Study public health in Australia
A public health worker offers healthcare support to entire communities and aims to improve the general well-being of the public. Many who take public health career path often describe it as a rewarding role, and it’s easy to see why. There aren’t many jobs that provide the opportunity to make a profoundly positive difference to so many individuals lives, and that’s just one of the many benefits of working in the public health sector.
Nonetheless, the public health sector has its fair share of myths and misunderstandings. So, let’s get things straight. Working as a public health officer is by no means voluntary work, neither is it about working for the assembly of the government. A public health officer serves a higher cause; the people.
Many believe the public health industry to be a low-income career, which is perhaps one of the saddest misconceptions. In fact, monetary satisfaction is one of the highest rewards of a public health officer. Add to that the personal reward you’ll feel day-to-day from helping others, and you’ll quickly see that this industry really is worthy of the hype.
So, you might be wondering how you can get started? This is where we can help you. Landing a job in the public health industry requires a strong educational background and hard-set skills, but candidates studying at the best institutions stand a strong chance in acquiring a position in the public health field
Interesting facts about the public health sector
- The Australian public health sector has doubled over the years due to multiple factors. The first one being the increasing proportion of individuals entering the age of 65 years or above. Secondly, Australia is one of the top countries that incorporate all recent breakthroughs in medicine and technology, coupled with the demand of healthcare professionals both from the public health and private care sectors.
- The Australian public care sectors offer attractive salaries to professionals with the right qualifications, such as a master’s in public health. Being the country offering the highest minimum wage, the salary of public health officers has seen tremendous and exponential growth with a continued increase of 2 to 3 per cent every year.
- The average life expectancy of an indigenous Australian has dwindled to a 17 per cent lower than that of a non-indigenous resident. Any efforts and breakthrough made by you as a public health professional can make a real difference for several communities in this country.
- Public health is one of the most flexible and versatile career outcomes in Australia. With the increasing demand for public health professionals, your career is cemented and secure in a future where several other professions are losing their vitality.
- Australian institutions have some of the best academicians in the world. By taking up a public health course in any of these universities, you are learning from the crème de crème of teachers who are heralded and are a part of some of biggest the organizations such as UNICEF.
Reasons to choose a public health career in Australia
Public health courses teach you much more than just healthcare:
In some aspects, studying public health is much more expansive than medicine, as a public health aspirant you need to understand how science can become a universal strategy which not only improves but also protects the health of a particular community. You take the responsibility to offer adequate and improved health services to the masses. While medicine has a colossal depth, public health comes second to none.
A public health career allows you to support communities who need it the most
The National Health Priority Areas (NHPA) and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare have laid down nine national health priority domains inclusive of cardiovascular health, injury prevention and control, mental health, cancer control, diabetes mellitus, asthma, arthritis and musculoskeletal issues, dementia and obesity. As a public health professional, you are directly interacting with the people who require such health services irrespective of their income. You have multiple opportunities to source and cure the root of problems in several isolated communities. The public health sector is a channel that allows you to work constructively on improving health-related outcomes for a population that needs it the most.
Enhanced job securit
The job security of the public health sector is one of the most desirable and recognised benefits of the role, demonstrated by statistics highlighting the low rates of job losses when compared to the private sector. The main reason behind this benefit is a vast pool of resources and support for employees in lieu of setbacks or deteriorating performance.
A versatile profession
Public health has a lot of variety, another one of this professions desirable traits. As a public health officer, you are expected to eradicate the barrier between policies and
health issues. In doing so, you are working upwards, fulfilling several roles in the process. As a public health professional, you will be planning policies, developing enhanced medical care solutions, analysing health statistics of the community you are working on and educating different segments of the same community. You see, public health requires professionals who can master trades while managing multiple day-to-day tasks simultaneously, without feeling overwhelmed.
