Epidemiologist Career Guide

An epidemiologist focus on the patterns and causes of diseases by using statistics and model-building to find out how they occur. Their work is so important because they increase our knowledge of diseases and figure out ways in which we can stop them spreading and harming people.

Epidemiologists tend to work in a research setting, focusing on populations as a whole, or in a clinical setting where you will concentrate on patients. They can work in the following areas such as infectious diseases, emergency responses, maternal and child health, chronic diseases, environmental health, injury, occupational health, substance abuse and oral health. ?Typical responsibilities typically include developing and implementing methods and systems for acquiring, compiling, synthesising, extracting and reporting information, designing statistical analysis plans, using qualitative and quantitative methods when conducting research, planning and programming information and assisting in the formulation of progress reports and related documents that assess the progress of programs.

To become an epidemiologist, you will usually need to have a bachelor?s degree in a related science field and a master?s degree in epidemiology, which will have a strong focus on statistics. Due to this relatively long educational process, epidemiology is a hard career to get into as it requires extensive skills, knowledge and experience . On top of this, epidemiologists often work long hours.

However, a career in epidemiology is a very achievement and results-oriented career, meaning it has high job satisfaction. It also allows people to solve problems mentally and use their expertise. Moreover, epidemiologists often receive a very competitive salary.

To be a good epidemiologist, you will need the ability to analyse, summarise and interpret complex problems. You will need excellent oral and written communication skills as you will have to communicate ideas and methods clearly. So, if you are seeking a career in a research based or clinical field and if you absolutely love statistics and want to do work that matters, then look no further.