CCE 58
Careers & Impact in Healthcare: Voices from Beyond the Purple Valley Winter 2025

Healthcare accounts for nearly 20% of the US GDP and it’s nearly impossible to overstate the impact the industry has on our lives today and will have on our society in the future. Clearly, careers in healthcare can involve the practice of clinical medicine and the conduct of medical research. However, careers in healthcare can also intersect with numerous areas in the private sector, including: finance, investing, consulting, marketing, biotechnology/pharmaceuticals, medical devices, technology, law, start-ups and more. If you have an interest in healthcare, this course is your chance to discover the breadth of career paths available to you. The cornerstone of the course will involve guest speakers working in various areas of healthcare, with a focus on the practice of medicine and a range of roles in the private sector. Guest speakers will share their firsthand experience with you, including: what they do; how they got there; what they love about their job; what challenges they face; and how they view their long term impact in healthcare. Students in this course will also have opportunities for self-reflection around career path and will gain hands-on exposure to the day-to-day activities in different healthcare roles. Insights on how to obtain a job in various healthcare sectors will flow naturally from the course discussions. However, the focus of this course is less on the brass tacks of how to get there (resumés, qualifications, networking, and interviewing). Instead, it is your chance to dream a little, by exploring careers you may not have fully considered (or even heard of!) and to create a vision for how you can contribute to the healthcare industry after graduation. Guest speaker visits will take place during class hours; active listening and engaged participation during these visits is the main expectation of students. Other assignments may include readings, individual and group exercises, and short written reflections.