For Sharon Leung, a devoted healthcare skilled with 15 years of expertise, the pursuit of an engineering diploma may appear a bit astray. Nonetheless, Sharon’s dedication to lifelong studying and revolutionary problem-solving led her to enroll within the on-line Master of Engineering in Engineering Management program at CU Boulder. With this diploma, Sharon is redefining the intersection of healthcare, expertise, and enterprise. Primarily based in Hong Kong, she works full-time as a Managed Care Officer for an ISO-certified healthcare providers supplier whereas finding out part-time. Her story demonstrates how artistic upskilling and a dedication to non-public progress can result in distinctive interdisciplinary experience.

 Folding Engineering Practices right into a Profession in Healthcare 

With a background in psychology, Sharon spent 12 years working in a medical setting earlier than transitioning into healthcare administration. A yr and a half in the past, she joined a managed care group, making crucial selections that influence healthcare supply. This shift sparked her curiosity in expertise and synthetic intelligence (AI) and the way engineering ideas may be built-in into healthcare.

“Individuals ask me: How is healthcare associated to engineering? How is psychology associated to engineering? To me, studying a brand new set of expertise is a wonderful approach to sort out a posh healthcare downside, in an revolutionary manner.”

The Journey to CU Boulder

Sharon initially explored on-line programs to upskill in the course of the COVID-19 lockdown. She has since accomplished over 60 non-credit programs on Coursera outdoors of her diploma necessities, choosing subjects that she knew would increase her pondering inside her profession.  When she found CU Boulder’s Engineering Management program, she was drawn to its flexibility, status, and distinctive method.

“I knew CU Boulder had a powerful status as a public analysis college, however I didn’t know they supplied these sorts of applications. It was an excellent alternative for somebody like me, who doesn’t have a conventional engineering background.“

In contrast to conventional engineering grasp’s applications that require an undergraduate diploma in engineering, CU Boulder’s program embraces various backgrounds. The flexibility to preview programs earlier than committing to full tuition was a game-changer for Sharon, permitting her to bridge information gaps earlier than taking extra superior courses.

A Distinctive Studying Expertise

Sharon highlights CU Boulder’s supportive on-line surroundings as one other key benefit. In contrast to different on-line applications, the place college students could really feel remoted, this program supplies entry to TA’s and a strong peer community.

“Now we have entry to tutors and professors who reply our questions. There are workplace hours, lecture movies, and readings—rigorous sufficient for a grasp’s stage program. Plus, the peer overview system is effective as a result of it permits us to see how different college students try assignments and we’re in a position to be taught from one another.”

Networking alternatives additionally set this system aside. By way of CU Boulder’s college Slack channel, Sharon has related with professionals throughout varied industries, together with engineers, programmers, and entrepreneurs. She relishes the various pupil backgrounds that she will be able to join with and feels strongly that she is turning into a stronger engineer for the expertise.

“I’ve made some nice pals. We share articles, focus on new programs, and assist one another. A lot of my classmates are already in management roles, and I be taught rather a lot from them.”

The Worth of Efficiency-Primarily based Admissions (PBA)

Sharon acknowledges skepticism surrounding CU Boulder’s Performance-Based Admissions (PBA) model, which permits college students to show their capabilities via coursework reasonably than standardized take a look at scores or prerequisite engineering levels. Nonetheless, she emphasizes this system’s rigorous expectations.

“It’s not that straightforward to go the primary three courses. The grading scale is excessive, they usually count on high quality work. Everybody I’ve met in this system is a profitable skilled.”

Engineering Administration: Past Technical Expertise

Whereas technical expertise are important, Sharon believes that engineering administration additionally requires sturdy communication and management talents.

“Managing individuals may be extra necessary than simply doing the technical work. This program is nice for people who find themselves enthusiastic about engineering however could be afraid of the tech facet.”

For Sharon, she was in a position to brush up on her information via further non-credit programs in programs engineering, statistics, and AI. 

A Future in Engineering-Pushed Healthcare

Submit-graduation, Sharon goals to leverage her engineering administration expertise to enhance healthcare sustainability and effectivity. She appreciates CU Boulder’s profession counseling providers, which have guided her subsequent steps.

“Boulder is absolutely daring to introduce this program. It’s opening doorways for individuals who may need potential in engineering however don’t have a conventional background. Engineers profit from working with professionals from totally different fields, and healthcare can acquire rather a lot from engineering approaches—particularly in areas like error discount and AI-driven options.”

With a deep curiosity and a dedication to deep, lifelong studying, Sharon is redefining the worth of what it means to be an engineer in healthcare. Her journey at CU Boulder is not only about incomes a level however about equipping herself with the abilities to form the way forward for the trade.