If you’re considering earning a dual healthcare degree, you need to know the types of jobs available with a Master of Science in Nursing and Master of Public Health joint degree. Make sure jobs like infectious disease officer, nurse researcher, and overseas humanitarian nurse appeal to you, but keep in mind that a joint Master’s in Public Health and Nursing will open many doors for you.
Infectious Disease Officer
Preventing the spread of infectious disease like MRSA and VRSA is a key concern for healthcare facilities. These diseases kill tens of thousands of patients every year, many of whom expected to go home after their hospital visit, according to CNN. One easy way to prevent the outbreak of drug-resistant diseases is for healthcare staff to wash their hands, but this is difficult to implement. Doctors and nurses are often overwhelmed with patient loads and too busy to stop and scrub between each case. That’s where infectious disease officers can help save lives. With evidence-based interventions, these medical workers try to lower the rates of hospital-acquired infectious diseases. A public health degree, particularly a master’s, or MPH, can give you the training to design effective programs. By studying nursing as well and earning a joint MPH-MSN degree, you’ll have the clinical knowledge to carry out your programs as well as the respect of your medical and nursing colleagues.
Nurse Researcher
If you’re passionate about advancing medical knowledge, a job as a nurse researcher could be a good fit for you. With a dual degree in public health and nursing, you’ll be able to lead your own research initiatives for population health. You’ll lead initiatives to streamline the healthcare process, test new ways to deliver vaccines, or work to cure chronic diseases like cancer or arteriosclerosis. Although you can always work in research with a single master’s degree in nursing or a Master’s in Public Health, a joint degree will make you a competitive applicant and hone your ability to bridge both worlds. With the ongoing shortages in bedside nurses and physicians, passionate researchers are needed to increase the efficiency of our healthcare system.
Humanitarian Nurse and Public Health Officer
Working abroad for a humanitarian organization will draw on all of your skills in nursing and public health. You could find yourself screening patients for a busy clinic, designing evidence-based training programs for community health workers to implement, or coordinating the efforts of visiting physicians. You might be the only person in a 500-mile radius with any advanced medical knowledge. You will have scarce resources and a wide range of problems to treat. The ingenuity and macro-level perspective of a joint nursing and public health program can give you the tools you need to overcome these challenges.
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Nursing is renowned for the flexibility offered by the field. You’ll need to complete many years of schooling to earn a MSN-MPH degree, but the rewards are worth it. The types of jobs available with a master of science in nursing and master of public health joint degree only enhance this freedom, providing you with nearly limitless career options, great earning potential, and the chance to make a meaningful difference for a large number of patients.