Health Care and Science is a community focused on improving lives and the world around us by applying research and technology to fieldwork, clinical environments, lab functions, and a wide variety of other roles. Members of this community have a broad range of career interests that include caring for those who are ill, safety and health concerns of general populations, environmental health and sustainability, and the use of scientific knowledge to make the world a better place.
There are numerous opportunities for our health and science graduates in organizations and companies large and small and in both the public and private sectors. While students’ interest in these careers is often driven by a desire to help others and the world around them, success requires meticulous planning and preparation—especially if you plan to attend graduate or professional school.
You may be familiar with numerous medical or practitioner roles, such as a physician, dentist, physical therapist, or veterinarian, and may have interests in global or public health. But are you aware of health and science career options in biotechnology, the pharmaceutical industry, genome science, science writing, or the environmental field? Or how your interests in science or health could intersect with careers in government, the creative sector, or innovation and entrepreneurship? Read on to learn more about careers in Health Care and Science!
Meet the Health Care and Science Career Community Team
Meet with an advisor to begin designing a career development framework for charting your own pathway of investigation and exploration in various areas of science. Expand your thinking about how your skills, interests, strengths, and passions can find a career fit in the world of the health and sciences—imagine the possibilities!
*The Health Care and Science Career Community partners with the
Pre-Health Advising Office in the College of Science and Health to provides a cohesive experience for students interested in exploring clinical roles.
Industries & Career Areas
Career areas for students in this community include these categories:
Are you interested in providing direct medical treatment to patients (human or animal!)? If so, you might consider exploring clinical health care careers. Clinical professionals directly support and provide patient diagnosis, treatment, testing, and ongoing care, and they often (although not always) interact with patients face-to-face. Many clinical roles require a graduate degree, certification, and/or licensing
If you are interested in the business side of healthcare, you might consider exploring a career in health administration and management. Health administration and management professionals support and run the business operations of healthcare organizations, including areas such as policy development, personnel management and human resources, finance, marketing, and facilities.
Are you interested in the intersection of health care and technology? Does the prospect of finding new ways to leverage information and data to improve health care access and quality excite you? If so, you might consider exploring careers in health data, analytics, and informatics. Careers in this field aim to develop, manage, and maintain health information systems by collecting, analyzing, and storing patients’ medical information and ensuring that patients’ health records are accurate, complete, and secure.
If you are interested in the promotion and protection of people’s health and the communities in which they live, you might consider exploring careers in public health, global health, and health policy. Careers in this field focus on educating the public to promote healthy and safe behaviors, preventing, detecting, and responding to disease outbreaks and the spread of infectious diseases, conducting research, and crafting and implementing policies that improve and protect public health.
Are you interested in looking holistically at the choices, behaviors, and lifestyles that support people’s overall well-being? If so, you might consider exploring careers in health promotion, wellness, and fitness. Careers in this field look comprehensively at people’s lives across various dimensions—physical, emotional, social, intellectual, environmental, spiritual, vocational, and financial—to support and encourage positive health behaviors and outcomes.
If you are passionate about the natural world, improving environmental health and sustainability, and/or tackling some of the most pressing issues of our time, like climate change, you might consider exploring careers related to the environment, energy, and sustainability. Careers in this field are expansive and may focus on an array of issues such as the use, stewardship, and protection of environmental and natural resources, energy use and production, and the application of biophysical, social, economic, and political sciences to address complex environmental, energy, and natural resource challenges.
Are you interested in the intersection of technology and science to advance new health care products and solutions? If so, you might consider exploring careers in pharmaceuticals, biotech, and medical technology. Careers in this field leverage scientific and technological knowledge to improve or develop new medical and health-related treatments, techniques, tests, technologies, and devices.
If you are interested in exploring scientific curiosities, contributing to scientific breakthroughs, or applying scientific findings to real-world issues, you might consider exploring careers in scientific and lab research. Careers in this field are found across a variety of life, physical, and social science disciplines, such as biology, chemistry, environmental sciences, neuroscience, physics, and psychology, and focus on critically evaluating and expanding upon existing scientific and technological knowledge.
Resources
Resume Resources
Community Events
The HCS Community holds events and workshops each quarter, designed to help you explore career pathways, connect with students, alumni and employers, and learn from industry professionals. Check out upcoming events in
https://depaul.joinhandshake.com. Below is a playlist that includes replays of some of our recent events.
Student Organizations
Below is a non-exhaustive list of
student organizations you may wish to explore or join. Browse a complete list of student organizations ata DePaul by visiting
DeHUB.(Many student organizations also have social media pages that you may search).
Resources for Gaining Health Care & Science-Related Experience
Shadowing
Volunteering
Internships & Jobs
Research