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Public health internship vs safety assistant

The differences between public health interns and safety assistants 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 a safety assistant. Additionally, a safety assistant has an average salary of $38,077, 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 a safety assistant are patients, patient care, and patient safety.

Public health internship vs safety assistant overview

Public Health InternshipSafety Assistant
Yearly salary$37,987$38,077
Hourly rate$18.26$18.31
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs102,17813,994
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
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 a safety assistant do?

Safety assistants help safety managers create and execute safety protocols. Typical duties include examining work areas, locating hazardous elements as well as keeping up with safety manuals and guidelines. Also, they interview injured employees, maintain first aid centers, and probe work safety incidents. Additionally, they direct regular audits with safety mentors to make certain that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) policies and procedures are followed. Primary job qualifications include knowledge in safety protocols, detail-oriented, organizational skills, teamwork, and time management. Another important requirement in this field is training in occupational hazards.

Public health internship vs safety assistant salary

Public health interns and safety assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Public Health InternshipSafety Assistant
Average salary$37,987$38,077
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $55,000Between $27,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City-Fairbanks, AK
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-Capco
Best paying industry-Manufacturing

Differences between public health internship and safety assistant education

There are a few differences between a public health internship and a safety assistant in terms of educational background:

Public Health InternshipSafety Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorPublic HealthBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Public health internship vs safety assistant demographics

Here are the differences between public health interns' and safety assistants' demographics:

Public Health InternshipSafety Assistant
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 32.1% Female, 67.9%Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%
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, 9.2% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between public health internship and safety assistant 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.
  • Show more

Safety assistant example responsibilities.

  • Maintain and manage training records relate to MSHA compliance, ATF compliance and company-requir training.
  • Manage and facilitate extensive Safety/Security and HAZMAT training for all personnel.
  • Assist patients with daily hygiene, also assist nurses with patients periodically; distributing medication and direct observation
  • Work as one-to-one patient safety assistant worker providing supervision to patients who suffer from physical, mental and psychological conditions.
  • Organize CPR trainings and hearing tests for employees.
  • Train in the use of the Autopulse CPR machine.
  • Show more

Public health internship vs safety assistant skills

Common public health internship skills
  • Environmental Health, 14%
  • EHS, 11%
  • Patients, 7%
  • Public Health, 7%
  • OSHA, 6%
  • PowerPoint, 5%
Common safety assistant skills
  • Patients, 21%
  • Patient Care, 11%
  • Patient Safety, 10%
  • CPR, 8%
  • OSHA, 5%
  • Safety Audits, 4%

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