Public Health Management Careers
Careers in management offer a lot of possibilities and benefits, from the vast array of different jobs they perform to the high salaries they earn on a yearly basis. With the difficult economic situation currently being faced around the world, it can be difficult to find a management position with job vacancies as well as stability, but these do exist in the sector of public health.
Public health managers will do a variety of tasks to help their own communities or populations around the world, and their work will directly affect the health and happiness of the public. These careers offer substantial pay, an opportunity to help others, and un-paralleled demand during these difficult economic times, making this career path one that is certainly worthy of further investigation.
What Is A Public Health Manager?
The main role of a public health manager is to manage different public health threats, and these types of public health professionals can work in a vast array of different fields. A public health manager will also typically be in charge of administrative duties for a public health team, and it is the public health manager who will be in charge of promoting the overall good health of a population as a whole.
Some of the daily jobs of a public health manager may be:
- Overseeing the tasks of other public health professionals
- Developing various new public health testing and data collection methods
- Implementing any new methods or procedures that are developed
- Evaluating new public health initiatives
- Analyzing and developing public health programs to be implemented within a population or community
- Working with other public health officials to resolve problems or hazards that may arise in public health
- Review reports submitted by other public health professionals, and approve or deny any changes that may be requested
- Prepare budgets revolving around procedures, departments, or programs related to public health.
- Delegating responsibilities to other appropriate managers within a public health team
It is the job of the public health manager to oversee other public health professionals within a team and make sure that all procedures are being followed correctly, and that all work is being carried out effectively and at a high standard. A public health manager will develop new procedures to help a public health team to carry out tasks more efficiently, as well as consult with other team members on new programs, protocols, and various responsibilities.
Education And Training
While some public health manager positions do exist which require only a bachelor’s degree and related experience, most will require employees to have a master’s or higher post graduate degree. The first step in becoming a public health manager is to obtain a bachelor’s degree through a 4 year undergraduate program majoring in public health or healthcare administration. These degree programs will focus on many different public health and management related topics in order to prepare future public health management professionals for work in the field.
After a bachelor’s degree in public health or healthcare administration is earned, a student will then go on to earn their master’s degree. While a Master of Public Health degree is most common, a Master of Health Services Administration degree or a Master of Science in Public Health is also often sought, and any of these degrees are appropriate for those looking to become public health managers. A master’s degree program will typically involve 2 years of study as well as a 1 year practicum or internship in which students will work alongside professionals in a healthcare setting in order to gain hands on field experience.
Public health management certificate programs, normally consisting of 1 year of study, are also available to those who wish to become certified in the field of public health management. These courses can typically be taken online, as they are geared towards working professionals, and they will allow a person to gain certification. While this certification is not universally necessary, it is often desired by many employers.
The demand for public health managers is high, and it is expected to grow by 23% by the year 2022 with 73,300 new job vacancies according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average yearly salary for a public health manager is around $88,580, but this figure will often rise with experience in the field.
