Whether or not you choose to transfer from community college to Ivy League or any other university, being an Ivy League transfer can always help your chances to succeed in any given field because of the high quality education you'll have received.
Community college to Ivy League presents a vast number of opportunities to you like becoming a lawyer, doctor, finance analyst or even a health care administrator.
In this post, we'll be going over the specific community college to Ivy League track of going into health care administration with a specialty in Gerontology.
If you don't know what all that means, don't worry!
I'll explain everything below and perhaps you'll find a new career path that's right for you...
(For those of you looking for more information on how to go from community college to Ivy League, click here.
Health Care Administration and Gerontology
Throughout the years, healthcare administration has become a wide and varied field. Out of the many fields that healthcare administrators can work in, gerontology is one of the more important specialties as aging baby boomers will require medical care. Getting a healthcare administration degree with a specialization in gerontology can be a very rewarding experience for those who are looking for a new career path.
What Is Healthcare Administration?
Simply put, healthcare administration is the practice of leadership, administrative and management methods in local, state and federal health care facilities and networks. Healthcare administrators are the ones who are making sure that all medical personnel, administrative employees and contractors work together to run a health care organization efficiently.
In healthcare administration, there are generalists and specialists. Generalists are qualified to work with all types of populations in the healthcare community. Specialists, on the other hand, sign up for specific coursework in school so that they can professionally immerse themselves in the concerns and interests of one particular population. A gerontology specialization would be one example of this phenomenon.
What is Gerontology?
Gerontology is an interdisciplinary approach to the cares and concerns of the elderly population. If you plan on making gerontology your healthcare administration specialty, you’ll be taking coursework in sociology, psychology, biology and public policy.
The combination of healthcare administration and gerontology can be a fascinating area of study as you can take it down almost any path. For example, this particular healthcare administration specialty might introduce you to fulfilling work with special populations within the elderly community, such as mentally disabled adults and elderly patients dealing with diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Educational Pathways for Community College Transfer Students
There are two ways you can pursue healthcare administration work with elderly populations.
You could complete your associates degree at community college then transfer to an Ivy League university to get a bachelor’s degree in the liberal arts and supplement your course work with gerontology friendly subjects such as sociology, psychology and economics. You can also do this if you’re pursuing a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration.
Your second option is to get a liberal arts bachelor’s degree at any quality university and pursue healthcare administration studies with gerontology related coursework in an Ivy League graduate school. You'll still be going from community college to Ivy League, but with one extra stop in between. In graduate school, your coursework will be a bit more focused on professional benchmarks for the degree. You’ll be less likely to be required to take courses not directly relating to healthcare administration or gerontology.
How to Find a Suitable Healthcare Administration/Gerontology Program
A listing of all gerontology related degree programs in the United States are brought together in the National Directory of Educational Programs in Gerontology and Geriatrics. You can find this directory in almost any public library in your local area. You can also look for it in your college or university’s career services center or healthcare administration/gerontology department.
If you want to set aside the big book for your laptop, you can consult the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education’s (AGHE) National Database. You can have access to this valuable database for a very modest fee.
You can also visit the websites of healthcare administration/gerontology programs you’re interested in possibly attending. Once you’re on these websites, contact faculty and talk to them about what their program has to offer. Consider asking the admissions office if you can talk to any current students. Students can often be the best source for information on the quality of a potential program.
Working in the Healthcare Administration/Gerontology Field
Many programs in this field offer internships, field placements and employment opportunities in the local, state and federal organizations serving the elderly in your area. If you’re considering whether this field is for you or if it’s too early in your program for field placements, volunteer in local organizations. It’ll give you valuable experience, which will be vital when it’s time to look for full time employment.
Another often overlooked source for possible employment opportunities are professional organizations serving the elderly. Attend their annual conferences and network. You never know what will come of it.
Conclusion
Healthcare administrators specializing in gerontology have never encountered a more exciting time. As more baby boomers seek out services, old paradigms and concepts will be thrown out, making way for new methods of serving this valued, lively and cherished community.
Not only is this a growing field, but it can be a great way to make yourself a unique candidate for transferring from community college to Ivy League or eventually attending an Ivy League school a few years after transferring from community college to university.
Image courtesy of photostock/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
This is a guest post by Ingrid Kinsella on behalf of College America specializing in degree programs for working adults and offering healthcare administration and gerontology degree programs. If you’re looking to enroll yourself in a bachelor’s degree in gerontology program, do visit their website today.
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