The Employment Situation of Environmental Health Graduates in Iran between 1996 - 2002

Introduction. Each year, the Medical Sciences Universities admit a number of young individuals for the study in the field of environmental health. This admission has been largely increased since 1996. Thus, the employment of these graduates remains as a difficulty in this field. This study was carried out to determine the occupational situation of different levels of environmental health graduates and to suggest some strategies for long term planning. Methods. In this descriptive survey, 972 graduates of environmental health with associate, BS and MS degree, throughout the country, who were selected by simple random sampling method, filled a self-administered questionnaire. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by content validity and test/re-test. Data analysis was done by SPSS software using frequency distribution and Chi2 test. Results. Based on the results, 64.6% of graduates holding associate degree, and 42.7% of graduates holding BS degree were unemployed pending June 2003. The percentage of unemployment rate among MS graduates was much less than other graduates (3.7%). Meanwhile, among associate and BS degree graduate, the highest percentage of unemployment rate was for female graduates. Conclusion. Due to the high percentage of unemployment in associate and BS graduates of environmental health, it is recommended to reduce the students’ admission capacity. It is also suggested to enhance the academic knowledge and capabilities of graduates by making some revisions in the curriculum content, and to provide necessary background for their future employment. Since more unemployed graduates are among females, it seems that environmental health field is a kind of manly job. Therefore, more cautious is needed in admitting more female students.