You can make a global impact
Besides contributing to a community’s well-being, as a public health professional, you have the opportunity to bring about global policy initiatives. Through the public health sector, you can have a global presence while working on both domestic and international programs aimed towards improving the population’s overall health and preventing outbreaks of several diseases.
The essential qualification you need to acquire to become a public health practitioner is an undergraduate course in medicine or healthcare in Australia. The Bachelor of Public Health is one of the more popular undergraduate qualifications for aspiring professionals. If you already possess an undergraduate degree with two years or more of relevant experience, the Master of Public Health degree is an excellent channel to advance your career.
The public health sector offers various career pathways to its aspirants. The course depends on your career goals and aspirations, as well as your previous experience and the amount of time, commitment and resources at your disposal. Here are the best public health courses that you can take up in Australia to enter the industry:
· Graduate Certificate in Public Health
· Graduate Diploma in Public Health
· Bachelor of Public Health
· Master of Public Health
Australian institutions have shaped several highly heralded public health officials, including leading professionals from organisations such as UNICEF, CADRE and Oxfam. Studying at an Australian school will not only make you an expert in your chosen field, but you’ll also take away important skills such as patience, critical thinking and the ability to adapt to a new environment quickly. Moreover, during the entirety of your academics, you are taught by some of the most cited educators and personalities in the public health sector globally. Here are some of the top institutions offering public health courses for beginners, as well as for those who are already in the sector hoping to advance their career.
Bachelor of Public Health
1. University of Queensland
2. Deakin University
3. Curtin University
4. Queensland University of Technology
5. University of Auckland
Graduate Certificate in Public Health
1. Griffith University
2. Curtin University
3. The University of Sydney
4. Australian Catholic University
5. La Trobe University
Master of Public Health
1. Monash University
2. University of Adelaide
3. University of New South Wales (UNSW)
4. Australian National University (ANU)
5. University of Melbourne
As a Bachelor or Master of Public Health, you have several career outcomes to choose from; Australia has abundant work opportunities for public health professional depending on your area of focus. The most infamous industries that public health graduates choose to work in Australia are:
· Government organisations, including hospitals, health care centres and large internationally affiliated organisations.
· Universities and research facilities.
· Private organisations based in Australia. These companies tend to focus more on consultation and can include smaller firms in industries including pharmaceutical and communication.
· International health centres and other health-specific agencies.
The expansive science of public health is designed to sculpt The expansive study of public health is designed to sculpt professionals who have the ability to improve and sustain the health of different communities of a particular geographic area. In a broader sense, the study of public health covers various fields which remain uncovered even in the study of medicine. As a public health professional, you are required to have a larger field of vision that encompasses data analysis, national policies, research, medical, environmental and social factors.
The deliberation of careers has become ever more critical in this fast-paced environment. While there is emergence within industries including public health, in others, there is an imminent decline of certain professions that have run redundant. Before choosing a career outcome, it is essential to ask yourself if your choice of profession is sustainable in the near future.
Fortunately, the public health sector is a highly secure profession, bursting with opportunities and growth for all types of skill sets. The pattern directly translates to the fact; as the ageing population of the nation continues to grow at an astonishing rate, doors open for individuals that have the ambition to protect and improve the health of communities.
As there are many domains within the public health sector, your salary as a professional will depend on the career you choose. Typically, a public health specialist will earn an average salary of $75K AUD in Australia.
United States: The average salary of a public health professional holding a Master’s of Public Health degree in the United States sits around $64,697 US annually.
United Kingdom: The average salary of a public health professional holding a Master of Public Health degree in the United Kingdom sits around £30,149 annually.
Australia: The average salary of a public health professional holding a Master’s of Public Health degree in Australia sits around $83,614 AUD annually.
The public health sector is an ever-evolving domain for professionals. Both the Australian healthcare and medical industries are multiplying with increasing job opportunities at an 11.1 per cent rate. With the high standards of living and certainty of education of the highest quality, Australia becomes the ultimate destination to study a public health course.