BA Health and Human Physiology (Health Studies)

Year: May 2019

Studying at the University of Iowa through the HHP curriculum helped me discover what fields I was interested in, and looking back, I realize that I frequently draw from my experiences in the HHP program. I chose to major in health and human physiology after failing to gain admission to Iowa’s nursing program. Ultimately, I wanted to work in health administration, and I came to realize that I did not a nursing degree to do so. HHP gave me a broad exposure to many healthcare related topics, and it was great preparation for Iowa’s master’s program in health administration, which I enrolled in after graduating with a BA in Health and Human Physiology (Health Studies Track). After graduating with a master’s degree in health administration (MHA), I joined a hospital system in the Chicago suburbs, working in their finance department as a labor productivity analyst and data coordinator. After about a year, I became a corporate operations manager for a company in Chicago that owns and operates 215 assisted living facilities across the country.

The HHP curriculum is very diverse, and I appreciated the challenges offered from each course. I especially enjoyed Health Studies, Human Disease, Nutrition and Health, and Writing for HHP. For any HHP students, I highly recommend branching out of the HHP curriculum. Classes outside of HHP that helped me achieve my career goals were Microeconomics, Financial Accounting, Health Economics, and Fundamentals of Public Health. Whatever one’s career goals, I recommend prioritizing building a network and maintaining relationships. Additionally, it is helpful to seek work in whatever field you are interested in prior to graduating.