Public Health Jobs
- Epidemiologist
- Biostatistician
- Health Educator
- Public Health Nurse
- Environmental Health Specialist
When deciding on a major in college or graduate school, a student might want to think about one of these five great public health occupations. A growing population with chronic diseases, environmental changes, a global community and aging of the population have created a high demand for public health workers in different areas of expertise. Students may find much personal and professional success in one of these five great public health occupations.
Epidemiologist
Epidemiology refers to the study of acute and chronic diseases, injuries and conditions that affect people. An epidemiologist may work at a local or state health department or at a research institution. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Health and World Health Organization also employ epidemiologists. Some epidemiologists have a focus on infectious diseases or zoonotic diseases. Others may track chronic diseases. Some may investigate food-borne or water-borne disease outbreaks in a community. Others may track injury risk factors or causes of death.
Biostatistician
A biostatistician is a type of statistician. They track health data and statistics. A biostatistician may design a survey such as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and analyze its data in order to figure out risk factors for certain chronic diseases or conditions. A biostatistician may review treatment studies in order to determine if a new cancer treatment drug is safe or effective compared to the current treatment regimen. Biostatisticians often work closely with epidemiologists, physicians, computer scientists and other professionals. They use complicated software for statistical analysis. They are often a part of a team publishing scientific studies in peer-reviewed journals for medicine and public health research.
Health Educator
Health educators work in community settings. They use data to formulate communications and messaging to help people lead healthier lives. Health educators often work with public health nurses, epidemiologists and biostatisticians in order to get the information that is the foundation of their public health messages. Most health educators work at local or state health departments. They may also work at hospitals or in community clinics. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the expected rate of growth in health educator jobs will be much faster than average for all occupations between 2016 and 2026.
Public Health Nurse
Public health nurses perform essential functions in the community. They often work at local and state health departments. Some of their duties may include counseling and testing people about sexually transmitted infections. They may provide vaccinations to people who do not have a primary care doctor. They also manage the Women, Infant and Children (WIC) programs through the federal and state governments. Public health nurses are registered nurses with additional training in public health services.
Environmental Health Specialist
Environmental health specialists play an important role in recognizing threats to public health such as contaminated groundwater, soil and air. They identify sites with hazardous chemicals such as asbestos and lead. They may collect soil and water samples from the field and work with public health laboratory technicians in order to analyze the samples. Environmental health specialists may also test and inspect public facilities such as schools and nursing homes. They work with health educators in order to inform people about radon gas, lead poisoning and other health problems associated with environmental contamination.
Related Resource: 10 Most Affordable MPH Degrees Online
Each of these top five public health occupations offers an opportunity to serve others. Whether a person is mathematically inclined, likes data or prefers to work with people, these public health jobs could be a wise choice. Each of these five great public health occupations requires at least a bachelor’s degree, with a master’s of public health degree (MPH) being the standard level of education for these careers.