How to accelerate your healthcare career

Are you looking to take the next step in your healthcare career? Maybe you want to increase your salary while retaining a competitive edge in your work. 

Perhaps you’re a lifelong learner and would like to acquire different skills so that you can grow in your role and expand your knowledge. 

You might be seeking a management or educator role – or considering a sideways move into psychology, counselling or public health. 

With labour shortages expected across all areas of health care, and more people entering the industry to meet demand, postgraduate degrees help you stand out and take control of your career, your self-worth and your patients. 

Choose your own adventure

So, how do you choose the path that’s right for you? 

First of all, identify or articulate your career goals. Make a list and note down the pros and cons of each change in direction or specialisation. 

How busy is your current job? How much responsibility do you currently have, and how much time can you take off for study? 

Once you’ve noted these details, start to identify the gaps in your experience. How can you fill them?

It could be that you require a combination of study plus on-the-job training. Perhaps the training can count towards your course and vice versa. 

Have a conversation with your manager. If you’re already working in health care and you want to upskill, chances are the type of study or training you want to do is directly related to your job. 

Tell your manager that you’ll bring your research and postgraduate knowledge back to the team to help everyone improve. 

With continuing professional development (CPD) activities, it’s worth noting that, generally, postgraduate study counts towards this—if the degree is related to your profession. For example, a Master of Nursing counts as CPD if you’re already working as a registered nurse.

Postgraduate study can help

Postgraduate degrees are flexible. A master’s can be tailored to different pathways, whether it’s specialising in advanced practice, management or education.  

Postgraduate study develops your theoretical knowledge and technical skills, as well as the ‘soft skills’ that are of increasing importance in health care. Depending on your specialisation, you’ll take subjects and topics that will develop a range of in-demand skills, including the following:

• Leadership skills, including people management and business management. You’ll develop the skills needed to be a successful healthcare leader, including interpersonal and communication skills for effectively managing teams, as well as business skills like financial management. These will be applicable to broad healthcare settings, giving you more options in your career choices.
   
• Technical knowledge. Technology is changing health care on a daily basis, absorbing new areas such as informatics and clinical governance. The skills you learn in postgraduate study will help you adapt to emerging systems like telehealth and virtual reality, allowing you to play a key role in transforming the way that health care is practised.
   
• Research and data analysis. As more systems are designed for capturing and analysing patient data in health care, your ability to sift through and make sense of this data will increase. 

You’ll learn how to work with emerging data systems and evaluate evidence, giving you advanced skills that improve patient care no matter your role. 

You’ll also learn how to present rigorous analysis that stands up to scrutiny when applying for funding or support. 

Crucially, you’ll learn how to understand and apply research to deliver evidence-based patient care while building critical skills for managing health and social care programs. 

Study online

Online courses offer an educational experience every bit as community-oriented and academically rigorous as in-person learning would be.

By its very nature, the global reach of online learning enables you to virtually study alongside other students who come from all walks of life and from locations around the world.

Your location is no barrier to learning and doesn’t preclude you from interacting with your fellow students — no matter where they live.

Explore our range of online postgraduate health courses, including counselling, leadership and management, mental health, nursing, psychology and public health, to find one that suits you.