Question

What are careers in public health?

Answer 1

These are First Responder, Restaurant Inspectors, Health Educators, Scientists and Researchers, Nutritionists, CommunityPplanners, Social Workers, Epidemiologists, Public Health Physicians, Public Health Nurses, Occupational Health and Safety Professionals, Public Policymakers and Sanitarians

As the saying goes – Health is Wealth. The field of public health is constantly evolving in response to the needs of communities and populations around the world. Public health initiatives, such as vaccination programs, health & safety laws (including traffic & motor vehicles laws), restrictions on the use of tobacco, family planning, and clean air and water standards are very important for any economy. In this post, we will talk about public health careers.

Public health is “the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting human health through organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals“.

Public health aims to improve the quality of life through the prevention and treatment of disease, including mental health. Careers in public health go well beyond working in neighborhood clinics and promoting healthy living initiatives. A degree in the field can lead to jobs in law enforcement, education, public policy and so much more.

What is Public Health?
Public health is a stream in science which deals with taking appropriate measures in improving the health conditions of the society and communities by educating them about various diseases and helping them understand the preventive measures. Public health promotes the measures that need to be taken amongst communities to live, learn, work and play. Public health team promotes wellness by encouraging healthy behaviours to perform research and assure that they educate the people about the healthy way of living.

Public health professionals educate people regarding vaccinations for children and adults to prevent diseases. They even work on creating awareness about the various risks of tobacco and alcohol. They conduct nutrition programs in schools and guide parents about the various benefits of healthy food and a healthy life.

Public health team works on tracking disease outbreaks and enforces laws which promote smoke-free indoor air, wearing helmets and seat belts and spreading the word about different ways of staying healthy through scientific solutions to the problems in a community. In general, public health helps in saving time, money and improves the quality of life. It also aims at reducing human suffering; helping people thrive in a healthy environment.

Required Educational Qualifications
There are many professional fields in public health. These are First Responder, Restaurant Inspectors, Health Educators, Scientists and Researchers, Nutritionists, CommunityPplanners, Social Workers, Epidemiologists, Public Health Physicians, Public Health Nurses, Occupational Health and Safety Professionals, Public Policymakers and Sanitarians. All these professionals come under public health working team. They aim at protecting and improving individual health standards and the society at large.

To become professionals in public health stream, one should have a minimum qualification of a Bachelor’s degree in either or more of the following disciplines:

Biology
Anthropology
Public Policy
Mathematics
Engineering
Education
Psychology
Sociology
Medicine
Business
A Masters degree in public health would help in securing higher level jobs in organizations. You could also pursue a Bachelors degree in Public Health.

Where do graduates in Public Health work?
There is an array of job opportunities for public health professionals. They will get a good headstart to work directly with elite organizations of the world. Any graduate who pursues a degree in Public health can directly join:

Government Agencies like
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)¬ – CDC is a primary federal organization for public health. They protect against outbreaks and respond to them instantly. They work on health data analysis and make policies which are essential for public health.

1. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) – The NIH does biomedical and health-related research under the Department of Health and Human Services. It is a government organization where the federal government funds the NIH for various researches for various diseases.

There are many more government and private organizations like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) etc.

• Non-profit organizations – Non-profit organizations have unification of global goals and initiatives within the public health industry. They focus more on a specific disease, population, or health issues in the community or the world. Few examples of non-profit organizations are the American Red Cross, Planned Parenthood, The Allies for Health + Wellbeing, WHO.
• Health care organizations – Public health professionals can also join hospital, healthcare systems, long-term care facilities where they work on educating the people about diseases and perform researches. . .
• Educational Institutions – Post-graduate public health professionals could become professors in colleges and universities. This role often requires a blend of research and education.