5 Great Health Policy Jobs

Jobs in Health Policy

  • Health Policy Analyst
  • Community Wellness Director
  • Behavioral Health Equity Coordinator
  • Healthcare Administrator
  • Research and Evaluation Manager

For anyone looking to work in a career which can potentially have a major impact on medical outcomes and practice, there are many great health policy jobs out there to consider. According to the World Health Organization, “health policy refers to decisions, plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific health care goals within a society.” If working in such a pivotal role in the medical community sounds of interest to you, read on. Here are five great choices in health policy jobs right now.

1. Health Policy Analyst

At the core of many health policies and programs work health policy analysts. These professionals work almost explicitly in the field of analyzing health policy decisions as well as the effects of those decisions on patients, staff, and so on. When not researching policy direction, policy analysts are busy reporting and reviewing their findings with managers and directors of their respective healthcare facilities. With these valuable findings, upper management can then see more clearly the effects of their policy choices and thus make decisions much more wisely.

2. Community Wellness Director

In many communities across the US, there exist a multitude of government and social services programs solely aimed at helping to maintain the health and wellness of the communities they serve. A primary role in these efforts is often delegated to that of the community’s wellness director. Those working in this role are thus responsible for crafting and maintaining policies in that community which will specifically help improve and maintain positive health therein. This is exclusively a government position.

3. Behavioral Health Equity Coordinator

Access to adequate healthcare is universally important to all of us. One area in which such access is critical is that of behavioral and mental health. Enter the behavioral health equity coordinator. This professional essentially works as a healthcare policy manager in multiple government health departments and agencies. The goal of this job is to make the government and community mechanisms and outreach points for dealing with mental health issues much more capable and efficient. To effectively do this, one must understand the community, mental health issues, and the effects of policy on it all.

4. Healthcare Administrator

Healthcare administrators also play a very important role in healthcare policy as they are the ones in charge of shaping and running entire healthcare programs in hospitals, clinics, specialist offices, and other locations. Jobs such as employee training, maintaining of operations within legal and ethical codes, and effective procedures all fall to the policy-shaping and administration skills of this individual. Success in this role means for a healthy and successful healthcare facility and operation as a whole.

5. Research and Evaluation Manager

Much like analysts, research and evaluation managers are greatly concerned with discovering what works and what does not where it comes to healthcare practices and policies. Unlike analysts, though, research and evaluation managers actually oversee entire groups of analysts and group research efforts into improved healthcare technique. One might accurately view this position as a sort of manager of R&D, or research and development, except applied in the medical community over policy and method. When all is said and done, those working in this role affect outcomes through controlling the aims and tools of research therein.

Related Resource: Top 10 Master’s in Public Health Degree Online 2018

Health policy truly has a significant impact on the medical industry and health outcomes for us all. As a result, those filling these valuable roles are certain to find ample reward on a number of levels. In conclusion, these five particular careers in health policy are among those most rewarding and secure in future outlooks and are thus certainly worthy of further inquiry for those interested in such work in the medical field.