Careers and Degrees in Women’s Health

Women’s health nurse practitioners may provide primary medical services to women—which include diagnostic and prescribing powers—or in some cases, they may be required to work under the supervision of a physician. In addition, they collaborate with patients and their families, as well as members of a healthcare team, to create, implement, and adjust treatment plans based on specific patient needs. These workers may focus their practice on reproductive, prenatal, preventive, general wellness, or lifespan care.

From girls to elderly women, physical therapy assistants help patients struggling with movement issues and pain resulting from an injury or illness. These professionals may assist women with health problems, such as osteoporosis, breast cancer, fibromyalgia, and bladder and bowel issues. Job duties include using massage and stretching techniques to help alleviate pain, instructing patients on how to do exercises at home that will facilitate healing, and updating patient records to document how they have progressed.

Women’s health services managers are responsible for overseeing the operations in a health care facility, or a department that specifically caters to the treatment of women. To do this, they create goals designed to help facilitate patient care—which can include budgeting, managing patient records, and creating and implementing service programs—and monitor them to make sure those goals are being met. In addition, they manage the work of their employees, as well as recruit and train new ones.

Those who want to dedicate their work to helping pregnant women and their babies may choose a career as an OB/GYN nurse, which allows them to assist women throughout their pregnancy, from conception to postpartum care. The daily duties of these professionals can include assisting women with each stage of their delivery, helping patients who have fertility problems, and performing prenatal screenings. They commonly work in hospitals, doctor’s offices, and community clinics, as well as taking positions with private midwives.

When women go into labor, labor and delivery surgical technologists play an integral role in the care they receive to ensure their babies are born without complications. To do this, they are responsible for taking the patient into the delivery room and ensuring that she’s comfortable, sterilizing the necessary medical tools, educating women on what to expect during delivery, and cleaning and weighing the baby after delivery.

Breastfeeding can be a source of frustration for many first-time mothers, so they may turn to lactation consultants for help as they learn how to do it. These women’s health providers educate mothers on how to breastfeed and provide guidance when they are having problems, teach women how to use breast pumps and other tools, and offer courses to expectant mothers. Lactation consultants may find employment at hospitals, birthing centers, women’s organizations, and community groups.

Women’s health psychologists help patients who are dealing with mental health problems that may be biological or related to reproductive challenges, childhood trauma, or abuse. These psychologists conduct assessments to diagnose a mental health issue, provide triage services for patients in crisis, and offer advice on how to handle life’s stresses on a daily basis. In addition, they may be involved in conducting original research that is published in scholarly journals or doing advocacy work by presenting the health needs of women to lawmakers.

Psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners—who generally find employment at hospitals, mental health centers, and community-based health care facilities—may work with women who have problems such as postpartum depression or trauma related to domestic violence. Their role includes assessing patients to diagnose a mental health condition, creating a treatment plan, and prescribing medication as needed.

Domestic violence nurses treat the injuries of a woman who has been involved in an interpersonal violence incident, document the injuries, and collect evidence. In addition, these professionals work closely with law enforcement to help domestic violence survivors get the justice they deserve, as well as make referrals for therapy and other services women may need. These workers may find a job at public health agencies, community clinics, or hospitals.

Social workers are responsible for providing services to individuals and families that are in crisis, including women who need help with domestic violence situations. When working with these clients, social workers provide the mental health counseling they need to cope with their problems, assist women in being admitted into a shelter, and help them navigate the legal process. Also, social workers provide advocacy services on behalf of these women by educating politicians on domestic violence issues and advising them on laws that will assist those who need help.

Oncology physician assistants are an essential part of a team delivering care to women with cancer. These workers document a woman’s medical history, perform an examination to make a diagnosis, help to develop a treatment plan that makes sense for the specific patient, and prescribe the appropriate medication. Also, oncology physician assistants may help a doctor when patients undergo surgery.

When women need radiation therapy to treat cancer, they depend on radiation therapists to deliver that care. The duties of these workers include educating patients on what to expect during radiation treatment, calibrating and operating the machinery used, and monitoring patients to ensure that no problems arise. Radiation therapists are also responsible for keeping patient records up to date.

Women’s health educators are charged with disseminating information that promotes wellness among women in a community. Their duties may include determining what information gaps about women’s health topics exist, developing programs to address these topics, creating women’s health educational materials and distributing them, and training healthcare professionals to help them improve the services they provide to women.

Women’s health researchers work to improve the health care delivered to women—and address shortfalls in the availability of that care—through their expertise in science, policy, and education. In order to do this, these professionals use their research skills to identify trends in women’s health, determine the root causes for the health risks that women face, and develop and implement research procedures that should be used in the workplace.

Women’s health nonprofit program managers work to ensure that an organization’s programs are in line with its mission and goals. In order to oversee these programs, professionals are responsible for handling budgets, hiring and training staff members, choosing and supervising volunteers, and creating educational materials to distribute in the community.