Public Health Officer Job Description

Public Health Officer Duties and Responsibilities

Public Health Officer job description should contain a variety of functions and roles including:

• Design or use surveillance tools, such as screening, lab reports, and vital records, to identify health risks.
• Develop or implement interventions to address behavioral causes of diseases.
• Direct or manage prevention programs in specialty areas such as aerospace, occupational, infectious disease, and environmental medicine.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of prescribed risk reduction measures or other interventions.
• Identify groups at risk for specific preventable diseases or injuries.
• Perform epidemiological investigations of acute and chronic diseases.
• Coordinate or integrate the resources of health care institutions, social service agencies, public safety workers, or other organizations to improve the community health.
• Deliver presentations to lay or professional audiences.
• Prepare preventive health reports including problem descriptions, analyses, alternative solutions, and recommendations
• Supervise or coordinate the work of physicians, nurses, statisticians, or other professional staff members.
• Teach or train medical staff regarding preventive medicine issues.
• Provide information about potential health hazards and possible interventions to the media, the public, other health care professionals, or local, state, and federal health authorities.
• Design, implement, or evaluate health service delivery systems to improve the health of targeted populations.
• Direct public health education programs dealing with topics such as preventable diseases, injuries, nutrition, food service sanitation, water supply safety, sewage and waste disposal, insect control, and immunizations.
• Document or review comprehensive patients’ histories with an emphasis on occupation or environmental risks.

Public Health Officer Requirements / Skills / Qualifications

Public Health Officer job description should include these common skills and qualifications:

• A degree in Medicine, Behavioural Science/Health Education, Biostatistics, Emergency Medical Services, Environmental Health, Epidemiology, Microbiology, Health Services Administration/Management, International/Global Health, Maternal and Child Health, Nutrition etc
• Being a change agent
• Being dependable and motivated
• Communication and presentation
• Efficiency and patience
• Having a good work ethic
• Management and leadership
• Organisation and multitasking
• Public health and safety
• Research and analysing data
• Strategising and planning
• Stress management and resolving problems
• Team work and professionalism

As a hiring manager, recruiting an ideal Public Health Officer starts with crafting a good job description. Use this Public Health Officer job description template to save yourself time and help you attract the most qualified candidates. Feel free to revise it to meet your specific needs.

Job seekers interviewing for the role of a Public Health Officer may also reference it in preparation for the interview.