What is healthcare, and why is it important to learn about?

Healthcare is the prevention and treatment of illness as well as the improvement of wellbeing by medical professionals. This term can be used to describe healthcare provided to individuals, but often refers to the healthcare delivery systems responsible for providing health services to communities more broadly, including entire countries. Access to healthcare is thus important for promoting and maintaining the physical and mental wellbeing of the general public. Healthcare is especially important to learn about because it is becoming more complex as health economics change. In the United States and other countries, the question of how to provide affordable and effective health insurance has been a politically challenging one, as healthcare costs have grown alongside aging populations - and existing government policies to ensure healthcare access have struggled to keep up. The provision of insurance and health services more broadly may be covered by public entities, private companies, or both, and different countries are attempting to meet these needs with different combinations of policy frameworks. As in other areas of the economy, the growing use of information technology holds promise to transform this sector. Health informatics is helping medical professionals manage patient data far more efficiently, facilitating better treatment and enhanced collaboration between different healthcare providers. The power of this approach will be further enhanced by advances in artificial intelligence (AI), which will allow doctors to harness more information for diagnosis and develop data-driven decision support systems for the evaluation of different treatments for patients.

What kinds of careers can I have with a background in healthcare?

The functioning of the healthcare system depends on not only doctors and nurses but on the skilled healthcare administration professionals who manage hospitals and clinics where they work. These administrators are responsible for ensuring the coordination of everything that goes into the effective delivery of healthcare services as well as the financial sustainability of their operations. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , these healthcare administrators and healthcare services managers are in high demand, with jobs in this area expected to grow much faster than the rest of the economy over the next decade. These roles are also highly paid; in 2019, they earned a median annual salary of $100,980.

Can I learn about healthcare by taking online courses on Coursera?

Yes! There are opportunities to learn about a wide range of health and wellness topics on Coursera, including courses and Specializations spanning multiple courses about healthcare specifically. You can learn about the business of healthcare, the laws and policy frameworks that govern it, or the ways that technology advances are creating new possibilities in the sector. Across all of these healthcare topics and more, you can learn from top-ranked institutions like Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Minnesota.

What skills or experience do I need to already have, before starting to learn health care?

If you have worked in any type of health care setting or been involved with a public health initiative, you may have some of the skills and experience necessary to learn more about health care. If you have experience in data management and evaluation, you may also have skills needed to learn health care. Some of the definitive skills you may need to have before studying any facet of health care include communication skills and the ability to work in a team environment.

How do I know if learning health care is right for me?

Learning health care may be right for you if you interact with patients or health care organizations. The subject may benefit you if you want to fully understand the major challenges and key stakeholders of the U.S. health care system and how to improve the delivery of health care to patients. It may be the right subject for you to study if you want to better understand the business, costs, and quality initiatives of health care systems. The subject may be right for you if you want to learn advanced knowledge and skills to help assess current and future health care trends, identify changes and manage strategies in the health care landscape, or have an impact on the quality of health care delivery to patients whether it is at the local, national, or global level. If you are interested in learning more about the cutting-edge field of digital health care and the design, development, and implementation of digital health technologies, then learning the subject may be right for you.

What topics can I study that are related to health care?

If you plan to work in administrative roles, some subjects related to health care that you can study include data management, business leadership, and economics. If you are interested in the high-tech area of health care, you could study artificial intelligence and machine learning, as these subjects will greatly impact the science, practice, and business of health care and medicine.

What are common career paths for someone in health care?

You could follow a common career path with a focus on patient care in a hospital or other type of health setting if you study health care. Another common career path for someone in health care is in the supporting fields of health care IT systems, the development of eHealth platforms, or the development of systems that monitor everything from patient safety to workplace quality improvements. Another common career path is health care administration. There are many common, yet varied, career paths for someone in health care.

What are the benefits of taking an online Healthcare course?

Online Healthcare courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your knowledge or learn new Healthcare skills. Choose from a wide range of Healthcare courses offered by top universities and industry leaders tailored to various skill levels.

What Healthcare courses are best for training and upskilling employees or the workforce?

When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Healthcare, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here .

