Contact Tracer Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a contact tracer. Feel free to use our contact tracer job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a contact tracer.
Who is a Contact Tracer?
Since the 1920s, contact tracing has played a critical role in disease control. The ongoing spread of the novel coronavirus has re-established the demand for such professionals. Contact tracers are critical in containing the transmission of COVID-19 by identifying those who have been exposed to those with confirmed cases. Since late April 2020, new contact tracer job ads on Indeed have surged approximately 25X, and daily searches increased about 180 percent from May 1 to May 28, with a second spike in searches occurring in mid-August.
Contact tracing is a procedure that public health authorities utilize to assist in containing the transmission of an infectious illness within a population, such as COVID-19.
It entails identifying both those who have contracted the disease and others with whom they have come into contact. These people are referred to as contacts.
Once contacts have been identified, public health experts warn them of possible exposure and collaborate with them to help prevent the disease from spreading further. Typically, this entails a time of self-isolation.
Public health workers contact these exposed individuals to inform them that they have been in close contact with an infected person and to provide them with information and support to help them stay safe and secure. Contact tracing has been used by public health agencies to combat the spread of infectious illnesses such as measles, TB, syphilis, and HIV for decades.
A contact tracer is an administrative or clerical specialist who monitors the spread of viruses and diseases throughout society. They contribute to the prevention of infection and provide critical services to medical doctors, such as conducting patient interviews and making phone calls to identify sick individuals. Additionally, contact tracers aid researchers in their understanding of diseases and viruses, particularly how contact with other people might impact a virus’s genesis, propagation, and effects. Certain contact tracers are certified epidemiologists who conduct extensive research on viruses and diseases and compile technical data to get insight into disease and virus patterns.
Contact tracers might work for marketing firms or in-house marketing departments, assisting companies in implementing their brand strategy. They analyze marketing objectives and research to discover the best cost-effective means for promoting those objectives through media channels. Contact Tracers conduct tests to find the most effective advertising approaches and exchange analytic and creative comments to improve advertising content. They match commercial information to the media habits of their target audience. They gather data on the effectiveness of advertising approaches and change their media plans to promote a more successful brand message.
Contact Tracer Job Description
Below are the contact tracer job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a contact tracer job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a contact tracer include the following:
- Making contact with newly diagnosed patients and potentially exposed individuals.
- Posing questions that assist someone in recalling who they’ve been in contact with recently.
- Educating contacts on the approved protocol to minimize the danger of infection spreading
- Collecting and organizing necessary data in a CRM
- Recognizing symptoms, infectious periods, and treatment options.
- Protecting the privacy of patients
- Coordinating contact tracing activities with supervisors and local health department case investigators.
- Conducting interviews in a professional manner that demonstrates knowledge of one’s emotional and cultural sensitivity.
- Collecting and documenting data with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.
- Contacting newly diagnosed patients to determine exposure and tracing others with whom they had contact.
- Conducting follow-up interviews with identified contacts, assessing their symptoms, and referring them for testing.
- Providing regulated information on isolation and quarantine measures to contacts.
- Collaborating with recognized local authorities to provide individual isolation and quarantine.
- Communicating via virtual means to check symptoms.
- Facilitating health examinations and testing, as well as introducing contacts to community resources.
- Adhering to all Health Department rules, particularly those of personal information protection.
Qualifications
- A high school diploma or a GED is required.
- Preferably a college education.
- Proficiency with customer relationships management (CRM) tools, such as HubSpot and Zoho.
- Proficiency in advanced English, as well as additional languages, would be advantageous.
- A telephone, a computer, and a stable internet connection are required.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook Express, and data entry.
- Capacity to adhere to regulations and communicate official information effectively.
- Capable of coordinating efforts, facilitating intervention, and maintaining records at a high level.
- Outstanding organizational abilities and smart judgment.
- Outstanding interpersonal abilities need to aid distressed individuals from many ethnic backgrounds.
Essential Skills
- Interpersonal and communication abilities
As previously said, functioning as a contact tracer entails extensive interactions with a variety of people. That is why effective communication skills are critical for the contact tracer position.
You should be able to communicate well both orally and in writing. As you will be communicating with people from a variety of various backgrounds and in a variety of different settings, you must be able to modify your communication style accordingly.
For instance, you may need to persuade someone who is already unhappy about losing their job that they must self-quarantine for two weeks. You would need a different communication method than you would if you were engaging with a sick, weary individual and needed to ascertain their whereabouts and who they may have infected.
In general, you want to ensure that you’re communicating effectively with the people you’re interacting with and that your message is understandable.
- Persuasiveness
Apart from being a skilled communicator, a contact tracer must also be persuasive. Frequently, you will have to speak with individuals who are unwilling to answer questions, provide information, or follow quarantine rules.
And you must get them to open up to you about every detail of their lives and to collaborate and do what you ask of them.
Individuals with strong persuasion skills are not pushy or confrontational; rather, they establish rapport with those with whom they speak. Rather than being domineering, persuasive individuals are active listeners; they ask numerous questions and acknowledge the opposing viewpoint.
While you will receive training on persuasion strategies throughout your onboarding, it is advantageous to have some basic persuasion abilities when applying for a contact tracer position.
- Empathy and cultural sensitivity
When you come into everyday touch with people who have (or may have) contracted an infectious disease, you must be compassionate above all else. These individuals will experience a range of emotions, from wrath and wrongdoing to dread and helplessness.
