MPH Job Outlook

The job outlook for a career in public health is very good. The need for health educators will increase as the population and the average population's life expectancy increases.

The Department of Labor and Statistics lists jobs in the public health sector as some of the fastest growing occupations, and occupations projected to have the largest numerical increases in employment between 2002 and 2012.

A career in Public health offers something for almost everyone. Health administration and community health sciences are careers which involve being with people. Health education is a teaching field. Health policy includes a political component and covers a wide range of areas. Epidemiology and biostatistics involve math and modeling. Environmental health includes a wide range of science skills.

While there are dozens of specialties in public health, most career opportunities are found in the following fields.

Health Care Managers/Administrators

Managers and administrators plan, organize, direct, control, or coordinate health services, education, or policy in establishments such as hospitals, clinics, public health agencies, managed care organizations, industrial and other types of business, or related entities.

Continued changes in health care increase the need for specialists in health care administration, planning, organization, policy, and economics. With partnerships and mergers between companies and event community and government organizations, a greater emphasis will be placed on cost containment and efficiency, requiring innovative leaders in planning, finance and economics. There will also be growth in the consulting field with increased attention to outcomes or health services research, cost effectiveness, and quality of life.

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Health Education/Behavioral Science

In general, public health educators plan, organize and direct health education programs for the groups and the community. Educators work with other health specialists and community groups, prepare educational materials, write grants, and determine the availability of health services.

Public health educators may work with volunteer agencies and other civic professional agencies to provide services. In a hospital setting, the educators may specialize in patient health education. Others may specialize and teach health care professionals.

Employers include county and state government health, social and educational agencies; educational institutions; large health care institutions; hospitals; community health clinics and agencies; nonprofit health care agencies and health associations.

Duties may include designing and coordinating programs, planning and coordinating department activities in personnel and staffing, purchasing, public relations, such as making speeches before community organizations, fund raising, accounting, and program evaluation.

Employers include: hospitals, clinics, Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), Independent Practice Organizations (PPOs), long-term care, ambulatory care, mental health facilities, home health agencies, rehabilitation centers, prisons, and schools.

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Epidemiologists

Epidemiologists investigate and describe the determinants and distribution of disease, disability, and other health outcomes in defined population groups and develop the means for prevention and control. Jobs are in traditional public health agencies, international organizations, research, educational institutions, and private industry, including biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms.

Epidemiological studies that focus on sociological problems such as obesity, aging, and suicide will be in demand in the future. Epidemiologists who study non-infectious diseases such as cancer, stroke or heart disease, and the trauma of everyday living such as suicide, alcoholism, and homicide will be in particular demand. Jobs in designing and evaluating clinical trials for drug therapies, and pharmacological outcomes research are expected to increase.

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Environmental Health

Environmental health scientists apply public health principles to control, eliminate, and/or prevent environmental health hazards and are concerned with identifying and controlling the factors in the natural environment (air, water, land) that affect health. Jobs are in state and federal government, consulting, and industry. There are shortages in public health for qualified researchers in chemistry, toxicology, occupational health, environmental epidemiology, and environmental engineering.

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Biostatisticians

Biostatisticians apply statistical procedures, techniques, and methodology to characterize or investigate health status. Jobs are in industry, research, and academia. There are currently more jobs available than people to fill them according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

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Public Health Practitioners

Public health practitioners apply the public health sciences of epidemiology, biostatistics, behavioral science, and environmental health to health problems, with a focus on population approaches and an orientation towards health promotion/disease prevention. This includes many community-oriented programs and activities such as maternal and child health, mental health, and environmental health and involves professional disciplines such as medicine, dentistry, and nursing. Public health practitioners include leaders, managers, educators, program designers and evaluators, policy analysts and advocates, and researchers. Jobs are found in federal, state, and local health agencies, consulting firms, rehabilitation centers, voluntary and relief agencies, health services delivery organizations, substance abuse centers and agencies, centers on aging, and international organizations.

The U.S. faces a need for public health practitioners to conduct applied public health work that directly improves the health of the nations' communities. This need has increased even further in the present climate of managed care and government program downsizing. Shortages exist nationally for those trained in public health processes and technologies.

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International Health Specialists

Professionals that focus on the improvement of health standards in developing countries include virtually all specializations in public health. Jobs are found in governmental organizations, academic and research institutes, multinational organizations, such as UN agencies, NGOs, donor agencies, consulting companies, and private voluntary organizations.

There are dynamic changes in demography, health threats, and health policy in all societies, with increased needs in health economics and finance, research and education for the diagnosis of health problems, and exportation of public health technologies to developing nations.

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Nutritionists

Nutritionists study of the interaction between nutrients, nutrition and health, and the application of sound nutritional principles to maintain health. Jobs are located in public and private agencies with an increased demand in physicians' offices, wellness centers, media organizations, and private industry. The demand for nutritionists has remained strong due to health, nutrition, and food assistance programs sponsored by both public and private agencies.

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Biomedical Scientists

Scientists trained in public health may be the key to new breakthroughs in medicine for cures that affect the planet. These are research scientists who apply cutting-edge technology to biological research. They combine laboratory techniques and interdisciplinary public health training in biostatistics and epidemiology for the diagnosis and treatment of disease and for the investigation of conditions that affect health status. Jobs are found in academia, government, research institutes, and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

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Public Health professionals serve local, national, and international communities, and are leaders who overcome the many exciting challenges in public health.

Graduates from this program can be found in a wide variety of leadership roles in many different professional settings including hospitals, independent cardiac rehabilitation programs, agencies, schools, corporations and health clubs.

The field of public health offers great personal fulfillment - working towards improving people's health and well being is a rewarding life’s work.

 

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