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Epidemiologists

Also called: Epidemiologist, Infection Control Practitioner (ICP), Nurse Epidemiologist, Research Epidemiologist

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What they do:
Investigate and describe the determinants and distribution of disease, disability, or health outcomes. May develop the means for prevention and control.
On the job, you would:
  • Oversee public health programs, including statistical analysis, health care planning, surveillance systems, and public health improvement.
  • Plan and direct studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease.
  • Provide expertise in the design, management and evaluation of study protocols and health status questionnaires, sample selection, and analysis.

Knowledge

Arts and Humanities
  • English language
Math and Science
  • arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
  • biology
Health
  • medicine and dentistry
Engineering and Technology
  • computers and electronics

Skills

Basic Skills
  • using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems
  • reading work related information
Problem Solving
  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
People and Technology Systems
  • thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
  • figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it

Abilities

Verbal
  • listen and understand what people say
  • read and understand what is written
Ideas and Logic
  • notice when problems happen
  • make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
Math
  • choose the right type of math to solve a problem
  • add, subtract, multiply, or divide
Visual Understanding
  • see hidden patterns

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.
They do well at jobs that need:
  • Analytical Thinking
  • Integrity
  • Attention to Detail
  • Dependability
  • Initiative
  • Persistence

Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Analytical or scientific software
  • StataCorp Stata In Demand
  • World Health Organization HealthMapper
Presentation software
  • Microsoft PowerPoint Hot Technology In Demand
Geographic information system
  • Esri ArcGIS
  • Geographic information system GIS software

Education

Education: (rated 5 of 5)
master's degree or
doctoral degree
usually needed

Get started on your career:

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Job Outlook

Bright Outlook
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
Salary
$78,830
$50,100
$130,050
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Explore More

See more details at O*NET OnLine about epidemiologists.