If you would like to work in emergency management, you may want to know what jobs are available in infectious disease control. Several different professionals who work within the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, along with professionals who work in public health serving their community play a role in treating infectious disease and preventing its spread. If you would like to know some of the job options and the responsibilities you will have with the title, read on and learn what you need to know.
The Investigative Epidemiologist
A professional who works in epidemiology works in public health to investigate the cause of common diseases in the population and to develop or analyze public health programs. Commonly referred to as disease detectives, the role of the epidemiologist is to use education to control disease in human populations. Epidemiologists will use several different methods to analyze programs and to find out what biological and clinical factors have contributed to disease and injury. To pursue a career in this field, you will need a degree in public health with a focus on coursework in epidemiology.
The Primary Care Internist
If you are working towards becoming an internist or you already work in internal medicine and you would like to have a subspecialty in infectious disease, you will need to get certified. The doctor of internal medicine who works as an infectious disease specialist must review patient data, x-rays and reports of people who have been diagnosed with an infectious disease. They will also take samples, do a physical examination and examine blood and bodily fluids to look for antibodies that indicate there is a problem and what the cause of the problem may be. Infectious disease specialists will diagnose and treat patients but do not perform surgery.
Emergency Response Specialists
Specialists who work in emergency response are part of a team that prepares for natural and man-made disasters and also responds to these disasters to help provide the public with the guidance that they need. While these specialists work in several different types of disaster as all-hazard watch dogs, they do work to notify the public and escalate alters when an infectious disease has been detected within the country’s borders. They perform drills, exercises, and plan consultations services in an effort to respond properly when the population could contract a disease that can quickly spread.
Public Health Advisors and Analysts
The public health advisor is the member of the team who will conduct disease intervention activities. They also provide technical assistance to governmental agencies and evaluate the existing programs that are in place for infectious disease and injury prevention and control. To work in this field, you must have a four-year degree in Public Health or at least three years of relevant experience in the field.
Related Resource: Risk Management Specialist
Disease outbreaks can be extremely scary when they quickly spread through communities and travel across the country or the globe. If you would like to be part of the team that helps to notify the public, design programs to control the disease, analyze data and causes, or treat patients who have been diagnosed, there are many different titles that you can hold. Review the jobs available in infectious disease control, and decide which path is right for you.