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Public health internship vs ehs specialist

The differences between public health interns and ehs specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a public health internship and an ehs specialist. Additionally, an ehs specialist has an average salary of $58,112, which is higher than the $37,987 average annual salary of a public health internship.

The top three skills for a public health internship include environmental health, EHS and patients. The most important skills for an ehs specialist are OSHA, environmental health, and risk assessments.

Public health internship vs ehs specialist overview

Public Health InternshipEHS Specialist
Yearly salary$37,987$58,112
Hourly rate$18.26$27.94
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs102,1787,580
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age4545
Years of experience66

What does a public health internship do?

A public health internship provides students with a great learning opportunity to put into practice those educational principles and skills learned in the classroom. They will gain a better understanding and appreciation for the duties and responsibilities of full-time professionals in public health. This exposure will provide students with leadership skills and professional development learning opportunities. In addition, students have an opportunity to contribute to various health-related agencies and organizations. The internship location should be at a primary public health agency whose work reflects the best in the industry.

What does an ehs specialist do?

Usually working for large industries, an environment and health safety (EHS) specialist's role is to ensure the implementation of the safety policies and regulations in the workplace. Typically, they spearhead programs such as fire and earthquake drills, train new employees, identify areas of vulnerabilities in the system, and organize conferences and workshops. An EHS specialist must also maintain documentation of processes, produce progress reports, prepare presentations, and develop new policies when necessary. Furthermore, it is essential to coordinate with all departments, ensuring safety compliance in all areas.

Public health internship vs ehs specialist salary

Public health interns and ehs specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Public Health InternshipEHS Specialist
Average salary$37,987$58,112
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $55,000Between $41,000 And $82,000
Highest paying City-Newark, NJ
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-Genentech
Best paying industry-Health Care

Differences between public health internship and ehs specialist education

There are a few differences between a public health internship and an ehs specialist in terms of educational background:

Public Health InternshipEHS Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common majorPublic HealthBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaStanford University

Public health internship vs ehs specialist demographics

Here are the differences between public health interns' and ehs specialists' demographics:

Public Health InternshipEHS Specialist
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 32.1% Female, 67.9%Male, 72.6% Female, 27.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.6% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between public health internship and ehs specialist duties and responsibilities

Public health internship example responsibilities.

  • Manage busy immunization clinics overseeing the administration of thousands of immunizations per day.
  • Assist in employee training for LOTO, fork truck operation and behavioral base safety program.
  • Provide assistance during internal safety audits, asbestos abatement management, OSHA respirator fitting.
  • Train and educate large groups on job safety awareness and CPR.
  • Familiarize with ISO 14001 and the control systems that support certification standards.
  • Assist in the development of strategies to improve education of TB contacts.
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Ehs specialist example responsibilities.

  • Assist with training, inspections, recordkeeping and reporting require for managing all wastes generate.
  • Manage cross-functional teams/committees in development and implementation of robust proactive ergonomics program.
  • Experience in environmental remediation, delineation and preparing reports for TXRRC, EPA.
  • Monitor employees and equipment to ensure active compliance in following all ISO standards and procedures.
  • Assist in obtaining ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certification for a new factory in Canada.
  • Skil in working with agencies such as EPA, and state and local environmental and regulatory authorities.
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Public health internship vs ehs specialist skills

Common public health internship skills
  • Environmental Health, 14%
  • EHS, 11%
  • Patients, 7%
  • Public Health, 7%
  • OSHA, 6%
  • PowerPoint, 5%
Common ehs specialist skills
  • OSHA, 9%
  • Environmental Health, 7%
  • Risk Assessments, 5%
  • Corrective Action, 5%
  • Ehs Management, 4%
  • Hazardous Waste, 4%

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