Certified Public Health Inspector Certification & Training
Learn what training and certification is required to become a certified public health inspector by following this step-by-step guide.
Public health inspectors play a large role in keeping the public healthy. They ensure that businesses that serve the public operate under health and safety regulations.
To become a certified public health inspector, you'll need to meet certain education and experience requirements. We've broken down all you need to know below.
What is a Public Health Inspector?
<p>Public health inspectors typically work for the government. They monitor businesses, such as restaurants, to ensure those businesses are operating under the necessary safety and sanitization requirements.
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<p>While restaurants are a common type of business for public health inspectors to visit, there are many other places they monitor. <b>These may include:</b>
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<ul><li>food trucks
</li><li>health care facilities
</li><li>hotels
</li><li>housing complexes
</li><li>recreational areas
</li><li>schools
</li></ul><p>The primary job of a health inspector is to ensure public health by monitoring business practices. <b>Job duties may include:</b>
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<ul><li>inspecting businesses for health, safety, and sanitation violations
</li><li>taking samples and sending them to labs for testing
</li><li>issuing fines to businesses that fail to maintain standards
</li><li>suspending business licenses of businesses that fail to maintain standards
</li><li>doing follow-up inspections
</li><li>staying up-to-date on health and safety laws and information
</li><li>creating and implementing public health education programs
</li></ul><p>Becoming a health inspector requires education and experience. Below, we've broken down the basic steps you'll need to take to make this your career.
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<h2 id="section---Step1EarnADegree">Step 1: Earn a Degree</h2>
<p>To become a public health inspector, you'll need at a minimum an associate degree. However, many employers prefer candidates with a bachelor's degree.
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<p>Bachelor's degree programs usually require around 120 credits and take about four years to complete.
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<p>There is no specific degree for public health inspection. <b>Instead, you can choose a degree with a major such as:</b>
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<ul><li>food safety
</li><li>health science
</li><li>natural science
</li><li>public health
</li></ul><p>Whatever major you pick, you should choose something that offers a good foundation in biology, chemistry, and health sciences.
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<p>While a <a href="https://learn.org/article_directory/Masters_Degree_FAQs.html">master's degree</a> is not a requirement to start your career, it may be necessary to advance to certain levels of public health inspection.
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<p>If you want to become certified, some certifications require that you graduate from a program that's been accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).
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<p>The CEPH accredits bachelor's and master's programs in public health. You can find a full list of all their accredited programs at ceph.org.
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<h2 id="section---Step2GainExperience">Step 2: Gain Experience</h2>
<p>Many types of certification require that you have some experience in the field before you can become certified.
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<p>One great way to gain experience is through an internship. Internships allow you to get experience while you're still in school.
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<p>Entry-level jobs through public health programs can also give you the experience you need to become certified.
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<p>Most public health inspector jobs don't expect you to know the ins and outs of health inspection right away.
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<p>They offer on-the-job training so you can get hands-on experience under the supervision of an experienced health inspector.
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<h2 id="section---Step3ObtainCertification">Step 3: Obtain Certification</h2>
<p>Public health inspectors have a few different options for certification. Each option has different requirements, so it's important to check that you meet the specific requirements of the certification you choose.
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<h3 id="section---NationalBoardOfPublicHealthExaminers">National Board of Public Health Examiners</h3>
<p>The National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) offers a Certified in Public Health (CPH) certification. It's one of the most common certifications for public health inspectors.
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<p>To become certified, you must meet certain requirements and pass the CPH exam. There are a few different pathways that provide eligibility for the exam. <b>These are:</b>
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<ul><li>be a student of a school or program of public health accredited by the CEPH
</li><li>be a graduate of a school or program of public health accredited by the CEPH
</li><li>be a public health faculty member with a graduate-level degree and at least three years of experience in public health
</li><li>have a bachelor's degree in any field and at least five years of public health work experience
</li><li>have a relevant graduate-level degree and at least three years of public health work experience
</li><li>have a graduate-level certificate from a school or program of public health accredited by the CEPH and at least three years of public health work experience
</li></ul><p>Once you qualify, you can take the certification exam. <b>The exam covers 10 domain areas of public health:</b>
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<ul><li>collaboration and partnership
</li><li>communication
</li><li>evidence–based approaches to public health
</li><li>health equity and social justice
</li><li>law and ethics
</li><li>leadership
</li><li>policy in public health
</li><li>program management
</li><li>program planning and evaluation
</li><li>public health biology and human disease risk
</li></ul><p>The exam is made up of 200 multiple-choice questions. Most candidates finish in three hours, but you have four hours total to take the exam.
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<p>Students can choose to test in person at a computer-based testing center or to test online through a live online proctoring system.
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<h3 id="section---NationalEnvironmentalHealthAssociation">National Environmental Health Association</h3>
<p>The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) is another popular certification body for health and safety inspectors.
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<p>Certifications from the NEHA are more specific, and many of them are rooted in environmental health and safety. <b>Certificaitons include:</b>
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<ul><li>Certified in Comprehensive Food Safety (CCFS)
</li><li>Certified Foodborne Outbreak Investigator (CFOI)
</li><li>Certified Professional–Food Safety (CP-FS)
</li></ul><p>Each certification requires different levels of education and experience. Review courses are available to give you the best chance at passing the required exams.
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<p>You can learn more about the different NEHA credentials at neha.org.
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<h2 id="section---BecomeACertifiedPublicHealthInspector">Become a Certified Public Health Inspector</h2>
<p><a href="https://learn.org/article_directory/Career_Planning_FAQs.html">Starting your career</a> as a certified public health inspector requires a bachelor's degree and certification. Also, be sure to gain experience through an internship.</p>