Careers in Public Health

By an allied health world contributing writer
Published: February 17th, 2010

What are some public health careers currently in focus?

The variance in the types of public health careers is as wide as the variance in issues specific to public health currently being discussed in the public form. Working on ways to resolve these issues continues to be the focus of all public health professionals, regardless of their chosen vocation. Although the jobs performed by these professionals are vastly different from one another, they all share a common concern for the health and wellness of the communities in which they work.

Health educators are needed to teach our nation’s youth about everything from safe sexual conduct to maintaining high standards of cleanliness in an effort to reduce the spread of communicable diseases.

Nutritionists are needed to ensure schools and other public institutions offer lunch programs with nutritionally complete meals. Careers in public health

Public health degrees specific to nutrition science are now widely available and expected to be among the most popular in coming years.

Physicians and nurses are needed to serve communities with basic preventative medical services, as well as being available to respond when emergencies occur, such as natural disasters or disease outbreak.

Emergency management teams are needed to coordinate the safe and efficient implementation of medical services, and the distribution of essentials like food and water. In the wake of what seems like one major natural disaster after another both here at home and abroad, it has been made painfully clear how much people come to rely on these highly skilled public health professionals.

Engineers and infrastructural experts will continue to be needed to help engineer sewage evacuation and waste disposal systems, in addition to potable water delivery systems so as to provide much needed access to clean water. Public health schools offering programs in environmental health and emergency management are expanding facilities to meet the growing demand for these professionals.

Athletic trainers and fitness professionals of all kinds will be needed to move forward on the current initiatives for preventive measures to be taken to curb childhood obesity and early onset diabetes with a renewed focus on exercise programs in our public schools.

How do public health professionals implement methods of prevention?

The creation of a first of it’s kind medical bill that will extend medical coverage to millions of Americans who have never before had access has contributed to making issues related to public health common talking points among all Americans. Citizens of this country are now becoming more aware of how issues of health within our communities, our country, and the world affect us all individually and collectively.

In exploring all means by which to achieve an improvement in the health of the communities they serve, public health professionals promote preventative measures that have been recognized as the best means by which to combat many public health issues.

The formula of better diet and increased exercise is simple, albeit a tricky one to implement. While public health advocates are working to promote taxation on sugary beverages and are pushing to have soda machines removed from public schools, they find themselves in opposition with cash-strapped school districts who look to these soda machines as sources of much-needed revenue. Sadly, afterschool athletic programs are among the first things to be cut when a school looks for ways to save money as operating expenses grow and revenue stagnates.

Public health careers in this context will continue to be focused on education and motivation while placing the individual and collective health of communities first and foremost.