Enrique Said:

Would a Public Health degree qualify for admission to PA school?

We Answered:

That is a tough one because it depends on how much actual useful medical education you got and how the classes compare to their requirements. You probably will have to talk to someone at one of the schools.

Dean Said:

What can one do with a Master of Public Health degree?

We Answered:

I have a MPH; I am an epidemiologist for a major metropolitan health department.

The MPH is a very versatile degree, but it really depends on what you want to do. Anyone can work for the CDC -- they need epis as much as they need janitors. And they need health admin folks like you to help them with policy development aspects of public health.

I think a MPH would come in handy for you if you want to be able to do research and evaluation. If you study epi in a MPH program, then you can take health data, analyze it and process it into reports to support. Then the reports can be used to guide health care policies in the future.

As for marketability, I think an epidemiology background is most marketable to the CDC, but does that necessitate another degree? not really. I know Epidemiology Intelligence Surveillance (EIS) Officers who don't have MPH or public health-specific degrees (nurses, nutritionists, etc).

It's a personal bias, but I think having a MPH is a good thing; so if you want it, go for it. Will it make you more marketable? Not necessarily. But it will make you eligible for more positions at the CDC. It will also diversify your skills. And agian, it's my bias, but I think epidemiology is WAAAAAY more interesting than health admin.

Gabriel Said:

What are career options for someone with a medical degree and masters in public health?

We Answered:

GREAT timing! I am an Independent Consultant with ARBONNE International. I just got back this evening from our National Training Celebration in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was just announced that ARBONNE is launching in Australia in July. That means that although it is a 27 year old company in the U.S., it is a ground floor opportunity for Australia. Check out the website, www.arbonne.com and read all about this growing company and amazing business opportunity. AMAZING!!! Contact me for more info.

Harold Said:

I want to be an emergency doctor. Should I get a Master of Public Health degree?

We Answered:

No. To be a doctor you need to go to med school and get an MD (or OD). Get a BS or BA first, it really doesn't matter in what, but you need to study a lot of biology and chemistry.

All in, to be an ER doc, you need eight years of college and two to three more years after that.

Theodore Said:

What kind of careers can you go into with a Public Health degree?

We Answered:

food handling, or fast food management ?

Wallace Said:

What is the usefulness of an international public health degree? What are some jobs associated with this?

We Answered:

I've been trying to figure out more information on this subject as well. From what I've found I know that International public health deals with the general health and prevention/treatment of general populations mainly in underdeveloped countries. Whereas clinical health professionals deal with diagnosing and treating an individual who is sick (i.e. a doctor), international public health professionals work to determine how to advance the health of entire populations and prevent disease/epidemics. It's a pretty broad discipline. You can work as an epidemiologist overseas, a health educator, a health policy advisor, a nutritionist or you could even go into the legal side of things and become a lawyer specializing in international health issues. There are lots and lots of other things you can do with an international public health degree.

For most positions you need a Masters degree such as a Masters of Public Health (MPH) or a Masters of Science in Public Health (MSPH). You can also get a Doctorate of Public Health (DrPH) or a PhD in Public Health (for a more research oriented career). I would recommend the below website for more in depth information on all aspects of public health.

Thelma Said:

Is a degree in public health sciences a good prerequisite to go to med school?

We Answered:

The degree you have really doesn't matter too much. whats important is finishing the prereqs which are gen chem1 and 2, organic chem 1 and 2, anatomy and phys. microbiology, calculus, physics 1 and 2 and a few others. It also help to take some upper level chem and bio classes like biochem and histology. You need good grades and also need to score well on the MCAT.