Allied Health Manager Career Plan
There are multiple paths to becoming an allied health manager. It’s a possible career path for a someone in high school or a seasoned health care employee. As with most careers, it helps to begin building your resume early.
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Do as much health care exploration as you can, as early as you can. If you have the chance to enroll in a magnet high school that focuses on health care careers, seize the opportunity. If not, try to attend health care camp — you’ll get a chance to find out about a lot of different allied professions.
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When you find one you’re interested in, try volunteering. You may also be able to enroll in a certificate program while still in high school. Allied health administrators often start out working in allied health professions. Many degree programs titled allied health administration are actually degree completion programs; they are for people who have completed a certificate or associate program in a health field. (Some of these programs will accept you with no prior certification, but there is a good chance you’ll be working as a medical assistant or other generalist role before going on to more demanding administrative roles.)
If, on the other hand, you’re primarily a business/ administration type, you will likely want to enroll in a health care administration program. These are academically rigorous, and you’ll need to take your education to the master’s level to compete for the best jobs.
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Build your communication, leadership, and administrative skills. You may want to check out Learn and Serve America.
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Meanwhile, keep your grades up. Take a college prep curriculum with four years of English and at least three years each of math and science. You might also consider psychology or speech. Spend some time preparing for the ACT or SAT.
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Research programs. There is a wide array of choices If you opt for a direct entry allied health manager program, you may be asked to pick a particular branch to specialize in, for example medical assisting or pharmacy studies. If you opt for a health care administration program, you’ll have many choices as well. (At the graduate level, you’ll likely do an extended internship.)
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Take your education beyond the classroom. Join a professional organization. Attend conferences and participate in forums. By application time, you should have some contacts out in the professional world. Look for jobs where there is opportunity for growth and put some time into networking.
Personality Traits: Allied health managers have excellent people skills. Employers look for candidates who communicate well and are self-starters.
