Interested in an Entry level public health jobs?
As the Covid-19 crisis starts to die, people just getting into the job market may not know what to do. Many people who just finished high school or college don’t know where to look for jobs. After all, the economy is still changing as we try to get back on track after problems caused by pandemics and supply problems.
But, believe it or not, now is the best time to think about starting a career in public health. After all, the Covid-19 pandemic and the high rate of respiratory issues showed how crucial public health workers are to the health and well-being of the whole country. And according to the American Public Health Association, public health workers will continue to reduce differences in how chronic diseases turn out and promote health in communities worldwide.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Entry Public Health Jobs
As with any path, a career in public health has both good and bad points.
There are quite a few good things about it.
- Social Benefits: People look up to healthcare workers and think they do good things for society. Which makes people to admire them.
- Financial Incentives. Even in the beginning, jobs in public health tend to pay better than jobs in some other fields.
- Safety at work: There will always be sick people, though. Because of this, there will always be a need for people who work in public health.
- Satisfaction and Pride: Workers in public health know that what they do makes the world a better place for people and society.
Of course, jobs in public health also have their unique problems.
Competition. There is a lot of competition for first jobs in public health.
Training. Especially at the entry-level, new hires often find that activity on the job is both challenging and intense.
How Much Responsibility We Have. Many public health jobs are a big part of caring for other people in challenging situations. Sometimes, this can even be a matter of life and death.
Risk. Almost every job comes with some level of risk. There are, however, some risks that may be more dangerous in public health jobs for beginners. These risks include a higher chance of exposure to infectious diseases, poisons, and other health risks.
Knowing what you’ll be doing before you start can help you decide if a career in public health is right for you.
How Do I Start a Career in Public Health?
If you think this is the right field for you, now is a great time to get started. We can see the end of the pandemic, but we still need public health workers and need to keep fighting diseases worldwide. If anything, the Covid-19 pandemic showed how important public health workers are to keeping people healthy, informed, and safe.
And let’s not forget that people who work in public health have helped us get to a better place from which to fight public health crises in the future.
How do you get started in public health? Our advice depends on whether you have studied health education and have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in public health or not.
Non-Degree Holding Entry Level Public Health Jobs
So you didn’t go to a public health school and don’t have a degree in that field? Don’t be afraid! Even if you haven’t gone to school for public health, you can still get a job in the area.
Many open jobs in public health require a lot of training on the job. For these kinds of jobs, you don’t need a degree or specific experience to apply.
Here are some examples of public health jobs you can apply for even if you don’t have any experience:
- Medical assistant
- Medical billing/coding specialist
- Helper in an assisted living facility
- Helper in occupational therapy
- Call-taker for emergencies
These are just a few examples of public health jobs for people with no experience. But there are dozens of other jobs that don’t require you to have a degree in public health.
Degree-Holding Entry Level Public Health Jobs
As you can see, you don’t always have to have a college degree to start a career in public health. But there are still good reasons to go to school for a formal program in public health.
For example, applicants for entry-level public health jobs often have an advantage if they have a degree in public health. Even jobs that don’t require a four-year degree in public health or a related field are included in this:
Most of the time, an entry-level job doesn’t require a public health degree. But as one program director said, if you major in public health, you’ll have a unique set of skills, which could be a plus.
Of course, you can only get jobs if you have a college degree in public health. These things are:
- Public health analyst
- Early intervention specialist
- Environmental health manager
- Research Associate
- Epidemiologist
- Microbiologist
So, if you have a bachelor’s degree in public health, you can jump to the front line for entry-level jobs in public health. You’ll also be able to get more interesting and better-paying jobs in public health than people who don’t have a degree.
But while having a bachelor’s degree a plus? If you have a master’s degree, you can go even further.
With an MPH, you might even be able to get a job at the CDC, which hires more MPH graduates than any other organization. And when you work as a public servant for the CDC? You will feel proud and happy to serve not only your local community but also your country.
What Is the Salary Range for Entry Level Public Health Jobs?
There is a wide range regarding the average starting salary for public health jobs. Some of these jobs pay hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, but most public health jobs for people just starting pay between $30,000 and $50,000 yearly. The median salary for a public health worker in the United States is $48,860 per year, or $23.49 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Starting salaries will always be higher or lower depending on several factors, such as:
- Fluctuating costs of living
- Industry demand
- Level of difficulty
10 Entry Level Public Health Jobs to Make an Impact
If you want to work in public health, here are a few places where you can start looking for jobs.
1. Health Promotion Specialist
As the name suggests, health promotion specialists work to promote healthy lifestyles for individuals and organizations, communities, and populations.
They make people more aware of healthy habits, like how to eat well, get in shape, and stop smoking. And by encouraging healthy choices and ways of living, these specialists also help keep people from getting sick or hurt. They also make and run programs that improve the community’s health.
If you become a health promotion specialist, you will have many chances to improve people’s lives. For instance, you could work with the public on a campaign to get people to stop smoking or using drugs. You could also plan public health events or research the results of efforts to promote health.
What a great way to start your career in public health!
Estimated pay: $50,745 per year
2. Public Health Analyst
Analysts of public health work to find suitable solutions to health problems. They also work with local agencies to ensure that real solutions to local health problems are implemented.
