Are SARS, Ebola virus, and Zika encouraging words for the employment outlook for infectious disease specialists? These frightening diseases have been taking over the media in the last couple of years. And if one believes the media, taking over the world with easy transmission, and limited ways in which to stop their spread.
In an age in which it has become increasingly easy for both people and illness to travel the globe, it would certainly seem that the employment outlook for infectious disease specialists would be rosy. But is that actually the case?
How Does One Become A Infectious Disease Specialist?
There are different disciplines that fall under this title, with the two most common being a physician who works directly with patients in treating symptoms and effects of the disease, and scientists who study patterns and outbreaks of the disease.
In both cases, scientific training is required. As students, individuals wishing to become infectious disease physicians begin with a general course of medical study, followed by extensive training in more specialized areas such as immunology and epidemiology. An individual planning a medical career as an infectious disease specialist should plan on spending about nine years in study. It is also possible to become an infectious disease specialist, or epidemiologist, by pursuing a non-medical degree. Those planning to pursue such an educational avenue should plan on obtaining a doctorate in order to find work in the research field.
What Does The Work Of An Infectious Disease Specialist Entail?
Medical physicians specializing in infectious diseases work with infected individuals or populations. They might focus on diagnosing and treating the patient after referral by a general internist. Sometimes these physicians may be employed in areas of actual epidemic, where they could be treating large numbers of ill people. In both cases, one of the duties of this type of physician is to assist in containing and preventing the spread of the disease in question. If the physician is focusing on research, than he or she may be employed largely in lab work, as would non-medical researchers. Researchers increasingly are also spending much time with compiling statistical data and computer modeling.
Are There Many Employment Opportunities For Those Specializing In This Field?
Unfortunately, as long as human beings remain social animals, there will always be a need for those who specialize in the diseases that haunt them. There was an admittedly fallow period in this field thirty or forty years ago as science got the upper hand on diseases such as polio, smallpox, tuberculosis, rubella, whooping cough, and more. But the arrival of AIDS in 1981 ushered in a new era of infectious “super diseases” with not only a disturbing number of natural and even manmade ones emerging, but a resurgence in ones thought to be vanquished.
Such sobering news is good news for those wanting a career in infectious disease. The United States’ Department of Labor has predicted an upswing in need for this type of specialty between 2012-2022. Medical internists can expect a median salary of around $200,000, while researchers medical and otherwise, can expect a median salary of $67,000-$80,000.
So while infectious disease is a field in which an individual can expect to invest a fair amount of time and money in preparatory education, the end result is a positive employment outlook for infectious disease specialists both here and abroad, with personal and professional satisfaction for those willing to make that investment.
