Going Beyond An Associate Healthcare Degree
The pursuit of a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Studies degree can be an intimidating hurdle to face on the path to achieving your professional goals, especially when you may have already invested time into completing an associate degree in a health-related field. There is, however, immense value added by continuing your education beyond the associate level in order to expand your opportunities and build a future in a career you love.
Finding Your Passion Through Intellectual Invigoration
An associate degree’s curriculum includes fewer class requirements than a bachelor’s degree. This means that with the increased number of course requirements to complete, a bachelor’s degree allows for greater opportunity to learn a broader range of topics beyond the essential foundational requirements.
Accordingly, a bachelor’s degree in health care studies is a path to finding what you love to learn due to the academic space it provides for exploration beyond the core health care concepts. In a bachelor’s degree program, you can enhance your academic experience with individualized course scheduling that dives into electives and/or complementary coursework that interest you.
Additionally, bachelor completion degrees, like Ohio University’s Bachelor of Science in Integrated Healthcare Studies, are particularly advantageous in that they take into account previous credits obtained through an associate degree program, allowing you to complete the bachelor’s degree quicker. This means you have even greater space and flexibility to explore what truly invigorates and inspires you on your path to a fulfilling career in health care.
Stepping Stone for Specialization in Graduate School
Building upon this pursuit of course topics that you love, a bachelor’s degree in health care studies becomes a stepping stone for greater specialization in your area of interest through a graduate degree program. You are finding your niche and starting the path toward a career that best matches your skill set and area of interest.
Popular master level degrees that bachelor’s in health care graduates pursue are in the areas of public health, pathology, epidemiology, health care administration, community health policy, and health science. Most, if not all, of these graduate programs first require the completion of an accredited bachelor’s degree in health care.
Uniquely-You Career Paths
Bachelor’s degrees in health care studies feature diverse interdisciplinary coursework that covers a broad range of topics, such as exercise science, public health, nutrition, physical therapy, social work, health care literacy, and communication disorders. Again, with the additional required courses beyond that of an associate degree, a bachelor’s degree exposes you to a wider range of potential future career paths.
If you do not wish to pursue graduate school, this interdisciplinary, integrated base can launch you directly into a career in one of these areas that matches what you most love to do. You are learning skills and knowledge that touch the lives of so many in a very complex health care system. The degree has a high level of flexibility and applicability to future career paths in many public and private settings, including hospitals, assisted living and nursing homes, private medical practices, hospice care, schools, and community health centers.
Increased Leadership Ability and Interpersonal Skills
Within the health care industry, Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Studies degrees are increasingly becoming a minimum qualification for employment and/or career advancement.
Beyond the required technical knowledge, a bachelor’s degree represents to many employers the possession of in-demand “soft” skills, which include refined communication, leadership, adaptability, decision-making, and interpersonal abilities. These are the intangible skills of utmost importance that can benefit both the overall success and operations of a professional team and also the quality of care patients and their families are receiving.
Accordingly, completion of a bachelor’s degree opens the door for many more leadership opportunities, and as a result, longer term job security and overall higher earning potential than peers with an associate health care degree. And ultimately, it represents the opportunity to deliver high-quality, informed, and passionate care that makes a meaningful difference in your community.
Creating a Fulfilling Career Through a Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare
A bachelor’s degree in health care studies provides immense opportunities to acquire vital knowledge and skills that will be critical in navigating the health care system and delivering quality care. It also represents a means to discovering your professional passions and starting your path towards a fulfilling, fit-for-you career.
Ready to invigorate your professional future? Learn more about Ohio University’s Bachelor of Integrated Healthcare Studies degree.