As a contact tracer, you must be skilled at anticipating how the person you’re speaking with feels and putting them at ease. You are patient and focused on creating trust throughout a conversation. That is how you obtain the crucial insights and information you want.
Essentially, having a high level of empathy qualifies you for a contact tracer position.
Along with conversing with people with a variety of emotions, you should anticipate interacting with people from a variety of cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds while performing contact tracing research. To do so successfully, objectively, and without prejudice, cultural competence is required.
On an individual level, cultural competence refers to the capacity to engage and form connections with members of other cultures or belief systems. It is critical in a contact tracer role to be aware of demographic and cultural characteristics that can affect health and to be able to apply these abilities in your everyday interactions with individuals.
- Organizing abilities
As a contact tracer, you will be responsible for substantial data management, as well as working with detailed information and documentation from case interviews. Additionally, you must track and follow several instances to completion. Simultaneously, you should be able to identify areas for improvement and make necessary revisions to the case follow-up procedure.
That is why a contact tracer profession requires great organizational abilities.
Having these skills enables you to prioritize work successfully, maintain focus and productivity, track your progress, and guarantee that you are on pace to meet your goals. The contact tracer function entails a variety of activities and is frequently performed remotely. That is why you must be adept at organizing and planning your work independently, anticipating any barriers, and completing projects on time.
- Critical thinking
Contact tracing is frequently compared to investigative work. Your objective is to get to the bottom of each case, which means that you must ask the proper questions and evaluate the data you’ve gathered to successfully track down all those who may have been exposed to the virus.
Daily, you’re expected to evaluate data from a variety of sources, develop connections, and make decisions about who to contact next. You must use a considerable degree of critical thinking in your daily duties, which is why contact tracers must possess strong critical thinking abilities.
Additionally, you should be naturally curious to succeed in the contact tracer profession. Deciphering the intricacies of each case frequently requires thinking outside the box to acquire a fresh perspective on the issue. You consider various strategies and methods for achieving the desired result.
As is the case with a detective, your duty entails gathering and analyzing information and facts, the capacity to discriminate between useful and irrelevant details, and the ability to develop reasonable judgments. This would not be possible without a firm grasp of critical thinking.
- Exceptional Work Ethic
Time is critical when conducting contact tracing for an infectious disease such as COVID-19. As a result, contact tracers frequently work in shifts, evenings, and weekends. And, as previously said, the work is frequently performed remotely.
Being a contact tracer requires a strong work ethic. Work ethic entails far more than simply being willing to work in shifts. It is primarily your willingness to accomplish your job to the best of your ability and the moral ideals that guide your professional life.
Contact tracing is a job in which your performance might have a direct impact on the health and even the life of others. At the same time, this is a function that will provide you with numerous obstacles, such as unpleasant emotions or a lack of information. You must be resilient, respond professionally, and act professionally in stressful and challenging situations.
That is why adhering to work ethic values in all situations, maintaining a happy attitude, and being willing to go the extra mile is critical to your success as a contact tracer.
- Confidentiality
As a contact tracer, you will collect and work with personally identifiable and confidential information about individuals, such as their health state or financial circumstances. You must be able to handle this information discreetly and professionally regardless of who you are speaking with.
Individuals are frequently unwilling to respond to queries they perceive to be personal or intrusive. And it is up to you to convince them of your dependability and your commitment to safeguarding their data.
How to Become a Contact Tracer
- Take a training course or earn a degree in contact tracing.
While becoming a contact tracer does not normally require a degree, you may wish to pursue one if you wish to grow in your career and gain a better understanding of how diseases and viruses propagate. You can acquire a four-year degree or a certificate in contact tracing by enrolling in a contact tracing program. Numerous contact tracers hold undergraduate degrees in epidemiology, virology, or a closely related discipline. Additionally, some universities provide condition-specific training courses that cover topics such as the fundamentals of disease symptoms and interview questions to ask patients.
- Construct your resume
After earning your degree or certification through a training course, develop a captivating CV to help you stand out to a potential employer. Include any employment experience you have with contact tracing, virology, telephone interviewing, or other clerical or medical activities on your resume. Additionally, you may provide your most recent credentials and professional objectives to help your potential employer understand your objectives as a contact tracer.
- Acquire field experience
Acquiring experience as a contact tracer can assist you in developing an understanding of the everyday obligations of this role, as well as medical ethics and professionalism. For instance, you might learn how to speak quietly with patients and comprehend their problems. You can gain experience monitoring and managing disease transmission in private medical settings such as hospitals, physician’s offices, or long-term care institutions. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employs full-time contact tracers to assist in the investigation of numerous diseases.
- Acquire new credentials
Consider obtaining extra credentials to assist in the diagnosis of specific diseases or to work in a variety of medical environments. Additionally, you might acquire leadership credentials to advance your career as a manager or team leader in contact tracing. If your job objectives change, you can continue your education with a graduate degree in a subject such as virology or epidemiology. Numerous institutions and organizations now provide extra contact tracing training packages. Certain businesses, such as the CDC, may also offer promotion chances through wage increases or participation in research projects.
Where to Work as a Contact Tracer
The majority of contact tracers operate remotely for a variety of clients, businesses, and organizations.
Contact Tracer Salary Scale
In the United States, the national average salary for a Contact Tracer is $37,537 per year.