Emily Phillips already had a job she enjoyed and the drive to turn it into a career. But she also knew that, “If I wanted to climb the ladder at any clinic or hospital, then I would need a degree. That is what led me to UAB.”
How this single mom finished her degree without having to quit her full-time job
Emily Phillips already had a job she enjoyed and the drive to turn it into a career. “I was working in the business office at an ambulatory surgery center,” she said. “I wore many hats, which allowed me to get a full picture of the health care management side of things. I enjoyed my job, and more importantly, I was good at my job.”
But she also knew that, “If I wanted to climb the ladder at any clinic or hospital, then I would need a degree. That is what led me to UAB.”
The Bachelor of Science in Health Care Management degree at UAB has a long history, having been founded in 1982. It is now available as a 100% online degree. The program focuses on developing capable, innovative, and ethical leaders to serve in entry and mid-level management positions in health systems and health-related organizations. It offers four concentrations: General Manager, Clinical Manager, Pre-Professional and Long-Term Administration. (Phillips was in the General Manager concentration.)
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The undergraduate degree can also serve as a foundation for success in graduate-level academic or professional degree programs.
“This is a great program for anybody who wants to help improve our health care system,” Phillips said. The fact that the program was online was crucial. “I absolutely needed a 100 percent online program,” said Phillips, who graduated in December 2021.
If I wanted to climb the ladder at any clinic or hospital, then I would need a degree.
That is what led me to UAB.
“I was still working 40 hours a week at the surgery center once I enrolled at UAB, and I am a single mom to two young children who require a lot of my time and attention. Having the flexibility of an online program allowed me to care for my children, keep my job and pursue my degree. If attending school remotely had not been an option, I would not be a graduate right now.”
Phillips, a lifelong Birmingham resident, also liked the fact that UAB was close by. “Even though I was taking my classes online, I still needed to go to campus for different things,” she said. Phillips says the Healthcare Law and Ethics class taught by Bryan Breland, DrPH, J.D., was particularly helpful. “He is a phenomenal teacher and made the class interesting,” Phillips said. “I took this course very early into the program, but what I learned from that class has stuck with me ever since.”
Another plus about the program: “There are many job opportunities after graduation,” Phillips added. The Health Care Management degree requires an internship during the final semester.
“I’m now the office manager at a new Urgent Care for Children clinic. This is an exciting and fast-growing company with many new opportunities to grow professionally. I am thrilled to be a part of their team.”
At the end of my internship, I was offered a job by my preceptor.
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