Hello everyone,
I've been getting a lot of private messages about my experience with the CPH exam so I thought I'd just post a response here for everyone to read.
Like most people who took the exam, I passed. My concentration was biostats, and that and epi were my strong points. The categories that each student is graded on are Biostatistics, Environmental Health Science, Epidemiology, Health Policy and Management, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Cross-cutting Competencies. There is no minimum score within each section.
I bought the 'study' material from the NBPHE or whatever their abbreviation is. Basically, it's a bunch of practice questions that may or may not be the sort of stuff that's on the exam. The test itself is pretty random. "Find the outbreak" (was it the chicken or the egg salad?) using basic epi was on there, as well as defining pearson and spearman correlations, eg some technical biostats terms. Then there was "what's the best way to preheat chicken?" which really through me through a loop. It was an odd mix to be sure. But really, I think it mirrors the MPH degree pretty well (I did learn some pretty random stuff in school!)
...the PH field is FAR too broad to require such a certification..
What makes an accredited school accredited is that they all agree to a standardized curriculum. So really, because we're all supposed to learn the same thing, having a test at the end of the two years isn't that crazy.
But why do you need a comprehensive exam to say you know all 5 areas of public health (when you possess a MPH?).
To make sure you learned what you should have! Creating a standard for graduation (the NBPHE's ultimate goal with the exam) addresses a core issue with the MPH degree, and like I said, I don't think passing it could ever be a bad thing. It reminds me of the competencies ('comps') that PhD students have to take
Your other point is well taken though, CPH exam was not designed to be the only certification exam you'll ever need, it just covers the basics of what an MPH grad should know, epi to health policy. I become a SAS Certified Advanced Programmer when I graduated years ago to become more biostat friendly for the sort of job I wanted.
To summarize: it's a doable exam, and it made me review public heath stuff that I honestly should have known anyway. I think everyone who gets an MPH should take it. Yes the test is random as hell, but there is enough stuff of substance that makes it a necessary exam.
No, it will not guarantee you a job, but it was a GREAT conversation starter during interviews. I can't stress this enough. Only a few weeks ago I explained to an interviewer what the CPH exam was, and they seemed to agree that having a standardized exiting exam seemed like a good idea, being as all accredited schools are supposed to teach the same thing. If anything, it showed
MY desire to have standards in the workplace which came across very well indeed (I got the position!). FYI I am a medical student who interviewed for a public health position
I don't use the CPH title as I think it will confuse people, and I think it's a tad silly
Good luck in whatever you all chose, PM me if you have questions as I don't look at the forums at all these days