Healthcare
Healthcare workers are in high demand. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a growth of 2.6 millions healthcare jobs between 2020 and 2030. Many public health professionals find their niche within the healthcare sector as community health nurses and program administrators. Future of Public Health professionals are often focused on building connections to strengthen communities. This is similar to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundations (RWJF), initiative called cross-sector align. RWJF believes in the integration of social and healthcare services, which results in sustainable progress for both community members as well as leaders in the field.
Advocacy
Many problems were revealed by the pandemic regarding equity in patient care. The quality of care provided to COVID-19 patients was affected by racial and ethnic factors. Between 2020 and 2021, it was well-documented that inherent biases can have devastating consequences. It is hoped that public health advocates will continue to carry out this vital research well into 2022. Public health can be improved by advocacy work as a director of a non-profit, researcher in healthcare economics, manager at a community center, or leader of a community health program.
Policy
Public health is at risk when there is no map or resource management. Some may argue that the United States’ handling the COVID-19 pandemic failed. From changing guidelines regarding masking, which gave citizens whiplash, and whittled down the trust of their government, to supply chain problems that could be avoided with more duplicity, there were many failures. Public health policy writers balance priorities and keep initiatives on the right track. They stress-test for different scenarios. People with a background in public health can have a significant impact on health policy and management of health budgets. They also play a critical role in litigation. These positions are available at all levels of government, whether they be federal, state or local.
Epidemiology
Epidemiologists are responsible for data collection, computer modeling, research on injury and disease patterns, and other related activities. Public health scientists work in laboratories in many industries, from pharmaceutical companies to global N.G.O.’s. They are at the heart of problem prevention. We hope technological advances in healthcare will allow epidemiologists to do research that is ahead of the next pandemic.
We must be optimistic about the future health of the public, despite the legacy left to be built by 2022. The U.S. GDP is higher than any other major global economies and we now know more about the future viral evolution of COVID-19. This is a great time to start a career that combines many different disciplines and makes a difference to humanity.
Additional Resource:
https://www.mass.gov/orgs/department-of-public-health
https://cdphe.colorado.gov/
https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/working-health/working-public-health/what-public-health
