Epidemiology

[loverofalldogs]

How stable is epidemiology as a career, without any clinical experience? Im a public health major and am thinking of getting an mph concentrated in epidemiology, and I was wondering if it was easy to get a job after graduation, without an MD/DO or RN degree? Is there anything I can do in undergrad to increase my chances of getting into a program? And how much do epidemiologists without clinical experience typically make? Any information will help, thank you!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Stories]

Epidemiology isn't a clinical degree. It's a research degree, first and foremost. With a MPH only, you'll be looking at mid-level research and health department type positions. Those types of positions probably begin in the $50k range and reach up to $70k or so. You can also go alternative routes such as consulting which pay more, but are completely different types of work.

 

[pethuman]

I'd like to chime in here. I'm about to graduate with an MPH in Epidemiology and the field is a lot more flexible than you think. You are NOT just pigeonholed into research and government. You can absolutely do clinical things without having an RN or MD. Those positions may require additional certifications though. I worked as an Infection Control Practitioner for 2.5 years and may return to it eventually. It was a very nice practical application of Epidemiology. Yes, most positions are moving towards requiring an RN, but consider this.

An RN is going to need a crash course in stats and public health and outbreak investigation. An Epidemiologist will need a crash course in clinical standards of practice such as central line bandage changes, sterile processing and invasive device standards of practice. It isn't too hard! In fact, with just 2.5 years of experience I was approached for a Director position starting at 120k. MPH plus experience was acceptable to them. To be competitive you will need a Certification in Infection Control (CIC) especially if competing with RNs.

You can also do things like Industrial Hygiene. Industries you wouldn't even think of using an MPH, like ExxonMobil actually hire MPHs. Industrial hygiene involves things like occupational safety, OSHA requirements etc.

Additionally there are private sector companies, biotechnology for example, that use MPHs or Epis in Clinical Trial research!

Also if you are interested in laboratories, Biosafety is an emerging field. Less Epidemiology and more safety, but you could probably use your MPH to get into the field.

Edit: also, as far as stability goes, look at all the emerging and re-emerging diseases going on! Public health is about to explode. I bet there will be lots of jobs coming up. In Canada alone, 1500? 15,000? (Can't remember exact number) new positions will be created as result of new legislation that requires all labs using BSL-2 organisms to be licensed with the public health agency. Fancy heading up to our neighbors in the north?

 

[sohel.dmc63]

I'd like to chime in here. I'm about to graduate with an MPH in Epidemiology and the field is a lot more flexible than you think. You are NOT just pigeonholed into research and government. You can absolutely do clinical things without having an RN or MD. Those positions may require additional certifications though. I worked as an Infection Control Practitioner for 2.5 years and may return to it eventually. It was a very nice practical application of Epidemiology. Yes, most positions are moving towards requiring an RN, but consider this.

An RN is going to need a crash course in stats and public health and outbreak investigation. An Epidemiologist will need a crash course in clinical standards of practice such as central line bandage changes, sterile processing and invasive device standards of practice. It isn't too hard! In fact, with just 2.5 years of experience I was approached for a Director position starting at 120k. MPH plus experience was acceptable to them. To be competitive you will need a Certification in Infection Control (CIC) especially if competing with RNs.

You can also do things like Industrial Hygiene. Industries you wouldn't even think of using an MPH, like ExxonMobil actually hire MPHs. Industrial hygiene involves things like occupational safety, OSHA requirements etc.

Additionally there are private sector companies, biotechnology for example, that use MPHs or Epis in Clinical Trial research!

Also if you are interested in laboratories, Biosafety is an emerging field. Less Epidemiology and more safety, but you could probably use your MPH to get into the field.

Edit: also, as far as stability goes, look at all the emerging and re-emerging diseases going on! Public health is about to explode. I bet there will be lots of jobs coming up. In Canada alone, 1500? 15,000? (Can't remember exact number) new positions will be created as result of new legislation that requires all labs using BSL-2 organisms to be licensed with the public health agency. Fancy heading up to our neighbors in the north?

Thank you for your elaborative answer. I am going start my MPH in Johns Hopkins from this summer. I am in a little bit confusion regarding my major selection. Though my inclination is toward Epidemiology, I heard that job field is better for Biostatistics. Is it true?
I did my bachelor in Medicine (MBBS) from Bangladesh. I have 2 years of pure clinical experience there. I have 2.5 years of public health experience too. Mostly related with Maternal and Child Health, Infection Prevention etc. Though I will not be an american MD, do you think that my MBBS degree (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery) will give me some extra benefit in this field? And will my public helath experience be counted in job sector, as this experience is from outside of the USA?
Thanks in advance sir.