Healthcare depends on more than the people providing care. Behind every diagnosis, treatment, public health campaign and patient interaction is a need to communicate complex information clearly and effectively.
Texas Christian University’s Health Communication and Media minor allows students to explore the intersection of healthcare and communication through the theory, research and practice of health communication.
For Erin Schoemann ’22 and Sofia Zarmsky ’23, the minor served as a bridge between their undergraduate studies and two distinct careers in healthcare. Their experiences show how communication skills can complement different areas of study and prepare students to work across an industry where communicating information effectively can be just as important as understanding it.
Wendy Macias, associate dean for undergraduate studies in the Bob Schieffer College of Communication, said Schoemann and Zarmsky’s different paths demonstrate the range of students who can benefit from studying health communication.
“Both health and communication touch the lives of every person on the planet,” Macias said. “This minor serves as a great complement to a variety of majors and helps students open up a variety of career paths.”
Schoemann found one of those paths while studying strategic communication at Schieffer College.
“I really just enjoyed helping people and doing work that was really meaningful,” Schoemann said. “But I knew I wasn’t a science person. I knew I wasn’t a finance person, so I was like, how can I still work in healthcare without getting another degree after TCU?”
The minor gave her a way to combine her interest in healthcare with her strategic communication major. After graduation, Schoemann ultimately landed a job at Real Chemistry, a healthcare communications agency, where she serves as an associate account director and develops communication and public relations strategies for pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical technology clients.
A Standout at Job Interviews
Schoemann quickly realized the connection between her career and minor studies. Health communication coursework includes interpersonal communication, media, health literacy and health campaigns. A particular undergraduate assignment asked Schoemann to develop a campaign around a health topic and consider how she would communicate it to a specific patient population, work that closely resembles what she does today.
“It’s crazy because that’s literally what I do in my job now,” she said. “Many of the conditions I work on have significant unmet needs, and a big part of the job is helping ensure that patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals have access to clear, accurate information without overpromising outcomes.”
The minor also gave Schoemann specialized knowledge as she entered a highly technical and regulated industry. She said that studying health communication helped her stand out during job interviews and continues to set her apart today.
“Healthcare needs people with many different skill sets,” Schoemann said.
“The minor showed me that communication plays an important role in healthcare too. You don’t have to be a scientist or a provider to contribute in a meaningful way.”
That need for communication skills extends to the scientists, clinicians and other healthcare professionals Schoemann works alongside.
Kimberly Posey, associate professor of nursing in the Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences, said communication is a core part of professionalism in healthcare. Clinical knowledge may be essential, but healthcare professionals also need to be able to communicate that knowledge in ways patients, families, colleagues and other stakeholders can understand.
“At the patient level, strong communication builds trust, supports shared decision-making, and helps patients participate in their own care,” said Posey, who is also coordinator of the Executive Nurse DNP Program and MSN Nurse Educator.
“It also matters far beyond the bedside. Healthcare professionals need to communicate across teams, lead change, and advocate for patients, communities and the profession. We need a voice in healthcare, and strong communication skills help us use that voice effectively.”
While Schoemann used the minor to specialize in her communication education, Zarmsky approached health communication from a different direction.
Communication Complements the Clinical
Zarmsky came to TCU expecting to follow a traditional path into medicine. She began as a biology major on the pre-med track, but she graduated as a psychology major from the Louise Dilworth Davis College of Science & Engineering. The COVID-19 pandemic sparked an interest in public health, health equity and broader issues affecting healthcare, and she discovered Schieffer College’s Health Communication and Media minor, where she encountered topics outside her science coursework: health literacy, patient-provider communication and how health information reaches different audiences.
“It was addressing health communication on a bunch of different levels,” Zarmsky said. “It was interpersonal communication and more. So, it was cool that we got to do a little bit of everything throughout all the different classes that I took.”
Zarmsky’s experience also demonstrates how communication coursework can complement the clinical and scientific preparation students receive in health-related majors. Posey said the Health Communication and Media minor can add another dimension to education by teaching students to communicate complex health information clearly to different audiences.
“Today, healthcare professionals communicate in many different settings, from one-on-one patient conversations to organizational leadership, community education, advocacy, and social media,” Posey said. “Knowing how to adapt a message to the audience is an important skill across all of those settings.”
The interdisciplinary nature of the minor also reflects the way healthcare professionals work.
“Healthcare is interdisciplinary, so our education should reflect that,” Posey said.
“Learning alongside students and faculty from other fields helps healthcare students think differently about how information is received, interpreted, and shared. You can understand the science extremely well, but if you cannot explain it in a way that connects with people, its impact is limited.”
Ensuring Patients Receive the Care They Need
After TCU, Zarmsky earned a master’s degree in public health from Columbia University and completed additional training in cardiac medical devices at the Arrhythmia Technologies Institute. She now works as a cardiac device technician at NYU Langone Health in Manhattan, where she communicates medical information to physicians to help ensure patients receive the care they need.
Zarmsky said that the communication skills she developed through the minor have become an important part of working in a clinical environment.
“If I took the traditional pre-med route, I would’ve never really gotten the social and communication skills side of things, and I would have struggled in roles like this,” she said. “Just because you’re in a clinical role doesn’t mean that it’s all about clinical skills. You really do want to hone in on those communication skills, the interpersonal skills.”
Macias sees that ability to communicate as increasingly important for students preparing to enter healthcare, including those pursuing careers outside traditional communication fields.
“There has been, and continues to be, a movement within healthcare to ensure practitioners are good communicators,” Macias said. “Individuals will be better able to manage their own health when they understand and are empowered by their healthcare team.”
The minor can also give students who are interested in healthcare but unsure where they fit an opportunity to explore the breadth of the industry. Macias said early courses in the minor provide a broad overview that can help students begin identifying where their interests and skills might lead.
She hopes students ultimately leave with “a set of skills that opens up career opportunities and enhances their major classes.” Depending on a student’s goals, Macias said the minor can provide an applied specialization that helps connect major and minor coursework to a career that benefits both the graduate and those around them.
Zarmsky’s path from pre-med to public health and now cardiac care has also shaped the advice she gives students who may not yet know exactly where they fit within healthcare.
“Be open-minded,” Zarmsky said.
Schoemann agreed from the communications perspective. She said the field has allowed her to use her communication skills while doing work she finds meaningful.
“I loved the work I was doing because I felt like I was making an impact and making a difference in the healthcare community,” Schoemann said. “If you want to make a difference, ask yourself, ‘How can I actually have a meaningful career as a strategic communication major?’ Do health communications. It is so rewarding.”