The Healthcare Sector

There’s more to the healthcare sector than clinical practice, case management, and utilization review. In fact, some of the best non-clinical jobs around can be right in the same building where you already work! 

Obviously, you could work in management, which is the traditional non-clinical career path within rehab. But you could also work in compliance or performance improvement, working with your fellow providers to ensure you’re all in line with rules and regulations, and helping streamline processes. You could also work in clinical informatics, where you’ll improve communication between providers and make upgrades to documentation systems. Or you could work in value based care, where your goals would be to improve the entire healthcare system at large. You can even work as a rehab liaison or case manager, where you’re still interfacing quite a bit with patients, minus the actual clinical practice!

Healthcare can be frustrating, as we all know. But you might also enjoy being on the other side of things, “seeing how the sausage is made,” so to speak. Your rehab perspective is very valuable in the non-clinical world within healthcare, and this sector is definitely one of the easiest ones to truly leverage all that time and energy you’ve already put into your career.

Pros and cons of the healthcare sector

Every industry has its pros and cons, and we’d be remiss if we recommended you pursue a specific sector without sharing the bad along with the good. Here are a few pros and cons you’ll find working in healthcare.

Pros

• Low Barrier – In some industries, it can be challenging to sell yourself as a good fit. But the healthcare sector is eager to hire licensed healthcare providers into many positions.
• Stable – Healthcare jobs tend to be fairly stable and more immune to layoffs than other sectors (we’re looking at you, tech).
• Boundaries – If you want that clear separation between your job and your free time, non-clinical positions within hospital systems tend to preserve those work-life boundaries you crave!
• Clear Goals – Healthcare is the land of rules, laws, and regulations, so most non-clinical healthcare jobs have clearly defined goals and protocols for how to do your work.

Cons

• Lackluster Pay – As you’ve likely experienced in your clinical role(s), healthcare is not exactly known for massive pay bumps as you move up the ladder.
• Frustration – Many of your same complaints from the clinical world can follow when you no longer treat patients. Bureaucracy, insurance headaches, and clunky or outdated software are par for the course in the healthcare world. 
• FOMO – Part of the fun of leaving clinical care is trying something totally new. It can feel a bit anticlimactic to stay in the healthcare industry when your non-clinical peers are stretching their wings in dynamic and exciting roles in other sectors.
• Nurses Still Rule the Roost – As far as rehab providers have come in the non-clinical world, some roles still just go to nurses by default. And, since healthcare is slow and clunky by nature, seeing that paradigm shift takes time and patience!

Clinicians working in healthcare

• Ronni Baron, OTR/L — Referral Liaison
• Emily King, PT, DPT — Clinical Strategy Analyst
• Stephanie Walsh, MSPT — Clinical Success Manager
• Abolaji Ogundele, PT, DPT — Business Development Clinical Liaison
• Adam Frantz, PTA — Implementation Manager
• Stacey Schwartz, MA, JD, PT, DPT — Innovation Specialist
• Jill G. Sutton, PT, DPT — Clinical Review Coordinator
• Trisha Dorries, MS, OTR/L, CLT, MBA — Outcomes Manager/PPS Coordinator
• Soya Jones, OTR/L, MBA — Data Analyst
• Larissa Pauly, MS, OTR/L — SNF Network Manager
• Julie McDaniel, MPT — Credentialing Operations Data Analyst
• Anna Kilbourn, PT, DPT — Clinical Appeals Specialist
• Natalie Perez, OTR/L, CLT — Rehab Liaison
• Jessica Merino, PT, DPT — Performance Improvement Coordinator
• Nina Luskin, PT, DPT — VP of Client Services, Nursing and Allied Health

Articles

• 12 Non-Clinical Physical Therapy Jobs
• 11 Non-Clinical Occupational Therapy Jobs
• 12 Alternative Careers for Speech-Language Pathologists
• Utilization Review Careers
• Telehealth Physical Therapy
• Healthcare Data Analytics Careers
• Clinical/Rehab Liaison Careers
• Healthcare Data Analytics Careers

As you can see, the beauty of the healthcare sector is the sheer abundance of non-clinical roles that want licensed providers—or at least people with a solid background in healthcare. And while you may or may not stay in healthcare for the long-term, you’ll probably find there are tons of opportunities for you to make a fairly simple pivot into a totally different type of healthcare career.

Note that we used the world PROBABLY in that last sentence. That’s because you took a very quick personality assessment. We’re proud of that assessment—we bet you’re nodding your head at how well your results suit you—but it’s still a simple, free, online personality quiz.

The reality is that everyone’s life is different. We all have stakeholders in our lives (friends, family, pets, volunteer commitments), and their needs will impact what we can commit to our careers. We might NEED to work remotely. We might NEED part-time work. Or maybe we simply cannot fathom the thought of working in healthcare for another 5 years, much less an entire career. 

Ultimately, it’s up to you to look within and discover what really makes you tick, which is why we know you’ll love our free lesson (password: FIRSTSTEP)! In this 28-minute video, you’ll gain deeper insights into your life and career priorities through a powerful self-discovery exercise that will help kickstart your non-clinical journey.

Feeling overwhelmed? We created Non-Clinical 101 to take the guesswork and overwhelm off your plate. The online, self-paced format provides a structured playbook with lifetime access—so you achieve your goals on your timeline.

Getting started is always the hardest part, but you CAN do this. Whether you dive in right away or schedule a course binge for later, ​Non-Clinical 101​ is waiting for you with lifetime access and a supportive community. Plus, you’ll receive early-access to our weekly jobs every Sunday.

Be sure to stay on our email list to learn more and find out about any upcoming deals on Non-Clinical 101!