What are the Different Public Health Careers?

Working in the public health sector gives health care professionals a broad range of career options and opportunities. Public health careers can merge the knowledge of a trained professional with the desire to help with public outreach, education and prevention. For people who wish to work in health care without being a privately practicing professional, public health careers can be a great opportunity to learn and help others.

Rather than seeking to diagnose and heal individual patients, public health careers focus on the health of the community at large. Because keeping a community healthy is such a large job, most of the time in many public health careers is spent on preventing illness or injury as opposed to treating existing conditions. As such, many public health officials work to educate the public on safe practices and behaviors, and warn them about any potential health hazards in their workplace or local environment.

Schools and businesses often employ public health care professionals to look after their students and employees. In industries where danger is a part of the daily job, a nurse or company doctor may be vital in treating on-the-job injuries with proper care. School health officials often have a wonderful opportunity to educate students and serve as counselors on health issues. Public health careers in both educational and business environments put heavy emphasis on prevention. By teaching people about safe working and living practices, these health care professionals can raise awareness about potential dangers and even save lives.

Rather than choosing to work in a private office, some health care professionals prefer to work in clinic settings. Public health care clinics often provide services to low-income patients who cannot afford health care or health insurance. These clinics may specialize in certain types of services, such as women or children's health, urgent or emergency care, or general wellness services. Public health careers in clinics may not bring in enormous salaries, but they are a necessary service and provide help to people that may need it most.

Some people may be interested in government work as well as health care. Public health careers in the government run the gamut from heading local prevention-awareness campaigns to conducting tests on possible epidemic health problems. Government health care workers can help set up industry safety guides, or work on clinical trials for new drugs. For those who want to combine public service with public health, working for the local, state, or federal government may lead to a rewarding career.

Most jobs in the public health sector require some medical training. Many schools and universities offer degree programs geared specifically toward public health, that can narrow down a candidate's field of interest and help him or her to focus on career training for a specific position. Check carefully for scholarships or grants for public health degrees; because public health workers are necessary to a healthy society, it may be possible to obtain funding to cover all or part of an education.