Professionals in a number of specialties are finding that the job market is very slim. The public health field, however, is experiencing the same expansion as other healthcare industries. This provides many job openings in a variety of specialties, but also in an industry sector that is known for stability. The position of health facilities surveyor is a good example of one of the versatile positions that also serves to improve community welfare.
If you are interested in finding steady employment with competitive wages, then the career choice of health facilities surveyor could be a positive move into public healthcare. Entry level and advancement positions are on the rise, and the demand for qualified applicants continues to grow.
What Is A Health Facilities Surveyor?
A health facility surveyor evaluates the use of space and resources for different health service providers, and then provides design suggestions to create a more efficient facility. This position will include measuring used and wasted space, as well as perusing blue prints and schematics to determine how functional the placement of electrical wiring and water pipes really is. This job requires strong engineering and mathematical skill, but also innovative thought and an understanding of the facility traffic and clientele, in order to come up with more functional solutions.
Public information officers would have the following expectations as a part of their works:
- Design care facility space and systems to provide efficient usage and function.
- Implement design changes through installations and renovations.
- Assess the overall safety and productivity of current designs and use of area.
- Educate staff members on best practices while transformations are occurring.
- Propose viable solutions to the facility board and to the board of health.
Characteristics
These professional skills can also help public information officers perform their job:
- Math skills: You will need to be highly proficient in calculations as you consider restructuring facilities for greater productivity.
- Problem solving skills: You will need to come up with viable design solutions that fit a facility’s budget and their care service provisions.
- Analytical thought: You will need to be able to image and evaluate the changes that you are proposing and compare the benefits of both.
- Communication skills: You will also need to be able to convey this information to the facility administration in a manner that allows them to understand your reasoning behind these changes.
Nature Of The Work
Health facilities surveyors are usually employed by the department of health on a local, state, or federal level. You would spend much of your job evaluating different healthcare facilities in the area to assess the level of function through qualitative and quantitative data gathering. After your observations of practices and use of space, you would work in your office to analyze the data and make suggestions to improve function. You would also submit reports to the facility administration and to the board of health.
Education And Training
In order to become a health facilities surveyor, you must complete a Bachelor’s degree with a course of study in healthcare administration, engineering, biology, calculus, and computer technology. You will also need to complete one to two years of technical training. If you opt to go into graduate programs, these courses will usually include a semester of technical work, but otherwise you will need to enroll in a supervised internship program.
Health facilities surveyors will also need certification as an engineer. This is achieved by completing the coursework, practical hours, and passing the ABET exam. Once you have received your certification, continuing education credits will be required to maintain this status.
This position has one of the higher entry level salaries in public health. You may start out around $52,000 per year, and the average pay rate is about $86,000. The top 10% in wages earns over $136,000 per year, so the possibilities for advancement are quite high with this position.
Opportunities in this field are also very good. Although the numeric increase of around 5,000 jobs over the next ten years sounds low, it actually represents a job expansion of close to 27%. The interest in this field is largely driven by the focus in the healthcare industry to run more productive and efficient facilities that can provide better services to the public. With good entry level pay and bright outlook for future employment, the career path of health facilities surveyor can offer you a stable income as well as a way to make positive impact in the community.
