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Make a healthy career change at USC
30 January, 2006
Hairdressers, truck drivers, chefs, nurses and teachers have all made the move to new careers in health through the University of the Sunshine Coast.
They are now working in the health industry after completing undergraduate or postgraduate studies in Health Promotion or Public Health through the University's Faculty of Science, Health and Education.
Career options for graduates include working within government health departments, non-government and not-for-profit organisations such as Community Solutions, the National Heart Foundation and the Royal Flying Doctors, and international health agencies such as Oxfam.
People with an interest in helping others are often drawn to a career in health according to Public Health lecturer Lily O'Hara.
"Our students are people who want to make a difference. They want to be able to work with people before they become ill and help them create and maintain a healthy lifestyle," Ms O'Hara said.
"We have a mix of school leavers who have studied Health at high school and want to pursue that interest as a career, and older students who are making a career change.
"People who already have an undergraduate degree or have relevant work experience can study at Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma or Masters level for qualifications in Health Promotion.
"Rather than focusing on treating disease, Health Promotion and Public Health are about working with the community to prevent illness and injury and keep people healthy.
"The emphasis is on health and staying healthy," Ms O'Hara said.
Health Promotion and Public Health are growing industries throughout the world. Recent state and federal health reports have highlighted the need for increased emphasis on maintaining health and wellbeing to relieve the burden on the health system.
Health Promotion and Public Health qualifications give graduates the skills to work in the fields of health promotion, community development, environmental health, community safety, food hygiene, injury prevention, road safety, disease prevention or health hazard and risk assessment.
There is still time to apply to the University of the Sunshine Coast. For further information about the range of health degrees USC has on offer, contact Lily O'Hara on (07) 5430 2824 or email lohara@usc.edu.au