Health Care Career Opportunities Are Abundant In The Philadelphia Market
Philadelphia has one the fastest growing job markets in the health care industry. Kristina Patterson, the director of operations at Clinical Care Associates at Penn Medicine, finds the Philadelphia area plentiful for those seeking a career in the field of health care.
What drew you to a degree and a job in health administration?
"Ever since I was in middle school, I knew I wanted to work in health care. I started by pursuing a degree in pharmacy, but was drawn to the administration courses within my pharmacy program. I thought the business side of health care was really interesting and that's when I researched careers in health administration."
What do you do to stay current in your field?
"I'm active within my professional association that offers continuing education and a speakers series locally and around the nation. I subscribe to our industry's premier publications so that I'm aware of what's happening in health care daily."
After graduation, how hard was it to transition to the actual working world?
"I was lucky that my Master's of Health Administration program helped students with graduate internships during the two-year program. Therefore, when completing my M.H.A., I was interning for a hospital that ended up offering me a full-time position."
What are the benefits of working in Philadelphia as a health administrator?
"Philadelphia has many great health care organizations so there is a lot of opportunity for career growth as well as professional development. With many academic health systems and large community health systems, the opportunities to interact with other health care professionals is vast."
Christina Thompson is a freelance writer living in Philadelphia. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.
