Are Public Health Professions and Healthcare Careers the Same?
Last year, I wrote a very personal blog about my journey to find the path of public health. I often advise undergraduate and graduate students as they try to navigate degree paths to help others. During advising appointments, my goal is to set students up on an educational track that will use their passions and gifts as they serve the world around them. Some students have a heart for one-on-one care for the sick and others prefer population health and disease prevention. Recently, the Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) shared an insightful post highlighting the distinction between public health and healthcare careers within different categories. I thought it would be helpful to share on my blog as another resource for students trying to determine their degree paths. It is also informative for anyone interested in learning how to define public health and healthcare professions. The list below is from ASPPH and helps distinguish between jobs in public health and healthcare.
SCOPE & FOCUS
Public Health: Broad focus on population health, disease prevention, and health promotion at the community or global level.
Healthcare: Individual-focused, providing diagnosis, treatment, and care for personal health issues.
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Public Health: Aims to improve health and quality of life through prevention and treatment of disease and other physical and mental health conditions.
Healthcare: Concentrates on healing and managing illnesses and injuries on a personal level.
METHODS & APPROACHES
Public Health: Uses epidemiology, biostatistics, and health services; environmental, community, behavioral, and occupational health; and the creation of health policy and regulations.
Healthcare: Involves direct patient care, medical and surgical procedures, medications, and therapies.
PROFESSIONAL ROLES
Public Health: Roles include public health officials, epidemiologists, health educators, and researchers.
Healthcare: Roles include physicians, nurses, therapists, and other clinical professionals providing direct health services.
SETTINGS & INSTITUTIONS
Public Health: Operates in government agencies, NGOs, schools, and community organizations.
Healthcare: Typically occurs in hospitals, clinics, and private medical practices.