It is no secret that many economies, nations, and industries are drastically affected by a ‘lifetime crisis COVID-19 pandemic’. However, there are many sectors like Public Health, Healthcare, and FMCG are at boom even when Coronavirus has taken the world by storm and brought forth. If we talk particularly about Public Health, the demand for a strong healthcare system hiked globally in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the qualified Public Health workforce has become the need of the hour leading to a rise in public health jobs worldwide.
In the healthcare sector, public health is one of the most rewarding careers which is entirely related to “the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging the life of patients, and promoting good health.” To do so, public health specialists are very profoundly involved to carry out multiple activities right from
- Identifying the diseases
- Creating public health policy to help people promote healthy living
- Educating people to make informed choices for a better and healthy lifestyle
- Taking all kinds of necessary steps to improve and protect community’s health and well-being.
- Vaccinating children and adults to prevent disease
In simple words, every public health official is responsible for preventing communities from diseases and ensuring people wellness. There are many facets of public health as a profession, and some of the highest paying jobs in public health include:
1. Health Educator
As the name suggests itself, Health Educators are responsible for helping individuals understand about various vital aspects of human behaviour that require attention to promote good health and wellness. Health Educators encourage people to get involved in different health programs and make them aware of good health decisions.
2. Community Health Workers
Community health workers are qualified specialists who are expected to wear a lot of hats to improvethe quality of life for people. Such public health professionals are responsible for making a healthy community by teaching individuals healthy behaviour and wellness. Community health workers come quite handy to deal with people struggling with drug addiction, low diet and inactivity, alcohol abuse, or the use of tobacco and vaping products.
3. Epidemiologist
Epidemiology can be described as the field of the healthcare industry, which primarily deals with the incidence, distribution, and possible control of diseases. In this, the highly skilled epidemiologists are responsible for studying patterns of illnesses to evidence-based medicine. The most common areas where an epidemiologist is highly required are Health departments, Offices, Universities and Laboratories.
4. Biostatistician
Biostatistics is one of the most lucrative career options in the field of public health. It is primarilyassociated with applying statistical methods, mathematical principles, data collection and scientific analysis on different public health spheres. A skilled biostatistician is responsible for doing thorough research to identify all risk factors associated with any disease, and the professional will further analyze the effectiveness of new drugs founded by researchers and forecast health outcomes. In addition to this, the key responsibilities of a Biostatistician comprise of
- Determining all kinds of public health problems and finding the best possible solution to fix the issue on the basis of data collected.
- Conducting surveys and/or experiments to collect the right data
- Proper analyzation and interpretation of collected public health data
5. Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
As the name indicates itself, a skilled team of Occupational Health and Safety Specialists are majorly responsible for doing proper inspection followed by unbiased evaluation of workplace environments, equipment, and different practices. The core objective behind all these activities – to make sure that regulations on safety, health, and the environment are followed and not compromised. A career as an occupational health and safety specialist brings to individual many exciting employment opportunities across different environments such as government agencies, manufacturing units, construction sites, hospitals, and health care institutions, as well as in the scientific and technical services industry.
6. Clinical Research Coordinator
A clinical research coordinator (CRC) who is also known as a clinical trial manager plays the most significant role in every healthcare and medical facility. A skilled CRC is primarily responsible for providing seamless support (as per federal regulations) for every clinical trial-related activities under the supervision of the Principal Investigator (PI). Also, the professional is actively involved in
- Quality assurance audits, which are primarily performed by study sponsors or regulatory authorities
- Overviewing proposed study protocols
- Dispensing study on medical devices or drugs
- Providing support for trial-related paperwork which mainly comprise of protocol worksheets, IRB documents, procedural manuals and progress reports
The demand for skilled Clinical Research Coordinators is relatively high in Pharmaceutical Organizations, Contract Research Organizations, Universities and Hospitals.
Choose your right career path wisely.
There is no shortage of suitable career options in the public health sector, and the demand for the right specialist is skyrocketing in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic. Many studies and researchers claimed that the need for public health specialist would continue to surge in the future. So what are you waiting for? With so many options to choose from, explore these in-demand career options that best suit your passion and your skills.
