The importance of public health is undeniable. As a field, it is extensive and provides numerous career opportunities to those getting a professional degree in it. With a degree in public health, you can bring a multidisciplinary approach to healthcare to enhance patient delivery standards. Public health professionals aim to educate people about living a healthy life and adopting measures to protect and promote health. While it is the job of a doctor to treat sick people, public health professionals’ job is to make sure people don’t need the services of a doctor.
The importance of public health became even more apparent during the pandemic when inequalities in healthcare services became more apparent. Those who were far away from healthcare services and lacked the awareness to save themselves from the attack of the virus were more at the brink of extinction. The pandemic was an eye-opener for the entire healthcare sector. The cracks in the healthcare infrastructure came to the forefront. It emphasized the need for public health professionals to prepare the masses for such catastrophic happenings.
The importance of public health as a field was increasing before the pandemic, but currently, it has become the most preferred career. The presence of an online mode of education has further reduced the barriers to adopting a career in public health. More people are opting for an online Master of Public Health degree and learning about solutions that empower public health professionals to improve the quality of life. It helps them employ a combination of public policy initiatives, research, and population health sciences to achieve positive outcomes in public health. But perks of gaining a degree in public health goes beyond this; other benefits include:
- Availability of plentiful job opportunities
Like nursing, public health is an extensive field with plentiful job opportunities providing a range of career paths. Popular roles in public health include Health Visitor, Public Health Assistant or Manager, or Public Health Consultant. As a public health professional, you can assist in public policymaking, develop care plans, and educate the public on ways of staying healthy. You can find jobs in the public and private sectors, government departments, schools, and private companies. Public health professionals are desired candidates by local and international organizations alike. Providing variety in career options is the hallmark of a career in public health.
- Solve other’s problems
The job of a public health professional is to solve others’ grievances and problems and sort community issues. People in this field are often thrilled by the challenges of developing disease prevention programs and educating underdeveloped communities.
You often determine the needs of a community through personal interactions, surveys, and statistical data. Later you have to blend the available data with the ethical considerations and develop plans for communities. By working in public health, you will never be short of challenging issues and problems. Due to the meaningful work of public health professionals, their work spans over more issues now. Today, public health has moved forward from covering issues like malaria and polio to addressing long-term issues such as obesity, brain injury, and heart diseases. Currently, the focus has been on preventing viral infections such as Covid-19. So, it seems that public health develops and expands as the diseases and health issues evolve.
- Improve your communication skills
By getting a formal education in public health, you are better prepared to communicate with people from diverse backgrounds and communities. You will often find people who speak more with their body language and hand gestures than words. Your professional education prepares you to understand non-verbal cues such as sadness in people’s eyes, helplessness in their words, and the emotions behind them. You will be better at listening, explaining your ideas, motivating, persuading others in favor of your recommendations, and much more.
Better communication skills also mean being better at written communication. A professional degree prepares you to draft proposals, make policy documents, draft meaningful and concise emails, and the like.
- Work in all parts of the world
Public health professionals are in demand in all parts of the world. So, if you want to travel and get experience, you can have this opportunity with a professional degree. A professional study prepares you to understand different cultures and have cultural competence. Cultural competence is essential for working with people from various ethnic, social, economic, and religious backgrounds. It prepares you to appreciate the difference in diversity, respect people, and make them feel valued.
- Develop yourself
Public health professionals get a chance to excel in various careers, but a degree also helps develop soft skills. You learn to solve problems that require implementing complicated solutions, working and analyzing information in bulk, and developing team management plans. Often you are required to work within a designated time, so you also learn about time management and achievement of goals within deadlines. The complicated problems regarding public health often require you to think out of the box and apply innovative solutions. Working in this industry teaches you to push your limits and test your mettle when faced with the toughest problems plaguing modern societies today.
- Earn promotion
Some people opt for a new study program upon finding their career stagnating after working in a position for some years. For these people, a professional degree in public health is a gateway to getting a promotion. Besides, what is wrong with this thought? It is the right of everyone to move up in their career and take appropriate measures. So, what is better than getting a degree to do so? You will learn the new concepts, get familiarized with current research, and at the same time earn a promotion too.
- Get a new specialization
With a new degree, you have new specializations open to you. You can also change your career domain and work in another area of public health. So, if you have been working in public health for quite some time and want to transition into policymaking or infectious disease, getting an advanced degree in public health can help you do so. Some employers even help their employees financially and pay a part of their study expenses.
Conclusion
Public health is a vast field with numerous specialized career options. Anyone aspiring to adopt a meaningful role in public health must have an advanced degree. With a professional qualification, you can make an impact both on a national and international level. You can help in policymaking, development, and implementation of public health programs and educate the public about keeping fit. Public health offers you endless growth opportunities, but you must have the right qualifications and skills. For that, you need at least a Masters’s in public health!
