Public Health Program Manager |
Career OverviewA public health program manager may be an already trained clinician in a field of medicine, dentistry or mental health that assumes a role in a multidisciplinary field to manage or oversee an one of a number of programs or incentives that are developed to help the community. Some public health program managers may not be current clinicians but may have completed specialized training in public health or public health management.
A public health program manager is responsible for making recommendations to the committee or team, implementing and managing the overall program as well as reporting the results of the particular program to the stakeholders as well as community members and leaders.
A public health program manager has to have excellent organizational skills to work with both individuals in the community and professionals in the field. He or she should also be very current with regards to research in the area of public health and policy that they are working.
As a public health program manager the individual will often be required to be very self-motivated in developing new and innovative health programs for various groups within the community. A good understanding of various cultural and socio-economic factors helps ensure that the programs will be developed in the best interests of all groups within the community. In addition an understanding of program management and an ability to organize and management groups of individuals is very important.
Finally the public health program manager must be able to collect data and provide information and analysis on the effectiveness of the program and the realization of program goals. Some public health program managers may also be specifically trained in developing public health policies and regulations within their community.
Most public health program managers work standard business hours although evening the weekend meetings and long hours may be required during specific phases of the program. An ability to attend to details while still working with the big picture of the program is an asset to a public health program manager.
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Career RequirementsWhether the public health program manager is a clinician or not he or she will be required to have at least a Masters level degree in some aspect of public health care management. This degree must be from one the accredited schools of public health within the United States. Those already trained clinicians may not be required to take a complete Master’s program but may only be required to take specific Master’s level courses in public health and management.
Some positions may require a PhD in a field of public health or a Doctor of Science degree. Additional requirements in epidemiology, global and environmental health, biostatistics, maternal and geriatric health or even nutrition.
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Job OutlookAs more emphasis is placed on preventative medicines and programs the demand for public health program managers will steadily increase. Already larger cities and counties use public health program managers to set up and monitor programs within the community to decrease the demands on the hospital and emergency room facilities. This trend, according to the American Public Health Association, is anticipated to continue and increase in the future.
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Career TrackA public health program manager can easily move into management areas with hospitals, local or state governments, or even within federal health boards or agencies. Many public health program managers also work within community governments as consultants and monitors or may work with private pharmaceutical and research companies in product development and research.
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CompensationDepending on the public health program manager’s level of training and experience the salary range is between $44,000 and $135,000. This large range in salary is largely due to the size of the project and community as well as the qualifications of the candidate.
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