Health Care Consultants

Employers

Approximately 22,500 management analysts are employed in the health care and social assistance industries. Many health care consultants work in the private sector for firms that provide consulting services to drug companies, health care providers, nonprofits, government agencies, and other organizations. Major health care consulting firms include BeaconOne Healthcare Partners, Huron Consulting Group, and GE Healthcare. Large management consulting firms such as McKinsey & Company, EY, Deloitte, the Boston Consulting Group, and Bain & Company also have health care consulting practices. Other health care consultants are employed directly by hospitals, drug companies, and government agencies. There are also opportunities for those with an entrepreneurial nature. Approximately 14 percent of management consultants are self-employed.

Starting Out

There are many ways to land a job in health care consulting. Large consulting firms often recruit on campus at top colleges and universities. College career services centers can provide job leads and advice on resume preparation and job interviewing. Many consultants cite networking as a key job-search strategy. You can network with recruiters and hiring managers at social-media sites such as LinkedIn or at networking events and conferences held by health care associations.

At large management consulting firms, new hires (sometimes called associates, consultants, business analysts, or fellows) work as generalists for three to five years, tackling a wide range of issues that might include those in health care. Eventually, associates become specialists at the firm, move on to specialty health care consulting firms, or work for other employers that require health care consulting expertise. Those interested in working for consultancies that specialize in health care will get their feet wet a little faster and begin working on basic health care strategy or research as soon as they are hired. But these jobs are difficult to find for new graduates, since firms usually want to hire experienced consultants who can hit the ground running.