How To Become A Health Care Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a health care specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Meredith Poppler

These people work in the healthcare sector, but unlike the others, they choose to either work at the nonclinical or clinical section. But sometimes, it is not their job to choose where they wish to work; their superiors often delegate them. Some of the clinical responsibilities include combat medics and nurses, and surgical assistants. There are some skills you need to have as a prospect. Some of them include patient care, in-patient care, knowledge of medical supplies. Others include stamina, detail orientation, medical teamwork, basic knowledge of life Science, strong knowledge of the medical field, stress management, and positive attitude, etc.

As for the academic qualifications needed for this job, any prospective Health Care Specialist healthcare professional should be a certified clinical nurse specialist, healthcare specialty teacher, or combat medic. You also should have at least a Master's Degree or Ph.D. in healthcare-related courses. As for the salary of an average Health Care Specialist, it depends on the size of the medical organization, the country you work in, and the experience you have acquired so far. In the United States, an average Health Care Specialist earns $ 55,229 annually but can go as low as $79,000 per annum.

What general advice would you give to a health care specialist?

Meredith Poppler

Vice President, Communications, IHRSA, The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association

The health and fitness industry was poised to have a record year before the crisis hit. That means that once the crisis is behind us, health and fitness clubs of all types will once again be hiring club managers, trainers, fitness floor supervisors, and more. The workforce has changed in that new hires may be required to do more fitness training online, in addition to in the club. Our job site, healthclubs.com/jobs still has plenty of open positions for club managers, sales and marketing people, coaches and personal trainers. If COVID-19 taught the world anything, it's that a healthy body is of the utmost importance, so people will be looking to their neighborhood fitness centers to get and stay healthy.

ScoreHealth Care SpecialistUS Average

Salary

4.2

Avg. Salary $53,766

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.7

Growth rate 36%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.11%

Asian 10.47%

Black or African American 23.99%

Hispanic or Latino 23.41%

Unknown 5.40%

White 35.62%

Gender

female 48.80%

male 51.20%

Age - 51

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 51

Stress level

7.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

9.6

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a health care specialist

Explore health care specialist education requirements

Most common health care specialist degrees

Bachelor's

40.2 %

Associate

25.1 %

High School Diploma

18.1 %

Start to develop specific health care specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Patient Care	25.88%
Rehabilitation	22.86%
Medical Care	18.35%
Emergency Care	14.11%
Medical Readiness	4.98%

Complete relevant health care specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New health care specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a health care specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real health care specialist resumes.

Gain additional health care specialist certifications

Health care specialist certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific health care specialist certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for health care specialists include Basic Life Support for Healthcare and Public Safety (BLS) and Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA).

More About Certifications

Research health care specialist duties and responsibilities

Train and certify soldiers in CPR and first aid classes and achieve significant improvements in their productivity.
Manage a team of 12 sailors in three departments including manpower, inpatient and outpatient behavioral health, and pediatrics.
Manage ventilator settings, suction tracheostomy, tube-feeding assistance.
Provide nursing care of patients including medical examinations, administering immunizations, and assisting with triage of mass casualties.

Prepare your health care specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your health care specialist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a health care specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable health care specialist resume templates

Build a professional health care specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your health care specialist resume.

Apply for health care specialist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a health care specialist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do health care specialists rate their job?

5/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Health care specialist reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019

Cons

Nothing

5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Pros

Researching and resolving complicated health insurance issues escaladed to my department. My department specifically handles the process for reporting a Consumer's loved ones Death to their health insurance company. A difficult task that requires a very empathetic person with clear understanding of the grief process. And the clear ability to communicate understanding.