Individuals employed in the field of public health are responsible for improving the quality and health of the lives of a whole community and not just individuals.  They work to make the public more knowledgeable about issues concerning public health and safety.  They do this with the aim to prevent injuries and illnesses, and therefore are responsible for doing more than just treating these problems.  Contrary to what many persons believe, the field of public health involves more than just nursing, dentistry and medicine, it also contains education, law, behavioral, social and biological sciences.  If you want to work in a field that will allows you to make a difference in another person’s life, public health is the field for you. It’s a great time to consider what options are available to you!

Work Places

Individuals in the field of public health have the opportunity to work in many different settings.  These include hospitals, health insurance companies, non-profit organizations, state and local health departments, community health centers, research firms, government agencies, pharmaceutical companies and health care consulting agencies.

Four Areas in Public Health

As stated before there are many different areas in the field of public health.  Let’s look at four common areas, these being health education, epidemiology, maternal child health and environmental health.

Health Education – This is also referred to as behavioral science.   These individuals educate the public about issues regarding safety and health in order to help them obtain a healthy or a healthier lifestyle.  Hence they have the task of doing things like helping to ensure that persons are prepared for disasters, encourage the use of seatbelts and discourage individuals for taking illegal drugs.

Epidemiology – This area involves finding the cause for a disease and preventing it from spreading any further.  As a result epidemiologist seeks to understand the different social factors that are contributing the disease spreading.  After finding the source, they will then need to formulate a plan to contain it.

Maternal and Child Health – these individuals promote healthy living in children and women.  As a result they work to have women informed about issues that are related to pregnancy, birth control and taking care of children.

Environmental Health  – in this area the relationship between the environment and health in studied, to identify any risks that may be associated with the quality of the water and air, housing, waste management and much more.  They also provide assistance in developing strategies to bring about a decrease in the environmental risk that are a danger to the safety and health of the public.

Educational Requirement

The minimum prerequisite for a career in public health is a bachelor’s degree which can take you approximately four years.  However some positions will require a master’s degree either in public health or the related area.   There are two types of master’s program; the master of public health for professionals and the Master of Science in public health, for those wanting to pursue a doctoral degree.   If you are considering positions involving research a doctoral degree will be required.

The field of public health is very promising, as job opportunities are continuously growing and there are many options to choose from within this field.