Developing vaccinations that prevent diseases. Controlling
infectious diseases. Creating safer workplaces. Helping mothers
and babies become healthier. Developing medications to protect against bioterrorism. These are just a few of the important duties of public health workers today. But a report from the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) predicts a dire future for American health if more workers do not enter this fascinating and diverse field. In fact, the ASPH predicts that there will be a shortage of 250,000 public health workers by 2020 if more people do not pursue careers in the field.
According to the Association, public health workers "do everything from analyzing the effects genetics, personal choice, and the environment have on health to developing programs that
protect the health of families and communities. They work to
understand how the ecology of health affects us, and how we can improve it." Some major public health specialties include biostatistics, epidemiology, health policy and management, health education/behavioral science, and environmental health.
Public health workers have a variety of educational backgrounds and skill sets. Some workers can find employment
with a bachelor's degree (majors vary by career path), while
other positions require a graduate degree in public health or a
related field or a medical degree. Some public health workers
have dual degrees in public health and fields such as nursing
public policy, business, medicine, dentistry, law, social work,
or veterinary medicine.
Public health workers can find employment in both the public
and private sectors. A large number of public health professionals are employed in the public sector in health departments at all government levels. Others work at colleges and universities. Jobs in the private sector are available at pharmaceutical or health insurance companies or in nonprofit organizations such as the American Cancer Society.
Starting salaries for public health workers are good. The
ASPH reports that public health workers had the following
salary ranges by discipline within one year of graduation:
Biomedical Laboratory ($31,500 to $78,750)
Biostatistics ($33,000 to $63,000)
Environmental Health ($44,550 to$143,700)
Epidemiology ($38,175 to $136,237)
Health Education/Behavioral Science ($33,000 to $86,625)
Health Services Administration ($37,500 to $161,400)
International Health ($31,500 to $86,625)
Nutrition ($31,500 to $70,875)
Public Health Practice/Program Management ($41,175 to $102,000)
The Association of Schools of Public Health has created three
websites:
(www.whatispublichealth.org,www.thisispublichealth.org, and http://pathwaystopublichealth.org)
to encourage more people to pursue careers in public health. These sites provide information on education, career options, earnings, and much more.
Career Paths in Public Health
Biologist
Dental Hygienist
Dentist
Environmental Health
Specialist
Epidemiologist
Food Safety Inspector
Health Program Manager
Journalist
Laboratory Technician
Lawyer
Mathematician
Nurse
Nutritionist
Paramedic
Pharmacist
Physician
Psychologist
Public Health Policy Advisor
Public Health Professor
Public Health Teacher (grades K-12)
Social Worker
Technical Writer
(Association of Schools of Public Health; Health Elevations)
Source: Association of Schools of Public Health |
