Population health – the next big thing in healthcare at Swansea University
INTERESTED in the next big thing in healthcare? The increasingly developing field of population health is a great career choice for those who wish to be at the forefront of healthcare advancement.
The growing pressures on healthcare systems are a hot topic globally, with chronic diseases, an ageing population and mental ill-health rising. Advancements in medicine are improving health for more and more people, but inequalities in the healthcare received by people based on where they were born and live are prevalent.
Population health aims to address these inequalities, working to better understand the healthcare needs of groups of people, improving healthcare models and providing innovative solutions to meet said needs.
What is population health? Population health looks at the elements and health outcomes of individuals, groups and populations.
Dr Jodie Croxall leads the BSc Population Health and Medical Sciences at Swansea University Medical School. Population health is concerned with the factors that shape our health, including healthcare systems, genetics, plus lifestyle behaviours and environmental influences.
By studying these factors, experts in population health can revolutionise healthcare systems and provide solutions to help improve people’s long term health.
Why is it important?
Health advocacy organisations like The King’s Fund is calling for urgent transformation in healthcare systems.
2016 World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) report warns healthcare services will struggle to cope under pressure unless healthcare policies change.
nnWhat can you do afterwards? Studying population health-related degrees will open you up to a vast range of careers in the medical and life sciences sector including: Research
Health education
Care management Clinical practice
Health informatics Swansea University’s BSc Population Health and Medical Sciences also prepares students for further professional and vocational training such as physician associate studies and graduate-entry medicine.
The population health and medical sciences course is one of the undergraduate degrees on the pathways to medicine. What is a pathway to medicine? The pathways to medicine programme offers a range of undergraduate courses with a dedicated pathway to study graduate-entry medicine, with the opportunity of a guaranteed interview for the graduate-entry medicine programme.
Pathways degrees are also a great fifth choice for students applying to study undergraduate medicine and include:
Population health and medical sciences
Medical genetics
Applied medical sciences Medical biochemistry Medical pharmacology
nInterested in finding out more about the population health course, or the pathways to medicine at Swansea University? Call 01792 295111 or email study@ swansea.ac.uk.
nThere are Clearing places available for 2018 – call now on 0800 094 0971.
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