The public health sector has many opportunities available for you in 2014. With the advancement of the Affordable Health Care and Protection Act and a need for individuals in every aspect of health care requires some education and training. What can you do with a public health degree? Plenty!
A sampling of the careers available to you in the public health sector include: epidemiologist, public health educator, journalist, state or federal environmentalist, nurse educator and nutritionist. The demand and job outlook for qualified individuals in the field of public health is as great, if not greater than the job demand in other fields. As an example, the 10-year job outlook for health educators is 37%, which is higher than the average outlook for all jobs by the year 2020.
A Look at the Job Outlook for Several Occupations in Public Health
Here is a survey of some of the careers available in the public health sector and the outlook for employment by the year 2020, as provided by the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook:
1. Health care administrators – a person with a bachelor’s degree in health care administration is responsible for the planning, direction and coordination of medical and health services. This career has a median salary of $84,270 in 2010 and a job growth rate of 22% or 68,000 additional jobs by 2020.
2. Dental Assistants – dental assistants possessing an associate’s degree or some certification in the field can expect to make a median income of $33,470 in a career that is growing at a rate of 31%. The career provides assistance to a practicing dentist and can also work for a public dental office or agency within a community.
3. Health information technologists – the individual working on the information technology side of public health care makes around $15.55 per hour or a median average salary of $32,350. Their primary role is the management of healthcare data and statistics and can expect a job growth rate for the career of 21% by 2020.
Who Hires Public Health Workers?
Public health workers are mostly hired by local, state and federal government agencies that work with the population at large to provide information on disease and health matters that affect the public. Public health careers deal specifically with the needs of a large population, such as a community, region or national (and even international) in scope. Health information on disease, conditions and epidemics (such as the flu) is analyzed in order to promote better health and prevent adverse health conditions from impacting a large group of people. This type of work is almost entirely the concern of the government, although some private health concerns have an interest in this type of work.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) embarked on a mass hiring of over 1,300 positions, which began in 2008 as part of a multi-year initiative to help the agency meet its stated objectives. This effort is a small sampling of the efforts of the federal government and smaller state and local public health agencies to provide opportunities for qualified individuals in the sector.
What are the Requirements for a Career in Public Health?
The many careers available in public health, such as those previously mentioned, require anything from an associate’s degree or some post-secondary training and certification on up to a Bachelor or Master’s degree. In addition to the education and training requirements for the respective careers in public health, an individual may receive additional on-the-job training. Many healthcare facilities use some sort of peer review management system so you should keep a clean record and do your absolute best when you get hired.
Beginning a job in the public health sector can lead to many rewarding opportunities and the ability to build core skills that can be used in both the public and private sector.
