How to choose a health care profession

During your college search, you may have found yourself gravitating towards a career in health care. That’s great news! Health care heroes truly get to make a difference every time they go to work. Additionally, graduates of health care programs also enjoy high employability and competitive starting salaries. Now you just have to narrow your major search for the specific health care job that is right for you.  We have produced a list of a few things to consider while you are making your decision.  

Check out the curriculum

A great way to see if a major might be a good fit for you is to look through the curriculum of that major. Check out the list of allied health programs and from there, you can select a major that interests you and go to the “curriculum” page. There, you’ll be able to see every class that’s required for each major over the entire course of your time at UC. This is super helpful because based on the classes that correspond to a certain major, you can get a feel for whether or not you’d enjoy studying it. You can also use this to compare two majors side-by-side and see the similarities and differences between them. Some majors require more difficult levels of science courses than others, others have foreign language requirements – these are all factors that may help you decide the best fit for you.

Get to know the profession

Don’t wait until you arrive on campus to explore career options.  Visit local clinics/practices and see if you are able to do any job shadowing – this is the best way to see what a typical day will look like. If you have the opportunity to talk to someone who works in your field of interest, ask them what they like about their job and what they don't like! This will help you determine if the field is a good fit for you.

Popular job-search sites can give you some helpful information about your potential career options. Finally, if you find a profession you love, make sure that the college(s) you are looking at have that major – some of the more specific allied health professions are not available at every university. 

Research the path it takes to get there

Research, research, research! Some allied health professions allow you to practice with a bachelor’s degree while others require while others require a graduate degree or even medical school before you’ll be able to work. Additionally, many of our professions require licensure (typically built into the program). All of these factors should impact your decision about which major is right for you.