What is the difference between a community health nurse and a public health nurse?

Índice Show

What Is Public Health?
Public Health Jobs
What Is Community Health?
Community Health Jobs
Difference Between Community Health and Public Health
How to Pursue a Career in Public and Community Health

As the modern health care system continues to grow in both size and complexity, organizations have had to scale up their workforces to ensure patients receive the care and attention they deserve. This surge in demand has created new opportunities for medical professionals, public health experts and community health organizers who have the right educational backgrounds and work experiences. Research from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found that employment in health care occupations is expected to grow 16% between 2020 and 2030, double the average for all U.S. occupations.

Although some believe health care jobs are primarily focused on direct patient services and treatment, the field is home to a diverse range of career paths that don’t always align with traditional medical roles. Both public health and community health occupations fall under the health care umbrella, yet these fields serve very different purposes, even when they’re working toward the same goals.

Professionals in public and community health jobs are dedicated to preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting healthy behaviors through research, education and outreach. Rather than focusing on individual patients, these experts seek to improve the health of entire populations by studying risk factors, comorbidities and other trends that impact overall health and health care delivery. But what is the definition of public health vs. community health, and how can aspiring professionals choose a career path that aligns with their goals and interests?

What Is Public Health?

Public health is a science that focuses on the health of communities and their people. This is often achieved through comprehensive research, public outreach and preventive measures, which seek to empower individuals to take charge of their own health and wellness. Depending on their specific job title, public health professionals may study disease infection rates, causes of occupational injuries, risk factors for chronic illnesses and other health-related challenges that impact entire populations.

Understanding why public health is important means fully grasping this targeted strategy. Where doctors and nurses are focused on treating patients’ health problems, public health professionals are committed to preventing these issues from manifesting in the first place. Using their research as a guide, they develop educational programs, health policies and evidence-based recommendations aimed at improving the overall health of people from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds. Public health workers also closely collaborate with medical experts, lawmakers and nonprofit organizations to limit health disparities and make health care systems more equitable and accessible for everyone.

Public health professionals can work in a wide variety of settings, including research labs, clinical settings such as hospitals, and educational institutions. Many public health workers are employed by government agencies at the federal, state, regional or local level.

Public Health Jobs

Although most of their work is preventative, public health professionals play an active role in the health and well-being of countless people across the world. By studying the spread of infectious diseases through specific populations and addressing other health issues, they are able to provide timely and relevant information that shapes how governments and health care organizations respond to sudden outbreaks and other public health concerns. Other important tasks performed by public health workers include:

Ensuring populations have access to clean food, water and air
Designing information campaigns to educate the public about health and wellness topics
Studying environmental risk factors that impact individual and community health
Planning and coordinating large, population-based studies and reports
Advocating for health care equality through outreach and policy creation

Of course, some public health professionals have more hands-on roles within medical facilities. Here, they may contribute to improving rehabilitation practices, coordinating patients’ discharge plans and performing interventions. Professionals with a background in direct care are often well suited to these positions, as they may require at least some experience with case management and health care delivery.

Those interested in joining the public health field should consider the following occupations as they work toward their career goals:

Epidemiologist: These public health workers that the CDC calls “disease detectives” study disease outbreaks to determine how they spread through diverse populations. By identifying patterns and causes of infectious diseases and even injuries, epidemiologists help reduce the risk and frequency of negative health outcomes. They work in laboratories and offices, often at government health departments or in hospitals. The BLS lists 2020 median pay for the role at $74,560.
Biostatistician: Biostatisticians apply mathematical and statistical formulas to discover the hidden interconnections between people, the environment, diseases and other sources of health problems. They also study the effects of different medical treatments to gauge their effectiveness and cost, leading to better health care practices overall, often working for research foundations or government agencies. According to the compensation website PayScale, the median annual salary for biostatisticians as of February 2022 was around $78,000.
Health educator: Health educators translate complex medical studies and information into digestible content that the general public can understand and apply. They may be asked to produce blogs, videos, social media posts and other materials to educate groups of individuals about trending health topics, from smoking to heart disease and beyond. They work in government agencies, nonprofit organizations and hospitals. The BLS reports the 2020 median annual salary for health educators was $56,500.
Health administrator: Although health administrators work at medical facilities and clinics, they rarely deal with patients directly. Instead, professionals in this role help shape internal policies and procedures to improve health care delivery and reduce overhead costs. They also help facilities remain compliant with changes in health care laws and policies as they evolve. The 2020 median annual salary for the role, according to the BLS, was $104,280.

These are only a few examples of careers in public health, yet they help illustrate the wide scope of the field and the diverse employment opportunities available to those with the right qualifications. They also demonstrate how crucial the work of public health professionals can be in helping people living healthier lives. But what about community health occupations?

What Is Community Health?

Community health takes a non-clinical approach to improving health within a community by deploying strategies that aim to prevent disease and reduce health disparities. They achieve this by identifying a community’s health and socioeconomic needs, then creating plans to meet those needs. Unlike many public health initiatives, community health promotion is often tailored to specific communities at the local level, allowing professionals to forge stronger relationships with people from distinct cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Some of the vulnerabilities community health professionals may address include challenges that arise due to community members’ education levels, employment status, access to health services and other systemic and social factors.

