UNICEF

UNICEF is an international humanitarian aid agency. It is actually a part of the United Nations (UN). The main focus of UNICEF is to provide any kind of relief/humanitarian aid for children around the world. This is done through disaster relief programs, providing, food, water and access to health care. One thing that I really like about UNICEF is that it is truly dedicated to the lives and rights of children all around the world. This is also shown through the 150 and offices that they have globally. They do not discriminate based on any race, religion, or sex in any way. Another aspect that is really cool about UNICEF is that they go where other agencies and organizations go to provide any type of relief to the most remote and underserved populations. In a sense children can have a voice through UNICEF because in some countries children have no bearing or access to the same rights and resources as you and I. Job opportunities for UNICEF are also very global which is a plus. Some of the countries where occupations are held include the United States, Panama, South Africa, North Africa, Denmark etc. The positions are all different ranging from Director of Volunteer and Community partnerships to an Education Assistant Director.

Maternal and Children Health

Maternal and child health services are what intrigues me the most. When i first started college, my goal and major was Biology and i wanted to become a pediatrician but then my advisor lead me towards this path and I like it. In this career you are caring for the health of mothers, childrens and families by informing them on Diseases, sicknesses and vaccination. The way you get this information to the public are through education, seminars and just spreading the word throughout the nation, state and community. "They accomplish this by discovering and testing solutions through applied research and by developing, implementing, and/or evaluating health programs at the local, state, national, and international levels." In this career you are most likely to be working in various locations such as colleges, health service delivery organizations, voluntary health agencies and Local hospitals. For this career you need a background in science biological, natural, social and behavioral. You have to be able to communicate well with people since in this career choice you will be in contact with many people during the day. Being a leader is a must, you have to be able and persuade people into listening to you, so they can promote good health for themselves, friends and families. By helping expecting mothers, childrens and mothers with good health you help the community become stronger and better. Exploring this career means alot to me, I love helping individuals and I love Children

Planned Parenthood

One of the organizations that I found very interesting and would one day like to work for is Planned Parenthood. The organization can be found in every state nationwide with about 87 local and state affiliates that operate hundreds of health centers; the closest office is on 56^th Street in Tampa. Planned Parenthood is best known for their sexual health education and focus on women’s preventative healthcare.

A great aspect of Planned Parenthood’s outlook on healthcare is their focus on respecting individuals and providing equal care to people of all age, sex, race, and income; the organization cares for over five million individuals each year. Their main goal is to prevent illness, especially sexually related problems, and teach individuals how to care for themselves and make responsible choices. Some of the services that Planned Parenthood provides include: abortions, STI testing, sexual health education, and general health care.

In 1971 Planned Parenthood even began working on international projects and currently operates in eleven countries outside of the US. The international effort is known as the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and focuses on such things as women’s rights and reproductive health. There are 40 team members that provide sexual health education, services, and advocacy for women and families in low income countries.

Planned Parenthood has many opportunities for volunteer, internship, and employment positions and would be a great place for anyone with a public health degree to work.

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/index.htm

Hospital - Infection Control

One career of interest that I have come across is working within the Infection Control Department at a local Hospital. Essentially every hospital has such a department in order to treat patients with communicable diseases, but also to prevent nosocomial infections from arising while receiving treatment for other ailments within a healthcare setting. Since an alarming number of infectious disease cases trace their sources back to hospital or long term care settings, and transmission among patients and staff is highly likely, this field is extremely important! The infection control department is, by definition, concerned with all infectious diseases, but typically, a lot of the focus lies within MRSA, Tuberculosis, and VRE. An Infectious Disease Epidemiologist working in this department might find themselves giving patient consultations, collecting transmission data of infections spread between patients by lack of adherence to hygiene protocol by health workers, and developing educational and action plans in order to hinder the spread of disease.

Currently, most open positions that I have found in this field have been opened to individuals with an RN or MD, but I believe this will be changing with the new interest and degree opportunities within public health. An individual with a general Public Health background, and an MPH in Epidemiology & Global Communicable Diseases would be highly qualified for this position, which is my intended education track. No specific positions are open at this time, so no salary information is available.

United States Department of Health and Human Services

The United States Department of Health and Human Services in a huge department in this country. There are many agency's that fall under the Department of Health and Human services. Almost a forth of all the programs fall under this department. Two of the jobs that I found interest in were among the agency and programs that fall under this department. One of which was the Center of Disease Control which as we know is located out neighbour state Georgia. to be more specific the center is located in Atlanta, GA. Although the center is located in Atl, GA not all jobs require the applicant to live there. This brings me to one one the two jobs with the CDC that caught my attention. One was a Health Communications specialist, which is in Atlanta. In contrast, the other on that was a Public Heath Analyst that required relocation to Ethiopia! I found this very interesting and also appealing. It would be quite an experience living in Ethiopia for a while, the salary range is from $60,274.00 to 110,104.00 so this position could afford a comfortable life.

