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A Career in Public Health Microbiology
WHAT IS PUBLIC HEALTH?
Public Health as defined in the 1988 Institute of Medicine study, The Future
of Public Health,"...is what we, as a society, do collectively to assure the conditions in which people can be healthy." Public health is community
health, or the Public's health, concerned with preventing and controlling communicable disease, with ensuring a safe community environment, with promoting and maintaining a healthy population.
WHAT IS PUBLIC HEALTH MICROBIOLOGY?
Public Health Microbiology is the specialized area of microbiology which detects and identifies the microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses, rickettsia and parasites) associated with infectious and communicable
disease.
The concept of public health laboratories developed during the 19th Century when laboratory information was first recognized as essential to cities and
states as they fought the harmful and unsanitary conditions which caused epidemics. The laboratory's role has expanded beyond providing information to help local and state public health departments control and prevent
communicable disease. Public health laboratories, like public health programs, continue to respond to the changing needs of the community.
California's public health laboratories (+) form a unique network of the State Department of Health Services laboratories and thirty-nine local county or
municipal public health laboratories. Eight of these are in the San Francisco Bay Area, 8 in other coastal areas, 6 are in or near Los Angeles, 15 are in
the great central valleys and desert areas, and two are in mountainous areas. These laboratories are staffed by approximately 350 public health microbiologists.
WHO ARE
PUBLIC HEALTH MICROBIOLOGISTS?
Public health microbiologists (PHMs) are a select group of professional laboratorians whose comprehensive approach to the identification and characterization of microorganisms of public
health significance contributes to the control and prevention of disease.
The microbiologists perform a variety of complex laboratory techniques from traditional isolation methods and fluorescent
microscopy to flow cytometry and molecular technology. In testing specimens from human, animal, food, water and dairy products and environmental sources, these professionals:
* isolate and identify microorganisms that cause disease
* determine antibiotic susceptibility patterns of microbes to detect emerging drug resistance and to guide therapy
* confirm past or present infection through testing for antibodies
* detect evidence of disease causing agents in animal tissue
* isolate from food or patient specimens the causative agents
related to food-borne illnesses
* monitor drinking, marine and recreational waters for the presence of health threatening organisms
* monitor the emergence, spread and trends of communicable
disease through surveillance studies in collaboration with local, state and federal agencies
* confirm or identify isolates referred by hospital or clinics and physicians
* detect health-threatening environmental substances
* evaluate testing systems for efficiency and effectiveness
* monitor the laboratory's quality control
performance
* maintain overall quality assurance
* ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
Public health microbiologists are active in training laboratory
personnel for public health and clinical laboratories. They develop improved laboratory procedures and practices. They provide consultation services to other laboratories and the medical community.
WHAT ARE THE ACADEMIC AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS?
The requirements for a public health microbiologist to practice in California are a baccalaureate degree in a laboratory science or closely related field, plus completing six months training in an
approved public health laboratory and passing the California State certification examination for public health microbiologists.
Undergraduate work must be completed in an accredited college
or university and requires a either of the following:
1. A baccalaureate or equivalent or higher degree with a major in Medical or Public Health Bacteriology/Microbiology will fulfill the
academic requirements without requiring specific courses.
2. A baccalaureate or equivalent or higher degree in any major other than those listed above will be considered equivalent in
subject or subjects only if the transcript shows completion of 24 semester units (or equivalent quarter units) of the following: microbiology, bacteriology, immunology, virology, parasitology,
hematology, cellular biology, biochemistry, clinical chemistry, genetics, microtechnique, instrumentation, epidemiology, other related courses. The above units must include at least 6 semester
units (or equivalent quarter units) of medical or pathogenic microbiology/bacteriology. A course in immunology or serology may be accepted as a substitute for three or less of the medical microbiology units.
Courses in microbiology should include a laboratory component.
Approval to train must be obtained from California State Department of Health Services, Laboratory Field Services before
admission to an approved training program in a public health laboratory.
Applications for approval to train or admission to the certification examination may be obtained from
California State Department of Health Services
Laboratory Field Services
2151 Berkeley Way Annex 12
Berkeley, CA 94704-1011
WHAT ARE SOME OTHER CONSIDERATIONS?
Public Health Microbiologists have certain characteristics in
common. They share a strong sense of community. They are problem solvers who enjoy challenge and responsibility. They have an intense interest in science and a firm commitment to their profession.
WHAT ARE THE JOB OPPORTUNITIES?
Most public health microbiologists are employed in city, county or the state public health laboratories where they continue
throughout their careers performing the complex analytical procedures of microbiology in an ever rewarding profession. Public health microbiologists may advance to supervisory
positions or become public health laboratory directors. Depending upon the size of the laboratory, the director may continue performing technical duties in addition to administrative duties.
As technical experts in public health microbiology and as resources on policy, laws and regulations relating to public health, the Public Health Laboratory Directors in California are
consultants to the local Health Officers and other public health professionals as well as to physicians and health care providers in the community.
Public health microbiologists have a wide variety of career options available to them in related areas of public health, academia, research, industry and regulatory affairs. Certification and
experience as a public health microbiologist also may apply toward the requirements for the California Clinical Microbiologist Technologist license.
WHAT SALARIES AND BENEFITS
CAN BE EXPECTED?
Salaries vary according to geographic location. Recently,
California public health microbiologist entry level salaries ranged from $2149 to $3644 per month. Benefits vary by employer.
WHAT WILL THE FUTURE BRING FOR
PUBLIC HEALTH MICROBIOLOGISTS?
In an era of emerging new pathogens, e.g. HIV, hantavirus, Borrelia bergdorferi (Lyme Disease agent), and the re-emergence
of old pathogens with newly acquired characteristics or virulence, e.g. multiple drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Escherichia coli O:157 H7, Vibrio cholerae 0139, public health
microbiology remains crucial to the public's health and will continue to be both a challenging and a rewarding career.
HOW CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT
PUBLIC HEALTH MICROBIOLOGY?
Contact your local public health laboratory. Request a tour. Inquire about their volunteer programs or about job opportunities so that you can see public health microbiologists in action.
Prepared by the Committee for Training
California Association of Public Health
Laboratory Directors
6/97
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