The overall health of any community is often dependent on these non-medical characteristics. These factors are called social determinants of health by groups such as the National Association of County and City Health Officials and the American Hospital Association. Community health professionals work to ensure high-risk communities have access to the information, health services and support networks they need to lead happier, healthier lifestyles. This could include creating new policies to improve a community’s access to education, reduce unemployment or enhance public safety.

Like public health professionals, community health professionals can be found in a wide range of settings. They can work with government agencies and other nonprofit groups tied to a specific community. While they take a non-clinical approach to their role, they may still work at health facilities where they provide a foundation for targeted health and wellness strategies.

Community Health Jobs

Community health occupations are typically more collaborative than public health jobs, as professionals regularly interact with patients, community members, lawmakers and other key stakeholders. Working at the community level can enable community health professionals to improve the health of the greatest number of people. This can be achieved by helping reduce health disparities caused by differences in non-medical factors such as race, social status, employment, and income.

Some of the responsibilities related to community health roles include:

Helping individuals, families and groups access available health services and programs
Advocating for local health needs and medical resources that are in high demand
Working to eliminate food scarcity, housing issues and unemployment in local communities
Identifying environmental risk factors, including air and water pollution
Developing educational resources for specific ethnic and socioeconomic groups

Community health professionals help bridge the gap between local community members, health care providers, government and social services. Many in this field choose to work in underprivileged or marginalized communities where people struggle to access and pay for health care. They also support groups of individuals who share cultural beliefs and behaviors that may not align with norms in the U.S. health care system, such as those who cannot fluently speak English.

Examples of community health jobs include:

Community health worker: These professionals meet with community members face-to-face to discuss health concerns and help ensure health care resources are culturally appropriate. They often work in historically underrepresented communities by offering outreach, education and advocacy services, and they typically work for government agencies, nonprofits and hospitals. The BLS lists the 2020 median annual salary for community health workers at $42,000.
Health care analyst: Health care analysts sift through complex medical data to evaluate the performance and efficiency of hospitals, health systems, health insurance companies, government agencies and health information technology vendors. Their goal is to improve health care delivery for specific populations, from rural communities to diverse urban centers. As of February 2022, PayScale reports the median annual salary of health care analysts at $68,000.
Health coach: Health coaches promote healthy habits and lifestyles by mentoring individuals and groups about nutrition, exercise and chronic illness prevention. They work at businesses and medical facilities such as nonprofits, nursing homes, fitness centers, insurance companies and hospitals to offer hands-on support to those who may not have equal access to health information and social services. PayScale reports the median annual salary for health coaches as of February 2022 at around $49,000.
Health policy analyst: These community health experts work behind the scenes to assess existing health care programs, policies and laws with an eye for operational improvement and social justice. They collaborate with lawmakers to develop new legislation aimed at improving access to health care resources, reducing wait times and lowering costs, often working for research labs, community agencies and educational institutions. The median annual salary for the role as of February 2022, according to PayScale, is approximately $64,000.

Careers in public health vs. community health have a lot of overlap, which allows professionals to explore a wide range of careers and employment opportunities. For example, community health workers may be responsible for producing educational materials and learning courses targeting the populations they serve. These duties are similar to those of health educators, who tend to craft content for the widest possible audiences. After gaining experience in an entry-level role, professionals can seek out new avenues to expand their core competencies and effect change that improves population health management as a whole.

Difference Between Community Health and Public Health

Public health and community health are inextricably linked. Professionals in both fields study groups of individuals to monitor health trends, track risk factors for diseases and chronic illnesses and advocate for health program improvement. These research tasks produce large volumes of important data, which is then used to create nationwide studies and educational materials to keep the general public informed. Unlike doctors and nurses, professionals in public and community health spend most of their time working in office settings. While some occupations are a bit more hands-on, most public and community health workers do not provide direct care or treatment to patients.

Community health is actually considered a subdiscipline of public health, one focused on improving the health outcomes of different groups of individuals, often at the local level. Those working in community health jobs typically support specific geographical regions, from small rural towns to large districts in urban areas.

By contrast, public health workers are more concerned with preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting healthy behaviors that impact entire nations or society as a whole. For example, a public health worker could be responsible for studying risk factors for the transmission of COVID-19, while community health workers might survey local health services to determine whether citizens have equal access to medical resources.

Earning a Master of Public Health degree is one way students and mid-career professionals can expand their employment opportunities and explore different avenues in the community health and public health fields. Graduating with an advanced degree can not only help candidates stand out during the job application process, it can also provide the foundation to take on leadership roles.

How to Pursue a Career in Public and Community Health

Although qualifications vary between different positions, a career in public or community health typically starts with earning a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as public health, health science or health care management. Professionals with years of experience in direct medical care are also well-suited to these occupations, as their knowledge and experience can provide essential context for their outreach and advocacy work. While a master’s degree isn’t required for every public and community health job, an advanced degree can give candidates a competitive advantage during the hiring process.

If you’re interested in joining the public health field or looking to advance your career, University of Nevada, Reno’s online Master of Public Health in Public Health Practice program can help you develop the skills, knowledge and experience to stand out to potential employers.

Through the program, students learn how to look beyond physical health and consider the economic, cultural and sociological factors that impact the well-being of individuals and groups. With courses in biostatistics, health policy, organizational behavior and public health finance, you can gain the insights to make a real difference in your local community or in society at large.

To learn more, explore the MPH degree page or contact an enrollment advisor today.

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Public Health Policy: Problems and Solutions