Economic Stimulus Bill Promotes Public Health Careers

How would you like to enter a professional field that has a multi-billion dollar backing from the United States government?

In February 2009, President Barack Obama signed a federal stimulus law that provides exactly that for one of the nation’s fastest growing fields: public health.

The funding will help create jobs, reduce layoffs and provide a framework for supporting key prevention tasks within public health care. More than $7 billion will go towards U.S. Environmental Protection Agency targets, such as improving drinking water quality and reducing pollution. Several more billion dollars are earmarked for community health centers and health information technology advancement. One billion is geared towards slowing chronic disease rates, reducing hospital-linked infections and supplying immunizations. $500 million will help fortify the health workforce through providing scholarships and loan repayments for health professionals.

To put the numbers into context, it might help to know that this is the “largest single infusion of additional resources ever made available to the U.S. public health system,” according to Corinne Husten, MD, MPH, interim president of the Partnership for Prevention. (The Nation's Health, April 2009.)

If you have been considering a career in community health nursing or public health, this should come as excellent news. Not only will you enjoy your pick of interesting jobs, but your education will also benefit from the stimulus law, as hundreds of accredited institutions revamp their programs to better serve the needs of public health students. Training to be a community health nurse or public health professional has never been easier or more affordable.

“Do not get turned off by the current economic crisis and the restructuring happening in the industry,” advises Kimberly Russel, chief executive officer of BryanLGH Health System in Lincoln, Nebraska. “There will always be a great demand for well-educated and dedicated healthcare professionals. Instead of being paralyzed by today's short-term conditions, gain as much experience as possible in the workplace.” (Journal of Healthcare Management, May 2009)

How can you gain this experience? One strategy is to balance work and education. Emily, a helicopter paramedic who wants to become a community health nurse eventually, decided to enroll in an online Paramedic to RN bridge program so she could continue working while becoming a registered nurse. She feels that the ongoing challenges of her job keep her fresh, and she is able to learn from RNs on her emergency response team who are practicing the very skills she’s learning through the Paramedic to RN transition program. Although her department was forced to make personnel reductions during the beginning of the recession, Emily is confident that her practical experience and ongoing education will enable her to weather the economic downturn and enjoy a successful health care career.

In addition to nursing careers within public health, you can choose from a wide variety of concentrations such as behavioral science, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, administration and management, and nutrition. One recent graduate from an online program in Public Safety says that the stimulus act directly helped his job options: he was offered several positions by government and educational agencies that had received funding in order to expand their services. “I felt that my skills were perceived as valuable from the get-go,” he says. “It gave me the confidence to put my education to work right away and spearhead a new training program to help improve safety in elementary schools.”

Public health is finally beginning to receive the financial and social support it needs at the national level. All across the country, from government organizations to state universities and local medical centers, fantastic opportunities to take your career to the next level abound. If you are currently working in health care and want to advance your formal education, there has never been a more fitting moment.

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