What is Public Health?

There is  about 10 different names for health service administrators which is just someone who directs the operation of hospitals, health systems and other types of organizations. Unlike clinicians, health administrators do not deal directly with patients on a day-to-day basis. Some things an administrator would do is monitor budgets, and update health records. Roughly 40% of health care administrators work within hospitals. Administrators help to shape policy, make needed changes and lead our nations health-related organizations in a way that serves individual patients by helping to improve the health care system.

Environmental Health Professionals work to improve health by identifying, tracking and addressing environmental risk factors. Most environmental health professionals will specialize in a particular area of the field. Areas are things such as reducing air, water soil, noise, or radiation pollution. These are all things that affect the health of the overall public. Epidemiologists are those who investigate patterns and causes of diseased and injury in humans. They seek to reduce the risk and occurrence of negative health outcomes through research, community education, and health policy.

Behavioral Scientists combine a knowledge of sociology, psychology, and anthropology with strong observational research, and communication skills. Behavioral Scientist work within a community and individuals examining behavior and decision making. Health Education Specialists teach people how to live healthier lives. Those working in local communities to teach underprivileged people how to eat better, prevent disease and injury are education specialists. Someone who leads a group on how to quit smoking or how to become physically active is a health education specialists also. Bio-Statisticians analyze data and statistics on living things collected during medical research studies to draw conclusions or make predictions. They may also contribute to the design and execution of research studies in collaboration with other statisticians and scientists.

So, what is Public Health? Public Health has been defined as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting human health through organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Some examples of the many fields of public health are first responder's, health educators, scientists and researchers, nutritionists, community planners, social workers and epidemiologists. Public Health is so important because it affects people every day in every part of the world, it addresses broad issues that can affect the health and well-being of everyone. The five core disciplines of public health are behavioral science/ health education, bio statistics, environmental health, epidemiology, and health services administration. Those in the public health career field monitor health status to identify and solve community health problems, diagnose and investigate health problems and hazards in the commu...