Epidemiologist Career

Epidemiologist Job Description

An epidemiologist’s job description comprises of study and examination of various causes of illness, disability and health disorders; and discovering techniques to avert and / or keep them in control.

An epidemiologist works in clinical or research capacities. He plays a pivotal role in the health care system of the nation, by studying the source, extent and avoidance of infectious diseases.

A clinical epidemiologist primarily works in clinics and hospitals, and trains the medical staff regarding various communicable diseases and how to stop their spread. It is also his job to foresee and ward off the next epidemic. He must develop stratagems and plans to check communicable diseases and treat them.

A research epidemiologist carries out clinical trials on infectious diseases and improves methods to check and effectively handle them. He may also work at Universities, Colleges, Medical Schools and Research facilities.

Epidemiologist Education, Certification and Training

• In order to become an epidemiologist, you first need to acquire a Bachelor's degree in a Biological Science.

• Next, you must pursue a Graduate Program in Epidemiology, comprising of subjects, such as: Health Services Research, Biostatistics, Behavioral Studies, and Immunology. Based on the coursework, you will be given a Master of Public Health degree or a Master Of Science Degree.

• Thereafter, you could pursue certificate programs granted by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

• Elective programs in epidemiological domains, such as, Genetic Epidemiology, Cancer epidemiology, Neuro-Epidemiology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology helps specialize. Graduates acquire posts like: researcher, clinical administrator, research administrator, lecturer, government health officer, etc.

• A PhD. is mandated for research positions. Doctoral students may limit their focus to a domain, like, cancer epidemiology, cardiovascular diseases, molecular epidemiology, nutritional epidemiology, etc. As a prerequisite of the PhD, you need to finish an independent research and document the findings in a doctoral exposition / thesis.

Epidemiologist Jobs

Epidemiologist’s job opportunities look very strong. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has estimated a 15 % growth in jobs for epidemiologists between the years 2008 and 2018.

Epidemiologist Salary

An epidemiologist’s salary is around $61,630 per year, as stated by the BLS or the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By and large, the salary is dependent up on one’s experience, \ location, training and qualifications and specialization.