What Is a Public Health Technician and How to Become One

A public health technician may work for local, state, or federal government agencies, along with nonprofit organizations. As a public health technician, you may work in an ambulatory clinic or a community health service facility. If you work for a local department, your duties may include inspecting public places like restaurants or swimming pools and performing diagnostics to prevent a public health outbreak in the community. Your daily duties are likely to vary depending on where you work, but your primary responsibility is to help members of a community receive and have access to high-quality health services. You may be responsible for collecting samples from patients, scheduling appointments, updating charts, and performing lab procedures, along with administrative duties. Other responsibilities include performing hearing or visions tests in schools or attending health-centered events in the community.

Depending on where you work, the educational requirements to become a public health technician vary. An associate degree, bachelor’s degree in a health-related field, or the completion of a set number of credit hours in the natural sciences, are all common requirements. Many employers may hire someone with more educational experience, so a bachelor’s degree is beneficial and continued education to stay up-to-date is often a requirement. Qualifications vary for the position, but it is important to have good communication and interpersonal skills. As a public health technician, you should be organized, willing to travel, and be comfortable working in potentially hazardous environments where infectious disease and other health risks may be present.