Graduates from a Masters in Public Health program have many choices when it comes to a specialty field to enter. One of those choices is Public Health Management.  Public Health Management is the field that works behind the scenes to make sure that everything goes smoothly. They are the supervisors. Graduates of an MPH program who are looking to get into Public Health Management can look forward to working at hospitals, universities and companies, but there are many different employers in Public Health Management. Just like there are many different employers in Public Health Management, there are also many different jobs to be had in the field. That being said, let’s look at five of those jobs right now.

1. Director of Patient Care and Services – The Director of Patient Care and Services is a good job for graduates from a Masters in Public Health program. It is a supervisory position. The Director of Patient Care and Services ensures that everything goes smoothly regarding patient care and they also handle the budgets for the department. This position handles questions and concerns from patient and their families regarding patient care. Directors of Patient Care and Services find employ at hospitals and possibly even at smaller health practices like doctor’s offices or the local health department. The average salary for a Director of Patient Care and Services is $82,000 a year, but will vary depending on location and place of employment.

2. Health Services Project Administrator – The Health Services Project Administrator reports to a project manager or director, but oversees a health services project from start to finish. This job is very time-sensitive, so it is not for those who don’t work well with deadlines. Health Services Project Administrators find jobs in hospitals and government agencies, among other places. The annual salary differs depending on your location, place of employment and experience.

3. Public Health Practice and Program Manager – The Public Health Practice and Program Manager is a job for an MPH graduate who also holds a medical degree, such as an MD or a nursing degree. This position enables them to take a more supervisory role in the health practice instead of their more hands-on roles of being a doctor or a nurse. Public Health Practice and Program Managers, of course, work in hospitals, doctor’s offices, Health Departments, and clinics. Salary depends on the place of employment and experience and education.

4. Academic Policy Advisor – The Academic Policy Advisor is responsible for creating sound policy. Nothing can happen until policies are made. This is an important position. As it is an academic position, it is one of mainly research. They have to be able to look at public health issues and find the key problems that need to be solved. They then need to be able to find solutions to fix those public health problems and make it into sound policy. Academic Policy Advisors usually find work in academic institutions. The salary varies depending on the place of employment.

5. Legislative Policy Advisor – Legislative Policy Advisors are more political in nature than other policy advisors. These policy advisors generally work closely with lobbyists and regulatory agencies. In order to be good at their job, the Legislative Policy Advisor needs to be able to conduct thorough research on issues arising in their public health specialty and pinpoint problems and come up with the solutions to those problems. The Legislative Policy Advisor then needs to be able to communicate those public health issues and how to fix them to the policymakers they work for. Depending on who the Legislative Policy Advisor works for, the annual salary range averages to between $54,000 and $114,000.

If you are considering a Masters in Public Health degree so you can work in Public Health Management, just remember that these are only five of the public health management jobs available to you. There are many more where those came from. You can work for a hospital as the Director of Patient Care and Services or you can work for the government and help decide legislative policy regarding public health.  The career opportunities are almost endless when it comes to the field of Public Health Management. As long as you choose a job that you will enjoy and can put you in the lifestyle of your choosing, you really can’t go wrong.

References:

• http://www.ehow.com/about_6322198_director-care-services-job-description.html
• http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/Career/79/Public_Health_Practice__Program_Management
• http://www.whatispublichealth.org/careers/PfizerGuide/academicPA.pdf
• http://www.jobdescriptions.net/administrative/project-administrator/
• http://www.whatispublichealth.org/careers/PfizerGuide/legislativePA.pdf