Masters in Public Health with Laboratory background

[bluenbrown]

I am currently working as a Laboratory Scientist in a hospital. I am interested in going back to school for a MPH, however I'm concerned about job security and salary. Biostatistics and epidemiology are my interests, but I'm still researching my options. Would it be possible to take a few classes before applying to see if it's a good fit for me? Is this a good field to enter considering how the economy is right now? What about salary? Would my lab background be helpful?

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[Boolean]

Further information can be found here.

Some places may let you take classes, some may not.
A lab background may help.
Job security has no certainty.

 

[LizzyM]

What job do you want to prepare for? Would it be possible to contact one or more people who have that job and do an informational interview to find out how they prepared and what they do and what they leave to other team members with different job titles.(eg collecting samples in the field vs doing lab analysis or statistical analysis)

After you figure out what degree programs would be a good fit (MS vs MPH), then contact schools in your area or look into "distance learning" (online classes) to see if they permit students who will only be taking a class or two.

Google MPH virtual fair to find out about the next online fair with representatives of accredited MPH programs in the US. I think that there is one the week of Nov 2nd.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Moving to the public health forum. This forum is for those interested in going to medical school.

 

[IntriguedStudent]

There are definitely schools that will let you take classes as a non-matriculated student. However, many of them limit the number they allow you to take before you must apply to matriculate. A laboratory background can be helpful depending on what career you're intending to go into. There are plenty of epidemiology-type jobs that a background in something such as microbiology, for example, might help. In terms of salary and job security, many of the public health fields are growing right now, so there are quite a few job opportunities. The salary, however, is going to vary greatly. Public health is a very broad area of study and as such, the salary range is broad as well.

 

[MolBio]

Would it be possible to take a few classes before applying to see if it's a good fit for me?

Yup, that is certainly a reasonable way to dip your toe in the subject matter. You could also do some volunteering with a public health organization, depending on the type of public health you want to do (it's an extremely broad field).

Is this a good field to enter considering how the economy is right now?

I think the job market for public health and epidemiology is good, but in my opinion, a hair less portable and less stable line of work than hospital lab tech or lab scientist, since almost any hospital or academic hospital will have openings for laboratorians. I wouldn't advise anyone to change into the field of public health just for the salary.

What about salary? Would my lab background be helpful?

How much do you currently make? I don't think your lab experience would increase your salary if you shifted into public health. Salaries in the two fields would probably be roughly comparable, except perhaps biostatistics which tends to be higher. There are a few "hybrid" jobs if you wanted to straddle lab and public health: you could for example work for a public health laboratory at a city or state health department, or you could do molecular or genetic epidemiology, this really just depends on whether you want a total change or if you want to keep using your lab skills.