Career Prospects
Typical careers for epidemiologists revolve around either conducting research or applying information and conclusions gathered from the research. Epidemiologists that conduct research are usually employed by universities or in conjunction with government organizations, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. Epidemiologists who apply knowledge obtained from research usually work with local governments and organizations directly tackling public health issues.
The overall job growth prospects for epidemiologists as a whole is anticipated to grow 5 percent between 2018 and 2028, one of the primary factors in that estimate is the assumption that states and municipalities will continue to keep government spending at a minimum. However, epidemiologists can often find work in related fields.
When deciding on a career in epidemiology, there are questions you can ask yourself to decide which specific epidemiology job is right for you.
Factors to consider include your likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses and personality traits.
Based on that the career can be
(1) Epidemiologist in a local healthcare facility
(2) Professor/PhD Epidemiologist
(3) Veterinary Epidemiologist
(4) Pharmaceutical Epidemiologist
(5) Molecular Epidemiologist
(6) Disaster Epidemiologist
(7) Supervisory Epidemiologist
(8) Infection Control Epidemiologist
(9) Applied Epidemiologist etc.,
In order to become a successful epidemiologist, there are important tools, skills and personality traits one should possess. For example, a strong grasp of math theories and statistical concepts is a must, even if one does not actively conduct research and analyze data.
Epidemiologists are well-educated and very skilled individuals who must undergo extensive training in order study diseases and how they affect a given group of people. As a result,, epidemiologists’ average salaries are well above the national average, depending on the position. For example, many epidemiologists have masters or doctorate level degrees as well as years of practical experience.
Epidemiologists can opt to work in various fields like
- academia
- state and local health departments
- international health agencies
- federal government agencies and health programs
- health maintenance organizations
- and numerous other research projects sponsored privately and publicly
Responsibilities of Epidemiologists are:
- Investigations and control of disease outbreaks
- Study of environmental and industrial hazards
- Evaluation of preventive or curative programs or treatments and
- Evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of intervention or control strategies.
Academic Research Epidemiologist
- This career area finds epidemiologists employed in academic centers or universities.
- It involves researching the different factors that cause diseases or conditions and in some cases those in the field will go on to become a professor.
- They even direct and plan studies of serious public health issues to learn about ways to treating and preventing health problems.
- They also collect and analyze vital public health information with observations, interviews, blood and other bodily samples, to best determine causes of disease
Infection control Epidemiologist
- They collect and analyzes data related to public health problems within a medical facility, through surveys, interviews, observations, collecting blood and other bodily samples.
- They also deal with enforcement of hygiene issues, and general cleanliness to prevent spread of infection
Clinical Trial Research Epidemiologist
- They usually work for health organizations or drug companies.
- Job description include completing clinical trials of drugs and procedures and monitor side effects and results. The overall goal is obviously to find new treatments and medications for various diseases.
- They mostly work in field laboratories and their focus is on reducing the number of negative health outcomes
Field Epidemiologists
- They work in health departments and are dispatched to various locations around the nation or even the world when an outbreak of disease occurs.
- They will work to identify the disease, determine its cause, and work to stem the spread of the disease accordingly.
- Basically, their focus of the work is to study disease and to change how it spreads.
Salary :
- The average salary for an Epidemiologist in India is ₹6,96,343 p.a Approx
- An entry-level Epidemiologist with less than 1-year experience can expect to earn an average total compensation (includes tips, bonus, and overtime pay) of ₹350,000 p.a Approx based on 5 salaries.
- An early career Epidemiologist with 1-4 years of experience earns an average total compensation of ₹550,000 p.a Approx
- A mid-career Epidemiologist with 5-9 years of experience earns an average total compensation of ₹861,221 p.a Approx.
Unlike experienced epidemiologists, fresh graduates lack the years of experience and a substantial professional network to find employment. Joining epidemiological organizations or learning certification courses can provide valuable opportunities and you can gain additional experience.