Graduate / 'double-majored in sociology and psychology' - SOP - graduate MPH program [5]

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With the inundation of medical research, countless studies, new therapies and treatments, how do we bridge the gap from the discovery of new medical information and treatment options to the implementation of this knowledge to the general public? How best can we balance the financial and social costs of healthcare with the ever-evolving medications and surgical interventions available to treat patients and cure diseases? Working in the healthcare field, I have contemplated these issues for many years. I have seen both sides of the issue firsthand, dealing not only with educating surgeons, practitioners, and patients on new medical devices, biological treatments and drugs, but also working with administrators at many levels on issues regarding billing, documentation, pricing and budgets.

I have been involved in the healthcare field for seven years in a various sales positions, from medical device to biologics to pharmaceutical sales. In that time, I have learned a great deal and gained invaluable experience within many subspecialties of healthcare, including pediatrics, emergency medicine, pulmonology, vascular surgery, interventional radiology, cardiac surgery and obstetrics & gynecology. Within the hospital, I have worked with a great number of departments and administrators, from materials management, biomedical engineering and central supply, all the way to the director of purchasing for a large hospital system. In the private office and ambulatory surgery settings, I have worked with everyone from the front desk to billing to the office manager, and of course, the practitioners.

In college, I double-majored in sociology and psychology, and I minored in marketing. My educational background has provided me with an important perspective on social institutions and programs, and the impact that it has on people individually, and society as a whole. My marketing and business education, in addition to my years of work experience, have given me another important perspective on the necessity to manage social programs efficiently, the economic impact of healthcare, and minimizing the financial burden of these programs to society. In the last year and a half, I have continued to take classes at night, while working full time and planning a wedding, in order to complete a biology major/life sciences major. I took these challenging courses to provide myself with a science background relevant to the clinical aspects of healthcare.

I have worked as a member of a team for my entire career, receiving promotions to assist in training new hires, and the appointment to team leader, and technical point person within several companies that I have worked for. This great variety of experience and roles has made me a true team player, and very adept at working with individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds and roles. My previous work experiences have made me very passionate about working to provide solutions that will benefit an entire community, including preventative screenings and treatments, with a focus on positive outcomes and long-term efficacy

At my position with ******, I sold a biologic tissue for use in wound healing. During this time, I had a great amount of direct patient contact experience with a large variety of patients from varied socioeconomic levels and backgrounds. I worked to not only educate the patients on how my product would work to heal their wounds, but to also educate them on the possible causes of their chronic wounds, preventative measures they could take to help reduce the recurrence of future ulcers, and actions that they could take to facilitate the healing process of the wounds we were treating. This experience in particular helped me to realize my love and passion for working to improve outcomes for patients, and the importance of patient education. I would really enjoy working to enable patients to partner with their healthcare providers and to take an active role in their treatment; this is my greatest motivation to work in a public health role to benefit society and to help others.

I am applying for admission to the public health program, with a focus on health management, at the University of **** because I am seeking to transition my career to the healthcare administration field. More specifically, I would like to utilize my experience in medical sales, coupled with my business acumen and prior education, to serve the community in a public healthcare administrator role, particularly in a private/managed care sector. I am passionate about working to become part of the solution to the looming healthcare issues that threaten to burden our country; to find ways to increase access to healthcare solutions, medical education and preventative programs, without sacrificing the quality of medicine.