Top Healthcare Courses - Learn Healthcare Online

Explore the Healthcare Course Catalog

Imperial College London
Applying Participatory Approaches in Public Health Settings
Skills you'll gain: Diversity Awareness, Policy Analysis, Community Development, Cultural Diversity, Social Sciences, Patient Education and Support, Health Systems, Health Care, Discussion Facilitation, Program Evaluation, Community and Social Work, Qualitative Research, Research Methodologies, Survey Creation, Data Collection
4.3
Rating, 4.3 out of 5 stars
7 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
University of Michigan
Translating Basic Research into Research for Humans
Skills you'll gain: Clinical Research, Medical Science and Research, Pharmaceuticals, Science and Research, Health Care, Research, Research Methodologies, Ethical Standards And Conduct
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
15 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
IBM
Encryption and Cryptography Essentials
Skills you'll gain: Encryption, Public Key Infrastructure, Cryptography, Cryptographic Protocols, Data Security, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Cybersecurity, Key Management, Network Security, Blockchain, Authentications, Data Integrity, Digital Communications
5
Rating, 5 out of 5 stars
23 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
University of Pittsburgh
Law You Can Use
Skills you'll gain: Law, Regulation, and Compliance, Compliance Management, Regulatory Requirements, Analysis, Human Resources, Business Ethics, Healthcare Industry Knowledge, Governance, Disabilities, International Finance, Cybersecurity, Diversity and Inclusion, Negotiation
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
6 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
INSEAD
Blockchain Opportunity Analysis for Global Commerce
Skills you'll gain: Plan Execution, Blockchain, Business Analysis, Market Opportunities, Competitive Analysis, Operational Analysis, Market Analysis, Project Design, Feasibility Studies, Emerging Technologies, Project Implementation, Business Modeling, Solution Design, Value Propositions, Customer Analysis, Strategic Partnership, Needs Assessment, Research Reports, Business Strategies, Market Research
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Patentes: un recorrido desde su significado hasta su búsqueda
Skills you'll gain: Statistical Analysis, Taxonomy, Product Knowledge, Analysis, Research, Competitive Intelligence, Market Research, Law, Regulation, and Compliance, Data Analysis, Innovation, Asset Protection, Databases
4.9
Rating, 4.9 out of 5 stars
32 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
University of Michigan
AI for Energy and Biomedical Applications
Skills you'll gain: Image Analysis, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Artificial Intelligence, Bioinformatics, Maintenance, Repair, and Facility Services, Deep Learning, Applied Machine Learning, Medical Science and Research, Patient Treatment, Predictive Modeling, Radiology, Machine Learning, Analytics, Anomaly Detection, Computer Vision, Treatment Planning, Predictive Analytics, Pharmaceuticals, Forecasting
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
University of Colorado Boulder
Ethical Issues in AI and Professional Ethics
Skills you'll gain: Data Ethics, Diversity Awareness, Generative AI, Ethical Standards And Conduct, Cultural Diversity, Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Social Justice, Machine Learning, Algorithms
Build toward a degree
4.2
Rating, 4.2 out of 5 stars
13 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Coursera Project Network
Machine Learning for Kyphosis Disease Classification
Skills you'll gain: Feature Engineering, Data Visualization Software, Data Cleansing, Classification And Regression Tree (CART), Random Forest Algorithm, Decision Tree Learning, Scikit Learn (Machine Learning Library), Applied Machine Learning, Predictive Modeling, Data Manipulation, Data Transformation, Data Processing, Statistical Machine Learning, Predictive Analytics, Machine Learning
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
13 reviews
Beginner · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours
Status: Free
Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
Estrategia de Identidad de una Marca
Skills you'll gain: Brand Strategy, Branding, Brand Awareness, Content Development and Management, Business Strategies, Design Research, Market Research, User Research, Content Creation, Creativity, Target Audience
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
19 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Fundação Instituto de Administração
Análise de Dados Quantitativos
Skills you'll gain: Quantitative Research, Marketing Analytics, Market Analysis, Market Research, Exploratory Data Analysis, Strategic Marketing, Forecasting, Data Analysis, Predictive Modeling, Time Series Analysis and Forecasting, Customer Analysis, Statistical Modeling, Statistical Analysis, Statistical Methods, Correlation Analysis, Regression Analysis, Unsupervised Learning, Variance Analysis
4.4
Rating, 4.4 out of 5 stars
22 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Fractal Analytics
Generative AI for Consultants
Skills you'll gain: Generative AI, Business Consulting, Leadership, Consultative Approaches, Management Consulting, Technical Consulting, Customer Insights, Client Services, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Solution Architecture, Automation, Business Ethics, Communication
3.8
Rating, 3.8 out of 5 stars
9 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks