MPH Job Finding Worries

[Zelph33]

First off, if this is in the wrong section, I apologize. This is the first time I've posted here so this was my best guess of where it should go. For the last year or so I've been interested in getting an MPH after I finish nursing school. I'd really like to work in global health, and am most interested in emphaizing in population, family and sexual health. I am worried, however, that having a background in nursing won't be enough "hard skills" to get a job and that much of what I will learn through my MPH will mainly be "soft skills " and theory which, while great, won't make me as competitive in global health as some of the more practical fields like epidemiology and biostats. Am I overthinking this? On other forums I've heard people talk about an "MPH bubble," which makes it hard for graduates without useful skills to get jobs, especially in a more theory based emphasis like global health. I tried to talk myself into emphasizing in epidemiology, but I'm just not as interested in it as I would like to be if I'm going to major in it. I'm worried that if I major in epidemiology, I'll spend most of my time in a lab or doing statistical models instead of working with people like I want to. I also am not to keen on taking more math (already taken three years), and know many course will want me take at least a semester of calculus, which would take another year. Does anyone know any other courses, skills, etc. I could take during my undergraduate years? Should I not rule out epidemiology if I want a decent job?

I'm planning on doing a 2 year stint in the Peace Corps and then possibly a year with Doctors without Borders after I graduate, so I think I'll be okay on international experience. I've also been working in health care since I graduated high school, and will have 6 years experience when I graduate nursing school.

Here are classes I've taken/will take that will be (hopefully) relevant to the field:

Biology:
Biology 1
Human Anatomy
Human Physiology
Pathophysiology
Microbiology

Chemistry 1

Statistics 1 and 2

General Nutrition and Nutritional Epidemiology

General Economics (micro and macro, though more of a focus on macro)

Psychology:
General Psychology
Human Development
Abnormal Psychology
Child Abuse and Neglect
Advanced Neuroscience

I'm also minoring in political science

Anyway, hope that wasn't too long, and I'd appreciate any help I can get!
 

[FreeRadical]

I've heard from a few people that, in practice, there aren't many jobs that allow public health nurses to combine their two skill sets very easily. You either end up working as a nurse or a public health professional, although I'm sure there are exceptions.

 

If you choose to go the public health route (I personally chose epidemiology), I highly recommend developing your data analysis skills and learning at least one programming language well (like R, which is free, unlike SAS, SPSS and Stata). If you're worried about job competition, I think this is the best way to set yourself apart. Programming skills are in high demand right now, not only in public health. It's hard for young people to compete through work experience because people who have been in the field for decades have an inherent advantage. 

 

If you're really not into programming and statistics, I'd probably recommend a career in nursing with a strong background in public health. There's always a shortage of nurses, and it sounds like you would enjoy the human interaction more. The health behavior/education track of a MPH program might be a good match, or even health policy given your background in political science. If you're interested in global health (again, my field), you would do well to get as much international experience as possible. A more health care oriented approach (rather than statistical) means you would be spending a lot of time abroad throughout your career. My wife is doing that, and she travels internationally about 40% time for work. 

 

For coursework, I would rely on your nursing degree to adequately prepare you in the basic sciences. I'd minimize the biology courses in favor of something like a foreign language or statistics. 

Edited July 29, 2015 by FreeRadical