Career Opportunities

What can I do with a Bachelor of Health Science (Environmental Health)?

Environmental Health is a professional and allied health discipline aimed at limiting the effect on human health of natural, built and occupational environmental hazards. A focus is on the effects on the human body and this includes reducing the transmission of infectious diseases through natural environment, food and water supplies through monitoring and enforcing government regulations. Environmental health aims to protect and maintain human health.

Australia’s National Environmental Health Strategy describes environmental health as being all about “creating and maintaining environments which promote good public health”. Environmental health is usually considered to be a component of public health, but it also involves the area of environmental protection as it is specifically concerned with the study of physical, chemical, biological and social conditions which have an impact on human health. Issues that fall within the domain of environmental health include:

global climate change	environmental pollution management	water and food safety
waste management	air quality	pesticide safety
tobacco control	pest control	vector borne disease
disaster management	sustainable development	community health planning

In addition to planning, prevention and promotion activities, a key feature of environmental health is that it also has to be very responsive to emerging issues such as bioterrorism, pandemic infectious diseases, and water recycling/reuse. Environmental health is therefore one discipline that is constantly responding to new challenges and takes seriously the adage “think globally, act locally”.

Graduates from the Bachelor of Health Science (Environmental Health) will be eligible for membership of the Environmental Health Australia. In Tasmania the qualification will be recognised by the Director of Public Health as sufficient to become an “Authorised Officer” under the Public Health Act 1997 and Food Act 2003. The Director of Public Health has stated that from 2011 a degree will be the minimum qualification for first time employment as an Environmental Health Officer. As the course is being accredited by the EHA, other states will similarly recognise the qualification for statutory purposes.

Professional Associations

The Australian Institute of Environmental Health (EHA) is the peak national organisation in Australia which advocates environmental health issues and represents the professional interests of environmental health practitioners. The EHA is committed to the professional development and status of its members and the enhancement of environmental health standards and services to the community through advocacy, promotion, education and leadership.

Original Purposes of the EHA

The EHA was established as a non-profit national professional organisation in 1935 for the following purposes:

To raise the status and advocate the practices and policies of the environmental health profession and to promote the consideration and discussion of all questions affecting the profession of environmental health
To co-ordinate and represent the views, concerns and interests, and to promote the welfare of members.
To arrange opportunities and facilities for members to meet and obtain and interchange knowledge and information.
To promote just and honourable practice in the profession of environmental health.
To disseminate knowledge on environmental health to individuals, the community, governments and organisations.

Find our more about the profession and the Environmental Health Australia (EHA) at http://www.eh.org.au/.

Careers

There is currently a critical shortage of qualified Environmental Health Officers, both in Tasmania and Australia. The Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) undertook an Environmental Health Workforce Survey in 2005 (100% response rate) which assessed the capacity of the Tasmanian local government EHO workforce including an assessment against the benchmark ratio of the number of FTE EHOs per persons served (1:8,000). (Public & Environmental Health Service, DHHS (2006) Environmental Health Workforce Survey 2005.)

In addition to the needs of local government, there is scope for EHOs to work in State Government Departments, Industry and the Environment sectors.

The Australian Defence Force also employs EHOs and may pay you to study. Find out more at http://www.defencejobs.gov.au/ and search for environmental health.

For general information about careers in health:

University of Tasmania Career Development & Employment Service

The Service can help you to clarify important career issues and assist you with your career decisions and provide many services to support you to take charge of your future.
Utilising both web-based material and face-to-face services, you can seek information on things such as employment, education, further study, job search training and graduate recruitment.
http://services.admin.utas.edu.au/careers/

Employment opportunities

The University of Tasmania’s online student website lists job vacancies.

careerhub.utas.edu.au

Home