedagogical insights into action via practicums and other engaging experiences. Get in touch to learn more about our Education for Healthcare Professionals (EDHP) programs.


Sources

https://medicine.tamu.edu/degrees/edhp.html

https://catalog.tamu.edu/graduate/course-descriptions/edhp/

https://www.nursingworld.org/content-hub/resources/nursing-resources/becoming-a-nurse-educator/

https://aihcp.net/2024/02/22/nurse-patient-education-educating-patients-and-the-public/

https://careers.amiculum.biz/posts/what-does-a-medical-instructional-designer-do

https://www.apha.org/what-is-public-health

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6832080/

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/health-educators.htm#tab-2

https://www.nshcoa.com/what-is-a-health-coach/