People who work in this job do everything they can to make their communities better places to live and ensure everyone is healthy and happy. They work on problems that affect the whole world, like pollution, drug abuse, infectious diseases, and the effects of violence.
If you try to get a job as a public health analyst at the entry-level, you might do things like:
- Reviewing current programs and policies to see how well they work
- figuring out the main areas of health and welfare concern in your area
- putting together structured plans to stop ongoing problems and make changes
Public health analysis Public health analysts don’t always see results immediately but their work directly, but their work has a significant impact over time. This can make public health analysts very happy with what they do for a living.
Estimated pay: $49,000 to $100,000 per year
3. Environmental Health Specialist
So, the people who work in public health have made a plan to meet a need in public health. What comes next? Well, someone has to make that plan happen. This is the job of people who work in environmental health.
Environmental health specialists teach, advise, and enforce rules about the cleanliness of food, milk, water, hazardous and infectious waste, sewage, institutional settings, and health risks. They help improve the water and sanitation systems in parks, nursing homes, schools, restaurants, and other places. They also work to improve the overall quality of the environment in a community.
During the Covid-19 crisis, many experts in environmental health have changed their focus to systems that can slow the spread of coronaviruses. But they have much more to do than deal with the crisis. The systems they’ve set up will also help us for many years.
Because there will always be dangers to the health of the public. And experts in the health of the environment? They help ensure that our futures will be safer and better for everyone.
Estimated pay: $49,887 per year
4. Clinical Research Assistant
Clinical Research Assistants (CRAs) work in labs as a team. They take part in tests, studies, and gathering information. Many CRA jobs require a bachelor’s degree in a health-related field because of the nature of the work.
Clinical research jobs are starting to pay less than other public health jobs, sometimes as little as $21,000 to $25,000 per year. But some jobs pay pretty well. Also, the more experience you get in the lab, the faster you’ll level up and be able to start making more money.
Estimated pay: $32,000 to $55,000 per year
5. Hygienist
U.S. News and World Report just put the hygienist job at number 12 on their list of the best jobs that help with health care. This is not only because the median salary for the job is reasonable ($77,090) but also because most hygienists can look forward to a bright future.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the number of jobs for dental hygienists will grow by 11% from 2020 to 2030. During that time, there should be about 23,100 new jobs.
So it’s no wonder the future looks promising! Good hygienists are always needed.
Hygienists clean people’s teeth and help them understand how important it is to care for their mouths. They also show them how to use the best products for their dental needs.
The job itself can be hard on the body of the hygienist. For example, if you spend a lot of time at work hunched forward, it can worsen back, neck, and shoulder problems. But if you stretch, exercise, and take other steps to improve your posture regularly? Many people who work as hygienists have long, happy careers.
Estimated pay: $77,090 per year
6. Disease Intervention Specialist
Disease intervention specialists (DISs) are public health workers whose main job is to find people with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and their contacts and talk to them about how to stay healthy.
Especially during public crises, like the recent pandemic, a DIS may change its focus to the most immediate threat. They spend most of their careers, though, helping local public health departments fight against the spread of STDs.
Specialists in stopping diseases are an essential part of our public health staff. And those who want to start as DISs can expect challenging but rewarding careers.
Estimated pay: $48,389 per year, or $23 per hour
7. Environmental Scientist
Environmental scientists work on public health projects to stop diseases and make people live longer. Most importantly, they work more in the lab than with the public.
As scientists, they may do many different things, such as:
- Using procedures for testing
- Monitoring quality control
- helping out in the lab with other scientists
- Keeping track of and ordering goods
Even though this is an entry-level job, you probably need a bachelor’s degree in a related field to get it. Also, like most entry-level jobs, the pay may start low and increase as you gain experience.
This is one of the more technical jobs on this list that has to do with health care. But if you meet those requirements and want to work in public health? This is as good as any other place.
Estimated pay: $76,530 per year
8. Public Health Inspector
As the name suggests, a public health inspector makes sure that businesses follow local, state, and federal safety laws to protect the public’s health. Some of these places are:
- Restaurants
- Swimming pools
- Hospitals for the elderly
- Hospitals
- Schools
- Hotels
All these places and more must pass inspections regularly if they want to stay open to the public.
For some jobs as a health inspector, you need a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Others, on the other hand, are open to anyone who passes the background checks and gets the training they need.
Estimated pay: $51,764 per year
9. Entry Level Healthcare Recruiter
Workforce solutions companies are in business to match people with the right jobs. You could do just that as a healthcare recruiter for a company that helps find jobs for people.
Many entry-level jobs in health care require you to work directly with people or science and technology in the lab. On the other hand, this job will allow you to talk to people one-on-one.
Since this job can be done anywhere, it’s an excellent way for pregnant women to work from home.
Estimated pay: $48,458 per year
10. Public Health Informatics Scientist
Last but not least, the public health informatics scientist job is one of the best-paying public health jobs for people who are just starting out. This job pays well because it has a high standard for getting hired.
This is an entry-level position, meaning you don’t need to have worked as an information scientist. You must have at least a master’s degree (or the equivalent) in a related field to be eligible. Also, PhDs and M.D.s are more desirable than other types of candidates.
There’s no doubt that getting a job as a Public Health Informatics Scientist as your first job is hard. But those who do well get big paychecks and benefits like health and life insurance paid for by their employers.
Pay is expected to range from $63,087 to $157,838 per year.