Career Planning

[WLO: 3] [CLO: 4]

Prior to beginning work on this assignment, you must

download

and use the

Career Planning Guide

downloadtemplate to complete this assignment. Do not write a separate paper. This document serves as a guide as well as the template that you will submit for this assignment.

Career planning is an important step in your education as it allows you to consider your current skills and knowledge level. You then use that information to determine where you want to be in 10 years and what steps you must take to reach your goals. This assignment will help you explore your current strengths and weaknesses. It also allows you to consider the areas where there are opportunities and threats—in this case, potential roadblocks, in reaching your professional goals.

You will note in the document that the order of planning is a reflection on your current skills and knowledge first, then the 10-year goals, and then the 5-year goals. The purpose for this order is for you to determine where you are right now and where you want to be in 10 years. The 5-year goals are what you need to identify as steps towards reaching the 10-year goals.

To complete the Career Planning assignment,

• Conduct a job market research by visiting one or more of the following online job boards.

  AHIMA Career Assist (Links to an external site.)
  Explore Health Careers (Links to an external site.)
  HealthJobsNationwide.com (Links to an external site.)
  Idealist (Links to an external site.)
  iHireHealthCareAdministration (Links to an external site.)
  iHireSocialServices (Links to an external site.)
  National Council of Nonprofits (Links to an external site.)
  National Organization of Human Services (Links to an external site.)
  SocialService.com (Links to an external site.)
  USAJOBS: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Links to an external site.)

• Analyze a job listing.

  Identify the level of the position.
  Describe what the job entails.
  Determine if you meet the listed job qualifications.

• Assess where you are in your career today.
• Assess where you want to be in your career in 10 years.
• Assess where you want to be in your career in 5 years. List the action items or experiences that will lead you to your ultimate career goal.

The Career Planning assignment

• Must be submitted using the Career Planning Guide template download. All the required information must be complete.
• Must include students’ name and due date.
• Must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) guide.
• If sourced information is used, must include a separate references pages that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center. See the APA: Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Writing Center for specifications.

4

Name: [enter your full name]

Date: [enter the date you submit this assignment]

Week 3: Career Planning Guide

What is a career plan?
A career plan is a realistic career goal coupled with achievable, measurable action steps. We all have a dream job, but none of us will attain our dream job without taking small steps to reach that job. For instance, you cannot manage a department in a hospital without years of experience in entry-level and, later, mid-level positions. When you combine professional experience in your industry with your education (bachelor’s and/or a master’s), you are developing and proving your expertise—this expertise and experience combined is the key to attaining your career goals. Other elements like your networking and job search skills contribute as well.

But you must find a way to gain experience.

Also remember that the steps below can often be undertaken at the same time. This means you can—and should—be gaining experience as you complete your education. In fact, completing only one step at a time can hinder your progress. Need guidance? Email careerservices@ashford.edu.

Step One: Job Market Research

Instructions: Visit an online job board and search for an entry-level position in health care administration. Remember that an entry-level position may or may not require a bachelor’s degree. Entry-level positions are important in developing your career—these positions provide you with the initial industry experience that will translate to higher positions in administration.
*If you are already a mid-career HCA professional, you can search for a mid-level or, depending on your experience, management position.

Hints:

· First, target job boards of providers in your area (a local hospital network or urgent care, for instance)
· Do not discount smaller providers or basic clerical/administrative positions (local urgent care facilities, private practice, physicians, dentists, chiropractors, or naturopathic physicians)
· Remember that your first job starts you on the path to your dream job

Health Care Administration Job Boards:

· AHIMA Career Assist
· Explore Health Careers
· Health Jobs Nationwide
· Idealist
· IHire Health Care Administration
· IHire Social Services
· National Council of Nonprofits
· National Organization of Human Services
· The Social Service Job Site
· U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Step Two: Analyze a Job Listing

Instructions: Choose one job listing and provide the hyperlink in the space below. Read the job description with a critical eye—refer to the job listing as you answer the questions listed below.

Hints:

· Carefully read the ‘Job Description,’ ‘Summary,’ or ‘Essential Functions.’
· Analyze the ‘Qualifications.’ Make note of whether the qualifications are required or preferred.
· Read the ‘About’ section and reflect on the organization’s mission, intent, and/or business model.

Please provide the hyperlink (url) to the job description you chose:
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Is this an ‘entry-level’ position? If not, what level is it?
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What clues tell you the ‘level’ of this position?
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Based on the job description or summary, what does the job entail?
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List the required or preferred qualifications and how you meet those qualifications.

Qualification 1
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Qualification 2
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Qualification 3
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Qualification 4
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Qualification 5
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Qualification 6
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Step Three: Assess Where You Want to Be in Ten Years

Instructions: In the space below, write a brief paragraph that summarizes your career goals. Do you have a dream job? What is it? Do you have an organization you want to target? Or do you want to work for one certain type of provider? Whatever the case, try to summarize your ultimate career goal—imagine where you want to be ten years from today.

Hints:

· Consider what brought you to the Health Care Administration program—why did you choose this program of study?
· Explore the
Vault Guide to the Health Care Industry
.
· Explore the list of HCA Professional Organizations and Networking Opportunities.

Write a brief paragraph below that summarizes your career goals. Where do you want to be in ten years?
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Step Four: Think About Five Years from Now

Directions: In the space below, list three positions, experiences (educational or professional), or action items that will lead to your ultimate career goal. For instance: If you plan to manage a department in a hospital within ten years, you might list 3-5 years of experience in a mid-level position with a similar department, a master’s degree, and a leadership role in a professional organization.

Hints:

· Remember that building a career is about connecting experience after experience to build expertise and credibility.
· While a degree (bachelor’s or master’s) is an important goal, it must usually be coupled with experience in your intended field.
· In some cases, graduate school time can be considered as ‘professional experience,’ but this not always the case.

List three positions, experiences, or action items that will lead to your ultimate career goal.

Action Item 1
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Action Item 2
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Action Item 3
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Step Five: Think About Where You Are Today

Directions: Take your goals into account and reflect on where you are today. In the space below, assess your current level of experience and education—describe the type of HCA position you qualify for today, and list an action step you can take to move toward your ultimate career goal.

Hints:

· You have already completed one step in your HCA career journey—you are enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program.
· You can absolutely list completing your bachelor’s degree as a goal!
· Remember that you can—and should—complete multiple action items at the same time.

In assessing my current experience and preparation, I find that I am…
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Based on this assessment, I plan to…

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Career Support

Contact Career Services for continued support, or to strategize about ways to gain experience.
Email careerservices@uagc.edu and mention your program of study. An expert career advisor will follow up with you. Want to schedule a meeting as soon as possible? Follow these instructions:
How to Schedule a Career Advising Appointment
.

Don’t forget to submit your assignment! After completing this worksheet, save it to your computer and upload it to the Assignment Submission area within your Canvas Classroom. For help submitting this assignment, watch this video:
Submitting an Assignment to Waypoint
.