Majoring in marketing, communications or advertising is a good way to find public relations jobs, but it you want to apply for public relations jobs available in the healthcare field, consider taking some medical classes too. PR reps working for hospitals write press releases and create campaigns designed to bring attention to that hospital and make patients choose that medical center over others in the same city. There are a few different types of healthcare PR jobs that might interest you.

Press Release Writers

Companies use press releases to announce a new product or the redesign of an existing products, and individuals use press releases to let the general public know about upcoming events and important ideas. Those working for the PR department of a hospital create press releases designed to let the public know about changes to that facility. They might write and send out a press release before an upcoming cancer screening that is open to the public, after a new doctor joins the staff or when the hospital adds a new wing.

Account Executive

Account executives are just one of the public relations jobs available in the healthcare field. As an executive, the responsibility of keeping the hospital happy is your primary concern. Hospitals, retirement homes and other medical facilities hire advertising firms and account executives after a run of bad luck. A patient might file a lawsuit after a doctor misdiagnosis the patient, which could cause a reduction in the number of patients coming there. Account execs conduct market research to determine how those in the community and past and current patients feel about that facility. They then create marketing ideas and campaigns and use the feedback of representatives from the facility to determine how to use those ideas.

Social Media Expert

Healthcare professionals increasingly turn to Twitter and other social networking sites as a way to grab the attention of readers looking for information and make them want to call their offices for help. Social media experts create content for those sites. They might write blogs for a dentist’s site that give patients information about different types of dental diseases and how that dentist can help, or they might create short tweets that a doctor can post every day. Social media experts remain on top of online trends and find ways to use those trends in their clients’ best interests. Related Resource: Marketing Jobs in Healthcare Field

Marketing Manager

Some of the public relations jobs available in the healthcare field focus more on managing than marketing. Healthcare marketing managers work with each department and individual working on a marketing or advertising project to ensure that the project meets the needs of the clients and is finished before the deadline imposed by those clients. The median salary of marketing managers is more than $115,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which also reports that the industry will experience a growth rate of 12 percent. Marketing managers often work with the hospital board, doctors and others working for the medical facility. Whether you want to work for a medical facility or an advertising firm, you will find jobs available in the PR healthcare industry for those with a bachelor’s degree. Studying marketing, advertising and communications in college is the best way to get the skills that employers look for in those applying for public relations jobs available in the healthcare field.

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