Hello, fellow bloggers! In my introduction blog post I mentioned I was considering a career in health PR one day. Yesterday, I interviewed Mark Riley, marketing manager for Sutter Health Peninsula Coastal Region, which gave me insight into his job and what he does on a daily basis.

Every day, Mr. Riley writes news releases, handles public affairs, works with the media, plans interviews, and plans crisis communication workshops. “It is a very fast paced job to say the least,” Riley said.

“My favorite aspect of my job is writing press releases,” said Mr. Riley. “Although I enjoy working with the press, the hardest part of my job is to stay away from controversial topics. I’m doing my job right if no headline comes up in the paper,” explained Mr. Riley.

After talking with him for an hour, I came to the conclusion that maybe health PR is not right for me. I do love talking to people and creating relationships with them; however, I would not want to frequently manage controversial issues that relate to health. It was a valuable opportunity to talk with Mr. Riley and to learn more about his profession.


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