Page 8 - CEEM Shopping Mag June 2020
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Contact Tracer Positions
You should have an interest in public health and be comfortable with
medical terminology. But essentially, if you are comfortable talking
to people, answering questions and gathering information, you should
be able to qualify for the job.
While a layperson can be trained in public health procedures, a familiarity
with one's community — in order to access contacts —and the ability
to engender trust in others are also essential qualities.
"You are calling from the health department, and you need to engender
trust in those individuals. So understanding of confidentiality issues
around collecting information they are asked for and how it will be
shared — you need to be able to explain all of that," said Dr. Amanda
Castel, a former epidemic intelligences service officer for the CDC
and professor of epidemiology at the Milken Institute School of Public
Health at George Washington University.
"You are also calling people when they are sick, not feeling well, stressed
about the impact this could have on their home life and their jobs, so it's
important to be empathetic and provide reassurance to individuals as
well," she added.
Another desirable trait in applicants is the ability to be persuasive and
convince people to self-quarantine if they could have been exposed to
the virus. And while the basic task of tracing infections is relatively
straightforward, the effort quickly becomes more complicated once
people are asked to enter quarantine.
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