Improving Patient Communication: Why a Lab Scientist Learned Digital Marketing

It might seem like a leap to go from studying medical laboratory science to digital marketing, but Ijenwa O., a learner based in Nigeria, sees a powerful connection. “Digital marketing and medical laboratory science share common ground in communication and service,” she said. “I’ve always noticed that many people don’t fully understand the services laboratories provide and the important role they play in patient care.” 

While working through a mandatory one-year internship rotation as a medical laboratory scientist, Ijenwa enrolled in the University of Illinois' Digital Marketing Specialization on Coursera. “I wanted to add skills that go beyond the lab and could take me further in my career,” she explained.  

Ijenwa learned on Coursera in between her other responsibilities. “I set small weekly goals and used short evening or early morning sessions to keep studying,” she explained. She also took advantage of Coursera’s mobile app, downloading lectures to save money on her data usage.  

Building her knowledge of digital marketing best practices also led to a surprising bonus, enabling her to pursue freelance opportunities that turned into additional income streams. One assignment for an African e-commerce platform required her to list products, help them stand out, and engage with customers. Through Illinois’ program, Ijenwa learned about search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) techniques, data-driven campaign planning, and content creation.

She took what she’d learned and helped customers who found the site difficult to navigate place their orders. “This course turned digital marketing from theory into practice,” she said. “I’ve grown from learning new skills to applying a clear step-by-step approach.” 

This course turned digital marketing from theory into practice.

Global learning from the comfort of home

Ijenwa’s resume and LinkedIn profile now feature her new skills to help demonstrate her abilities to potential employers. The fact that she could learn from a distinguished university across the globe without relocating also stood out. “Coursera gave me access to high-quality content I couldn’t easily get locally,” she said. 

Ijenwa hopes that her future work can bridge her interest in health care and marketing more specifically. “In simple terms, digital marketing gives me the tools to communicate the value of laboratory medicine in a way that reaches people where they are online,” she said. “I can help create awareness by advertising the laboratory's services, showcasing the different diagnostic tests, introducing the staff and their qualifications, highlighting the advanced equipment and instruments we use, and generally creating more awareness about the role labs play in patient care.” 

Coursera gave me access to high-quality content I couldn’t easily get locally.

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