What does a public health director do?
Public affairs specialists, also called media or communication specialists, are responsible for communicating with the public on behalf of an individual, company, government, or politicians. This role will require you to perform various tasks including creating press kit materials, such as images, press releases, and pitch letters for media outlets, maintaining the reputation and identity of the client or employer, and evaluating clients' public opinion through polls, social media listening, and surveys. In addition, public affairs specialists are responsible for evaluating promotional and advertising programs.
Public health director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real public health director resumes:
- Manage multiple patients, assessing ability to continue living independently or moving to higher acuity care.
- Provide continuing medical education with HIV and TB specialists on the prevention and control of HIV and TB.
- Provide oversight for communicable disease surveillance, investigation and control, epidemiology, and emergency preparedness.
- Position demand expertise in grant oversight, strategic project planning, program management, and stakeholder collaboration.
- Provide clinical exercise physiology services and health/wellness counseling for family practice/sports medicine/orthopedics medical group effecting positive lifestyle changes in patients serve.
- Conduct and implement group WIC orientation emphasizing WIC benefits.
Public health director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of Public Health Directors are proficient in Community Health, Public Health, and Public Health Programs. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Detail oriented, and Leadership skills.
We break down the percentage of Public Health Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Community Health, 15%
Presented comprehensive public health information at staff meetings, community health, and workshops.
- Public Health, 10%
Organized and participated in numerous professional sessions and a continuing education workshop at APHA and other national public health meetings.
- Public Health Programs, 8%
Assist in the planning and evaluating of public health programs.
- Public Health Issues, 6%
Developed, Implemented, and Evaluated programs for agencies within Cortland County on a variety of public health issues.
- Health Education, 5%
Managed 10 volunteers to develop health education modules (e.g., nutrition, dental and hand hygiene)
- Medicaid, 5%
Initiated and managed the Mammography Incentive Program whose 20% compliance improvement ranked above state-wide average for Medicaid populations.
"community health," "public health," and "public health programs" are among the most common skills that public health directors use at work. You can find even more public health director responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a public health director to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what public health directors do because "medical and health services managers must convey information to their staff, other healthcare workers, and, sometimes, patients and insurance agents." Additionally, a public health director resume shows how public health directors use communication skills: "drafted white papers, internal and external communications. "
Detail oriented. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling public health director duties is detail oriented. The role rewards competence in this skill because "medical and health services managers must pay attention to detail." According to a public health director resume, here's how public health directors can utilize detail oriented in their job responsibilities: "detailed planning and informative training to staff and health community members regarding disease management. "
Leadership skills. This is an important skill for public health directors to perform their duties. For an example of how public health director responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "medical and health services managers hire, train, and direct staff." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a public health director: "served on senior leadership team, focused on strategic planning and public health accreditation efforts. ".
Technical skills. A big part of what public health directors do relies on "technical skills." You can see how essential it is to public health director responsibilities because "medical and health services managers must stay up to date with advances in healthcare technology, such as the coding and electronic health record (ehr) systems their facility adopts." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical public health director tasks: "provide technical assistance to other agencies and organizations and field staff in completing program applications. "
Analytical skills. Another common skill required for public health director responsibilities is "analytical skills." This skill comes up in the duties of public health directors all the time, as "medical and health services managers review and evaluate healthcare metrics for ways to improve efficiency and meet goals." An excerpt from a real public health director resume shows how this skill is central to what a public health director does: "researched and prioritized community needs, conducted assessments, analyzed indicators and secured innovative funding opportunities to expand public health services. "
The three companies that hire the most public health directors are:
- Guidehouse2 public health directors jobs
- Satanta District Hospital
1 public health directors jobs
- Forsyth County1 public health directors jobs
Compare different public health directors
Public health director vs. Nurse manager
The primary role of nurse managers is to supervise the nursing staff in a clinical or hospital setting. They are the ones who are in charge of patient care, setting work schedules, and making budgetary and management decisions. They are also responsible for making personnel decisions, coordinating meetings, and creating safe environments that promote patient engagement and aid the healthcare team's work. Their role is vital in promoting a culture in which team members contribute to professional growth and patient outcomes.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a public health director are more likely to require skills like "community health," "environmental health," "public health," and "public health programs." On the other hand, a job as a nurse manager requires skills like "patients," "home health," "cpr," and "customer service." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Nurse managers really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $90,775. Comparatively, public health directors tend to make the most money in the non profits industry with an average salary of $91,240.On average, nurse managers reach lower levels of education than public health directors. Nurse managers are 11.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 3.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Public health director vs. Pharmacist manager
A pharmacist manager is responsible for monitoring the daily operations of a pharmacy, ensuring that all pharmacy personnel provides the right medication to the customers based on the prescription. Pharmacist managers assist in advising the customers for the instructions of their medications, including its dosage and instructions of intake. They manage the inventory and keep safe and clean storage for the products at all times. A pharmacist manager must have a comprehensive knowledge of the medical industry, as well as excellent communication skills, especially in responding to the customers' concerns and inquiries.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real public health director resumes. While public health director responsibilities can utilize skills like "community health," "environmental health," "public health," and "public health programs," pharmacist managers use skills like "patients," "customer service," "patient care," and "compassion."
Pharmacist managers may earn a higher salary than public health directors, but pharmacist managers earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $100,580. On the other hand, public health directors receive higher pay in the non profits industry, where they earn an average salary of $91,240.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Pharmacist managers tend to reach lower levels of education than public health directors. In fact, they're 19.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Public health director vs. Practice manager
A practice manager is responsible for supervising daily operations, especially on the side of the medical industry. Practice managers monitor staffing needs, train new employees, and evaluate the employees' productivity and performance. They also enforce strict guidelines and procedures, ensuring that the processes adhere to the legal standards and regulatory requirements. Practice managers also maintain budget goals, creating cost estimates and expense reports. A practice manager must have strong communication, analytical, and critical-thinking skills, as well as comprehensive knowledge of the medical industry practices.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, public health directors are more likely to have skills like "community health," "environmental health," "public health," and "public health programs." But a practice manager is more likely to have skills like "patients," "patient care," "customer service," and "pet."
Practice managers earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $97,698. Comparatively, public health directors have the highest earning potential in the non profits industry, with an average salary of $91,240.Most practice managers achieve a lower degree level compared to public health directors. For example, they're 11.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 3.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Public health director vs. Medical office manager
A medical office manager is a healthcare expert who plans and oversees a clinic's or hospital's services, ensuring patients receive optimal care and service. They are mainly in charge of performing administrative tasks such as monitoring the daily operations at medical facilities, supervising and coordinating patient appointments and schedules, monitoring the inventory of supplies, processing purchase orders, studying feedback from different parties, and developing strategies to optimize operations. They must also respond to issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and professionally.
Types of public health director
Updated January 8, 2025
