With the recent advent of new public health scares such as Bird Flu, Ebola and the Enterovirus, there is an increasing demand for nurses and nurse practitioners who have an MPH and MSN. Nurses with a background in public health have the wonderful opportunity to travel the world and work for highly respected organizations like the United Nations, World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control. If you are a nurse and are considering a career in public health, here is an overview of the industry and what different areas you can explore.
How is Public Health different?
Public health organizations are quite different from your traditional hospital or clinic settings. Those who work directly for public health organizations, especially those who are doctors and nurses, typically work to prevent the spread of diseases and other epidemics. This would involve education, direct care, research, epidemiology and a host of other fields. Nurse practitioners in the public health industry may be employed by city, state and federal health agencies in order to develop policies and provide direct care to help control the spread of certain communicable diseases, especially in high risk populations like rural and impoverished communities. If your passion is helping individuals have access to healthcare, this would definitely be a route for you.
What are some different types of Public Health Agencies?
Nurses and nurse practitioners who have a MPH and MSN can work for a variety of organizations. These places include:
- Public Health Departments
- World Health Organization
- CDC – Centers for Disease Control
- Universities
- Research Hospitals
- Policy-making Organizations
The field is vast and this educational background provides the ability to travel the world, experience different cultures, and learn different healthcare systems.
What are some typical roles or positions?
Nurses and nurse practitioners who have these educational credentials can work as clinicians, policy analysts, policy implementation specialists, epidemiologists, researchers and a host of other roles.
What type of salaries are expected?
Depending on what role you take, an average nurse or nurse practitioner with a background in public health can start off making anywhere between $60,000 to $70,000 a year with the ability to make over $100,000 after four to five years of direct work experience. Obviously, location and organization will play a huge role in salaries. Those who live in larger metropolitan areas like New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago and Los Angeles will make more due to higher costs of living. While costs of living in parts of Europe and Asia are also high, there is a high concentration of well-paying public health jobs in those areas.
Nurses and nurse practitioners looking to break into the public health field should look for internship and externship opportunities with health organizations and public health agencies. These opportunities provide the experience needed to get started in this field. Those who achieve an MPH and MSN, have a wonderful start towards a lucrative career in the public health industry.