Health

Health care is a booming industry with a wide range of rewarding jobs working with patients, communities, or behind the scenes. Explore your career options with these guides to careers in the health industry.

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What Is Health Care Administration? What You Need to Know in 2025

Health care administrators provide leadership and expertise in a variety of health care settings. Find out more about this career path and how you can get started today.

March 30, 2021

Article

What Is Health Care Administration? What You Need to Know in 2025

Health care administrators provide leadership and expertise in a variety of health care settings. Find out more about this career path and how you can get started today.

March 30, 2021

Article

Explore popular health topics on Coursera

Status: Free

Stanford University

Stanford Introduction to Food and Health

Skills you'll gain: Cooking, Preventative Care, Food and Beverage, Behavioral Health, Socioeconomics, Education and Training, Culture, Environmental Issue

Status: Free

Yale University

Essentials of Global Health

Skills you'll gain: Health Systems, Epidemiology, Health Care, Infectious Diseases, Socioeconomics, Health Assessment, Preventative Care, Environment Health And Safety, Economic Development, Demography, Emergency Response, Governance

Imperial College London

Digital Health

Skills you'll gain: Data Visualization, Data Visualization Software, Agile Methodology, Interactive Data Visualization, Health Care, Health Care Procedure and Regulation, Health Systems, Electronic Medical Record, Interoperability, Epidemiology, Tableau Software, Health Information Management and Medical Records, Data Ethics, Information Management, Healthcare Industry Knowledge, Digital Transformation, User Centered Design, Technology Strategies, Big Data, Analytics

Working in health care can look like a lot of different things. You may work directly with patients as a doctor, nurse, or physical therapist, or maybe you work within communities through a public health career. You'll also find jobs behind the scenes, working in a lab or with health care data. You'll find several fields to explore:

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

In a 2023 report, the BLS notes the median annual wage for health care professionals in May 2022 was $77,760, a significantly higher salary than the national median wage of $46,310 for all professions during the same period. Furthermore, the BLS anticipates the health care industry to grow much faster than average between 2022 and 2032 [1].

Health care in the United States is a booming industry with a wide range of jobs offering salaries exceeding the national median, which could make it a good choice depending on your interests. You'll find a wide range of jobs in health care – from those that only require a high school diploma to those requiring a doctorate and many years of medical training.

As you are considering a career in the medical field, you should think about the kind of work environment that best fits your personality. While some might thrive on the tension and pressure of the surgery room, others might flourish in the daily routine of providing at-home patient care to the elderly. Others, meanwhile, might enjoy the work of dealing with animals and their owners in a veterinary office rather than dealing with the personal politics of a busy hospital.

Each career in health care offers the opportunity for working in totally different environments, so consider the kind of environment that you feel fits you best.