EPH PRACTICE 1

Environmental Public Health Practice

Olivia Van Osch

7565633

ENVR71000

Jim Reffle

December 21, 2017

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What is Environmental Public Health?

In simple terms, the environment refers to the physical world that surrounds us; either the
built-up city or a rural setting. Public health focuses on the health and well-being on a targeted
population. When put together, the term Environmental Public Health (EPH) mean protecting the
health of a population from occurrences within their environment such as unsafe drinking water,
air pollution, and waste management. EPH is an significant field because it involves the health of
the public and the state of our environment: two things that rapidly changing. With more
employment in the field, major developments can be made to protect both the public and the
environment from health risks, disease, and disturbances. Environmental Public Health
Professionals (EPHP) work hard by building a safer community by calculating possible risks,
inspecting local institutions, and by informing the public of any possible dangers (Environmental
Science, n.d., para. 1).

According to the Government of Canada website (2017), the core competency statements
for Public Health describe a set of skills that are vital for a profession in this field. The necessary
skills and abilities for an EPHP are as follows:

 Have an understanding of the determinants of health, health promotion and disease

prevention, as well as health indicators.
 Ability to apply health science in practice and be able to use research data and policies.
 Recognize and analyze health issues presented on and off the job, and be able to collect,
store, and recall proper and detailed notes during the practice.
 Be actively involved in the prevention and promotion aspect of health and be able to problem
solve and find solutions.
 Collaborate alongside other EPHP and members of other Public Health fields as well as
interact with the general public to work towards the well-being of the public.
 Demonstrate quality leadership skills and follow the core competencies outlines for Public
Health Professionals.
(Core Competencies for Public Health in Canada Section)
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As an Environmental Public Health Professional, communication is a key part of the practice

in order to be successful. The different types of communication that EPHP should acquaint
themselves with are:

 Strong and professional oral communication skills to connect efficiently with various
individuals, groups, and coworkers.
o Being able to exchange ideas and information in a professional way can help EPHP
maintain a good status in the community.
 A good written vocabulary for filling out documents and being able to clearly identify and
express various health care issues.
o A good use of diction can help express and describe an issue being reported in a clear
way that other health care professionals or the general public can understand and
identify.
 Disciplined non-verbal communication skills such as being able to listen.
o Being able to listen to a concern voiced by the general public can help EPHP
understand the root of a problem better and gather all the required data and
information in order to properly act on the issue.
 The software and various programs used to complete inspections and preform daily tasks.
o This is essential because the first step in the Health Information Life Cycle is data
collection which is done by health inspectors on-site.

(Government of Canada, 2017, Communication Section)

The Environmental Public Health field is vast and continues to grow as environmental
concerns become more prominent in the fast and industrializing world. There are new roles being
introduced to meet the demands of the growing field. Some employment roles in the EPH
practice are:

 Public Health Inspector  Environmental Toxicologist

 Industrial Hygienist  Occupational Health Nurse
 Epidemiologist

(Reffle, 2017, Slides 52-55)

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A minimal requirement to work as an Environmental Public Health Professional is to

have an undergrad degree in Public Health. Many specialized jobs require further education and
a masters degree in a targeted field.

Working as a Public Health Inspector means you are responsible for enforcing the
government regulations for various policies regarding food safety, drinking water quality,
environmental quality, and many more areas by conducting routine inspections and documenting
the results. In order to get into this particular field, a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Public
Health is required and can be achieved at many post secondary institutions across Canada,
including the Bachelor of Environmental Public Health program at Conestoga College. Along
with the 4-year degree, proper registration with The Canadian Institute for Public Health
Inspectors (CIPHI) and the completion of the CIPHI examination and practicum (CIPHI, n.d.,
The Certification Process Section).

An important career in the EPH field is an Environmental Toxicology. An undergrad

in Environmental Health is a prerequisite to obtain a Master’s Degree in Environmental
Toxicology to become a toxicologist. A toxicologist job is to study the effect of toxic chemicals
in the environment and how they impact living creatures such as humans and animals. This EPH
career involves a lot of collecting and analyzing of data as well as application of data to protect
the general public from potential toxins (Environmental Science, n.d., Environmental Toxicology
Section).

Another specialized career field in Environmental Public Health is Epidemiology.

Epidemiologists study the distribution and cause of disease in an area by collecting data and
samples to study the pattern of disease. In order to become an epidemiologist, one must complete
an undergrad program in Environmental Health or Public Health, and complete a Master’s
Degree in Public Health, specializing in Epidemiology. Like most jobs in EPH, a field placement
or practicum is required before full-time jobs are rewarded. This is to gain experience in the field
before fully becoming an EPHP (Environmental Science, n.d., Epidemiology Section).

Overall, Environmental Public Health Professionals have a very noble and important job
to protect the public against environmental agents that can cause harm. I want to become an
EPHP because I have a strong passion for health care, helping the general public, and taking care
of the environment. For the longest time I thought the only way that I could be involved in health
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care was to work in a hospital; although there are some very important professions that primarily
take place in a hospital, none of them were for me. When I started exploring different careers in
health care, I was intrigued by the prevention aspect of Public Health. I would hope my future
career in EPH allows me to make an impact in my community and can be useful towards
preventing various environmental health-related moving forward.
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References

Canadian Institute for Public Health Inspectors (CIPHI). (n.d.). Board of Certification. Retrieved
December 20, 2017, from http://www.ciphi.ca/careers/board-of-certification/

Environmental Science. (n.d.). Careers in Public Health. Retrieved December 19, 2017, from
https://www.environmentalscience.org/careers/public-health

Government of Canada. (2017, December 18). Core Competencies for Public Health in Canada.
Retrieved December 19, 2017, from https://www.canada.ca/en/public-
health/services/public-health-practice/skills-online/core-competencies-public-health-
canada.html

Reffle, J. (2017). Unit 1 – Environmental Health [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved December 20,
2017, from eConestoga.