Branches of the Health Care Industry

There are four primary branches of the healthcare industry: medical care, administrative, research, and sales and consulting.

Here are some of the most common job titles you'll find associated with each branch of the healthcare field.

Medical Care Branch

Doctor of medicine: Unless you've been living in a very isolated part of the world, you already know that a doctor examines and treats patients who are ill or performs annual wellness exams.

Hospitalist:This is a fairly new job that has become more prevalent in the industry over the last ten years.

The hospitalist is a doctor who works 100 percent of his or her time in a hospital caring for patients in the inpatient care setting. This doctor contracts with private practitioners to care for these doctors' patients when they are hospitalized. This allows the private practitioners to continue seeing patients in their own offices.

Pharmacist: The pharmacist dispenses medicine prescribed by doctors. Pharmacists are also becoming more responsible for working with patients who need additional information about their medications.

Nurse: There are several types of nurses, from labor and delivery nurses to emergency room nurses and even camp nurses. You can work in many different settings as a nurse.

Nurse-midwife: The nurse mid-wife can help deliver babies as long as the pregnancy and delivery are not complicated.

Physician assistant: Similar to advanced practice nurses, physician assistants are becoming more widespread and are able to care for patients under the supervision of doctors.

Surgeon: Surgeons are also becoming more specialized, focusing on certain types of surgery like open heart surgery or brain surgery.

Physical therapist: There are different levels of physical therapists and technicians. Therapists work with patients to help them recover full use of a limb or other part of the body.

Radiologist: This healthcare professional interprets the results of different medical imaging tests.

Administrative Branch

Hospital administrator: The administrator is responsible for the day to day operations of the hospital.

Office manager: The office manager works in a doctor's office and coordinates all of the administrative aspects such as answering phones, scheduling appointments, ensuring billing is done on time, etc.
Vice president, quality improvement: Usually in the hospital setting, this person is responsible for leading an organization's quality improvement initiatives. This person typically has experience and education as a nurse or other healthcare provider.

Nurse manager: The nurse manager makes sure a department of nurses is running smoothly from appropriate staffing levels to maintaining the department budget.

Manager, medical records: In the hospital or doctor's office setting, this person makes sure that all patients' records are accurate, for billing purposes and regulatory compliance.

Patient advocate or ombudsman: In the hospital, this person is the first to receive patient complaints and acts as a mediator or liaison between the hospital and the patient.

Research Branch

Lab technician: The laboratory technician works under the guidance of the researcher, performing routine lab work, tests, and studies.

Medical research scientist: The scientist may work exclusively in the laboratory or with animal or human subjects to develop new therapies.

Medical biologist: The biologist focuses on pharmaceuticals research.

Clinical research associate: This person works under the direction of the doctor or medical researcher and performs a variety of tasks from ordering supplies to working with clinical trials personnel.
Clinical trial administrator: This person works to keep track of a clinical trial underway, to ensure that guidelines are being met and monitoring the results.

Regulatory affairs manager:A regulatory affairs manager ensures that a healthcare organization is complying with all federal and local regulations.

Sales & Consulting Branch

Medical device sales person: A salesperson who sells specialized medical devices or equipment to hospitals or doctors.

Pharmaceutical product sales person: A salesperson who sells pharmaceuticals to hospitals or doctors.

Medical supplies sales person: A salesperson who sells medical supplies such as syringes, bandages, tongue depressors, etc. to hospitals or doctors.

Medical services sales person: A salesperson who sells specialized medical devices or equipment to hospitals or doctors.

Quality improvement consultant: Usually someone who has worked to develop successful quality improvement programs at various hospitals, who then is hired to work with QI departments at other hospitals.

Regulatory consultant: A regulatory affairs expert who is hired to help a health care organization meet all federal and local regulations.

Accreditation consultant: A person who consults with a hospital or healthcare provider to meet certification or accreditation requirements, like those imposed by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHCO).

Medical Professions Summary:

• No matter what your strengths or goals, you are sure to find a position that will match them in the healthcare industry. Whether you want to work as a medical care provider, researcher, or administrator, there are many positions to choose from.
• Some positions will require you to have a high school diploma while others (like becoming a medical doctor) mean you'll receive 11 years of education and training.
• The three primary branches of jobs in the industry are medical care, administrative, and research jobs.

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