Careers Public Health

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Careers Public Health

• Information Provided By
• Georgia Statewide Area Health Education Center
  (AHEC)
• http//www.sowega-ahec.org/index
• PowerPoint Presentation By
• Juliane Monko Dr. Frank Flanders
• CTAE Resource Network, June 2009
• Based On PowerPoint Ideas From
• Penny Howard, RN, Healthcare Science Instructor

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AHEC

• There are six centers in the Georgia AHEC
  Network, and each serves a multi-county region. 
• The AHEC mission is to meet the health needs of
  Georgia by improving the supply, distribution and
  quality of healthcare providers.
• AHECs offer enrichment programs, camps, learning
  tools, student counseling, volunteer and
  mentoring activity coordination, and access to
  other educational resources.
• Contact your regional AHEC for more information. 

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Objectives

• Students will be able to describe health careers
  in the field of Public Health.
• Students will be able to plan a healthcare career
  path in Public Health.

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Careers in Public Health

• Epidemiologist
• Health Educator

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Epidemiologist
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Epidemiologist

• Epidemiology is a science that focuses on the
  prevention of disease in human populations.
• Epidemiologists are medical scientists who study
  why disease originates, how diseases work inside
  the body, how they pass between people and how
  they spread through populations.  These
  scientists work to understand the cause of
  disease.  

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Epidemiologist

• Epidemiologists can be broken down into three
  groups
• Applied
• Research
• Clinical

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Epidemiologist- Applied

• Applied epidemiologists usually work in
  communities where there is prevalent disease. 
• They evaluate the disease outbreak and construct
  programs for effective prevention, intervention,
  and control of these diseases.

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Epidemiologist- Research

•  Research epidemiologists study infectious and
  chronic diseases that can affect the entire body,
  attempting to eradicate or control these
  diseases. 

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Epidemiologist- Clinical

•  Clinical epidemiologists work primarily as
  consultants for hospitals.  They inform the
  medical staff of infectious outbreaks and provide
  containment solutions.

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Epidemiologist

• Work Environment

• Salary

• Colleges and universities
• Consulting firms
• Federal government
• Hospitals
• Industry
• Non-profit organizations
• Public health departments
• Research institutes
• Research laboratories

• Average Starting Salary 33,000 (bachelors
  level)
• Figures according to 2006 data. To see updated
  figures, visit the SOWEGA-AHEC website at
  
  http//www.sowega-ahec.org/index

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EpidemiologistAcademic Requirements

• A bachelor's degree is required for admission
  into a graduate program.  Programs leading to a
  Master's of Public Health degree usually takes
  two years to complete.  A doctoral degree takes 3
  to 5 years to complete and leads to a Doctor of
  Public Health (D.P.H.) or Ph.D.  

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Health Educator
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Health Educator

• Health educators teach people and communities
  preventive health care and behavior modification
  techniques. 
• They help determine the health needs of
  communities and improve health practices through
  health programming. 

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Health Educator

• Depending on the area of concentration, health
  educators design, implement and evaluate health
  programs on such topics as infectious disease,
  drug abuse,  nutrition, safety human relations,
  stress management and weight control. 
• Health Educators are also skilled in writing
  educational materials, public information
  reports, and grant proposals.

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Health Educator

• Work Environment

• Salary

• Colleges and universities
• Community health centers
• Corporate wellness centers
• Faith-based organizations
• International, federal, state, and local health
  agencies
• Hospitals
• Schools
• Physicians' offices
• Research institutions

• Average Starting Salary 28,000 (bachelors)
• 32,000 (masters level)
• Figures according to 2006 data. To see updated
  figures, visit the SOWEGA-AHEC website at
  
  http//www.sowega-ahec.org/index

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Health EducatorAcademic Requirements

• Bachelor's and master's degrees are available
  however, the latter is usually preferred.

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Summary

• There are a variety of careers available in
  Public Health. Educational requirements vary by
  career and career level. Students interested in
  these careers should use the information provided
  here as a basis for a career plan. The student
  should also research the career further to
  complete a career plan.
• Careers available in Public Health
• Epidemiologist
• Health Educator