Health management
Health issues affecting society as a whole and the physical and mental health of individuals have been the focus of public interest not only since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, but have always affected a wide range of public areas. Accordingly, health management also offers exciting opportunities for students and graduates from various disciplines.
Roughly speaking, the field combines all research, planning, conceptual and advisory processes relating to health issues and health measures and thus usually represents a specialization within more fundamental professional fields such as research, political management or consulting.
The spectrum ranges from the development of specific health services and research into individual health issues to the planning and management of social health measures. In health research, for example, data is collected, evaluated and health-related issues are discussed, while in health administration and policy, for example, the management and control of stakeholders in the healthcare industry is coordinated or prevention and protection measures are developed for society as a whole.
At the interface to the product development of medical technology start-ups and companies as well as scientific research institutions, on the other hand, health managers are sought to clarify approval issues for health products as part of quality and risk management or to control the work-related handling of hazardous substances. Political or management consultancies, on the other hand, are looking for health managers to offer their consulting services in the previously mentioned fields.
Wide range of tasks also in occupational health management
In a more common, narrower understanding of the term, however, health management is usually understood purely as occupational health management, which involves the development and implementation of health-promoting measures for employees, e.g. of a company, an organization or a public institution. Depending on how comprehensively this health management is designed or how important the topic is in the institution, the tasks of company health managers also vary. Some companies take a holistic, health-promoting approach and also act preventively, while others only offer individual training courses (such as back training during the lunch break or similar) or respond to acute problems. The activities of company health managers can therefore be of a more comprehensive scientific and conceptual nature (e.g. keeping and evaluating statistics on the sickness status of employees, conducting health-related surveys among their own employees, developing health concepts or measures for reintegration management, ...), as well as more concrete organizational activities such as the orientation of consulting and training offers. As it is always essentially about maintaining or regaining the employability of employees, occupational health managers are usually assigned to the HR department or work together with it (HR management, HR consulting). Sometimes, however, there are also thematic links to occupational health and safety and occupational medicine, for example when it comes to preventive measures (e.g. training on ergonomics in the workplace, compliance with working hours and break times, etc.) and risk assessments with regard to physical and mental health risks or the specific handling of accidents in the workplace. There are also some specialized further training courses and job titles, such as health, safety and environment management (HSE management).
A specialist degree in health management, health economics or health science is often required for employment as an occupational health manager. However, a background in sports science, a degree in psychology or social and economic sciences also offers good opportunities, depending on the focus of the position. Occasionally, engineers or natural scientists (e.g. with regard to the handling of hazardous materials or large technical systems) are also sought in the area bordering on occupational safety.
Examine and deepen links to your own subject
Health management, both in an operational context and in a more global understanding of research and politics, therefore offers interfaces to very different areas and disciplines. If you are interested in health topics, you should therefore check the overlaps with your own field of study and the resulting employment opportunities as early as possible. It is also advisable to determine which area you would like to work in. For example, computer scientists could work on the development of digital health services, social scientists could research the development of public health, lawyers could focus on the protection of health-related data (see also: data protection advice) and psychologists could develop resilience-promoting measures for employees and workers.
Jobs can therefore be found in companies as well as health insurance companies and health associations, trade unions, scientific institutions, ministries, public administration, consulting agencies and many more. The job exchanges in the fields linked above should therefore also be used to search for jobs.