United States Department of Health and Human Services

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Johnson & Johnson

One company that caught my attention was Johnson & Johnson. There is currently a job opening for a global medical affairs leader dealing directly with infectious diseases in one of their companies located in Titusville, New Jersey. Even though they are a big corporate pharmaceutical company, what caught my attention was their mission statement. They pay attention to four major things. These include the doctors and health care officials; the employees; the community; and the stockholders. There are over 250 companies worldwide and they deal with advanced medical technologies handling cancer diagnostics and treatment, heart disease, AIDS, infectious diseases, orthopedic disorders, and many more areas of health. I really like that they work with the many fields of health and have a number of job opportunities dealing with public health. This job deals with clinical-commercial of product development and life cycle management strategies. Not only do you get to work in teams, you also deal with other global leaders in health education, health relations, life cycle management initiatives, and many more. It requires a little bit of traveling because you would have to go meet with other global medical affairs leaders as well. This has always been my choice of work environment because I was always interested in epidemiology which deals with tracking infectious diseases.

United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

USAID is a federal agency that is based in Washington, D.C. and throughout the world to provide humanitarian relief during times of natural disaster and sustainably assist those individuals in dire poverty all while extending foreign policy and democratic decision-making across the globe. USAID works in conjunction with voluntary organizations, universities, and other governmental agencies to support developing countries and its citizens to access education, sanitation, clean food and drinking water, global trade and economic development, further agricultural advancements, making sure natural resources are not depleted, programs to address violent societal conflicts, and democratic foundation. A Health Officer and similar Official position can expect to earn a salary between $65,000 and $118,000 depending on qualifications. Employment will either be located at headquarters in Washington, D.C. or in one of the associated regions, such as: Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and Eurasia, and The Middle East. A global health job opportunity with USAID would be working directly and alongside those citizens of the developing world in severe poverty or in disaster relief, which would mean connecting a face to an injustice or issue in the global world that directly impacts you in such a way that you can also reciprocate impact.

UNICEF

The UNICEF non-profit organization has a position open for a nutrition specialist that is to be working out of Phnom Phen, Cambodia. UNICEF is an amazing organization that does lots of work around the world. They advocate for children's rights and help to provide them with the care they should be able to get. They do programs that involve health education, immunizations, help to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in children, as well as a variety of other things to help to improve the quality of children's lives. They have programs and representatives in over 190 countries around the world and I think that this gives a great opportunity for people interested in this work because you could have the chance to really help kids around the world that really need our help. This organization really speaks to what I am passionate about because it help children. I have always been passionate about working with children and I think that this organization would have helped me to work in an area that I know I would be passionate about. I have always also wanted to be able to travel the world and help children who can't help themselves in other countries.

Planned Parenthood

The organization I chose as my top possible employer, Planned Parenthood, is a great resource to public health education and preventative medicine. I am working on getting into the graduate public health program at USF, concentrating in maternal and family health. I have worked with children most of my life and recently started volunteering with new teen mothers. I picked this organization as my top pick because its mission statement describes best what I want to do as far as a career. Not only would i get to work with mothers and children with this organization, but I will have the opportunity to grow in other aspects of public health, like education and health care. Planned Parenthood has a site in most sites in this country, which makes this organization more appealing to me, in case I decide to move. Most of the panel speakers we've been hearing from in class left us with this advice: stay true to yourself and make sure you love what you do. That really registered with me so I did not pick the organization I knew would pay the most because, in the end, I think the opportunities I would get from this organization would be far more rewarding then the other organizations I researched.

Advocates For Youth

Advocates for Youth is a nonprofit organization, the only organization that focuses solely on adolescent reproductive and sexual health working within the United States and other countries. It is located at 2000 M St NW, Ste 750, Washington DC 20036. Every year in September, Advocates for Youth hosts a conference in which young student activists around the world gather to learn about different policies in efforts to promote change within our perspective communities. During the conference we are taught how to integrate strategies related to prevention of STIs, HIV, teen pregnancy etc. We learn how to how to organize activism efforts, how to lobby to policy makers, educate our peers and really develop so that we can take action against issues in our country and in others. Advocates for Youth is heavily involved in domestic and international work. They maintain their three values of rights, respect, and responsibility at any given time. As an advocate we get the opportunity to educate the representatives from each of our states within the US Congress and Senate on sexual health that affect our human rights such as abortion or equality regardless of sexual orientation or self identification. Anyone interested in standing up for the sexual and reproductive health of our youth must look into this. The staff is really down to earth individuals that offer that safe, comfortable environment. Also, what a great conversation starter it would be when someone asks “What do you do for work?” and your reply is “Talk about sex!” Further information can be found on the website www.advocatesforyouth.org

WHO - World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) is an organization working to reduce health, social, and economic burden that comes with communicable diseases. When the United Nations was formed in 1945 one of the things they discussed was setting up an organization for global health. Any of the countries within the United Nations can become a part of WHO. There are currently close to 10,000 workers from approximately 150 countries. Offices are located in 147 countries with six regional offices and the headquarters located in Geneva, Switzerland. The ideal employee at WHO is someone who is very motivated with a high level of knowledge and understanding of public health policy. The organization is well diversified and does not discriminate based on sex, ethnicity, or race. I found it very interesting that WHO is tobacco free and therefore looks for non-tobacco users during the hiring process. There are internship opportunities are available for students internationally within various fields. They hire in two different groups professional and general service. The professional staff members are those with Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctorate degrees whereas the general service staff does not necessarily require a university degree. Because quite a few of the positions with the WHO are overseas knowledge of foreign languages are certainly a plus. Experience for a job is taken into consideration but this organization is willing to participate in on the job training.