2019 PHAP (CDC's Public Health Associate Program)

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Hi there! Welcome to the crazy PHAP application process . I'm a 2018 PHAP and moved from Chicago to St Paul, MN. The salary is rough. It just is. The good thing is that you will work a 40 hour week, no overtime, so a second job is doable. Some PHAPS arrange to share apartments and rely on public transportation if possible. It can be done!

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is it bad if i dont have a driver's license?
I was wondering the same. I’m currently living abroad and moving back in July so I could get one if it’s necessary. But does it affect my placement chances if I don’t have one right now.
 
The driver´s license is for your background clearance, so as long as you have other documents you will be fine. I would reach out the PHAP office to ask what other forms of ID they will accept.
 
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Hello everyone! Has anyone gotten anymore emails? or email rejections? I called the PHAP office yesterday as well and they said the emails are sent in batches but I haven't got a personal statement/rejection email either way.
 
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Hello everyone! Has anyone gotten anymore emails? or email rejections? I called the PHAP office yesterday as well and they said the emails are sent in batches but I haven't got a personal statement/rejection email either way.
Still waiting on an email
 
Just submitted my personal statement with exactly 750 words. yikes that was SO stressful, wish me luck. Best of luck to all of you as well!!!
 
Ditto. Thinking maybe no email yet means no luck for me, which stinks, but will be ok. Kinda disappointed though.
As am I. I thought I was really really qualified for this, but it is what it is. I just wish they would send a rejection e-mail at this point, if that’s the case, so everything isn’t left in the air.
 
As am I. I thought I was really really qualified for this, but it is what it is. I just wish they would send a rejection e-mail at this point, if that’s the case, so everything isn’t left in the air.
I wish the same! Just so I would know to stop checking my email:(
 
Hey! I'm new to the site. I just wanted to register to connect with you all!! I'm putting the finishing touches on my personal statement now!
 
Hello there,
I haven't heard anything yet? So fingers crossed. I have another job that I accepted but I am still wondering what will happen with the PHAP program.
 
I was wondering the same. I’m currently living abroad and moving back in July so I could get one if it’s necessary. But does it affect my placement chances if I don’t have one right now.

Some PHAP placements require a drivers license. They ask the sites when they apply for the position if the PHAP will need a license. So it won’t necessarily affect your chances of getting into PHAP, but it will affect where you are placed. Tons of local/rural positions require a license because you will need to drive around on the job, so you’d likely be placed in a primarily office based position or a place that has decent public transit.

I also wouldn’t necessarily count on being able to have a part time job (to whoever asked about that). Depending on your position, you might have a lot of evening or weekend work and an irregular schedule that would be difficult to schedule another job around. I guess you could refuse to do anything outside of the 8:00-4:30 hours but for my position that would have not worked well at all and I would have been stuck doing busy work all day and wouldn’t have gotten as great of work experience. You’ll figure it out when you get there if your position will do well with a part time job or not, but PHAP is definitely an opportunity where you should do everything and volunteer for everything that you can, so I think it’s good to go in with an attitude that you will not just have an 8-4:30 job. (Not saying you’ll work more than 40 hours a week, you’ll often flex or get comp time, but just saying there’s a good chance it won’t be a super regular schedule).
 
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Has anyone received a rejection email yet?
 
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Has anyone received either an acceptance or a rejection since the first acceptances went out April 10th?
 
Has anyone received either an acceptance or a rejection since the first acceptances went out April 10th?
not yet, still waiting! maybe they are sending more out on Wednesday since the other ones were sent out Wednesday of last week?
 
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Hey all,

I was wondering what everyones application status was on USAJobs?

Mine says "Received" and I have not yet heard back for a personal statement or reject.

For those of you who have been asked for a personal statement, does your application status say anything other than "Received?"

Submitted a personal statement, mine still only says received
 
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For those of us who sent in personal statements do we have any idea when we will be getting responses?
 
For those of us who sent in personal statements do we have any idea when we will be getting responses?

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We should hear back sometime in May
 
To everyone applying for this program, please remember that it's only intended for those with a bachelor's degree and no work experience.

You won't get to do anything technical, and this will not change at any time during the program. There are people within the program who expected more but were disappointed.

If I have a master's degree and experience, do you think that hurts my chances of being accepted?
 
If I have a master's degree and experience, do you think that hurts my chances of being accepted?
Most of the former PHAPs I know have master degrees, but it might just depend on the applicant pool.
 
If I have a master's degree and experience, do you think that hurts my chances of being accepted?
My friend who encouraged me to apply has a master’s degree and loves her work in PHAP. I think it’s totally dependent on your placement.
 
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As a current 2018 PHAP with a master's degree, I will say that the kind of experience you gain in the program depends heavily on where you are placed. I am having an amazing experience thus far, and getting so many opportunities to do so many different things that I doubt would be possible were it not for this program. I'm sure you will hear this more than once, but the program is what YOU make of it.
Also, over 50% of my class has their master's and one person even has their PhD.
 
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Can someone call and ask about the next round of emails coming out? When it might be, if they are sending next steps in waves/batches, if they are rejecting everyone who didn’t get an email earlier in the month? I clwould myself but I already called to ask a couple questions.
 
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Can someone call and ask about the next round of emails coming out? When it might be, if they are sending next steps in waves/batches, if they are rejecting everyone who didn’t get an email earlier in the month? I clwould myself but I already called to ask a couple questions.

I called but had to leave a voicemail and that was a couple hours ago
 
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Just to echo what some of my fellow PHAPs have said, I don't believe having a masters degree will hurt your chances of being accepted into the program. Most of the people within my cohort that I stay in touch with regularly have a graduate degree. This program is definitely a suitable place for those with either bachelor or a graduate degree. It probably isn't the best place for someone with a PhD, but that also comes down to what you want out of the program and where you are ultimately placed.
 
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I called this morning and they said if I had in-depth questions to call HR. I'm just going to assume if we didn't receive an email yet then we probably will not go on to the next round. But we can hope they will send out emails since April is not done. Anyone can feel free to call and ask as well maybe I asked the wrong question and I don't know HR's number.
 
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Hey, Ive had this same issue. I called and was told to call HR and they gave me this number: 770-488-1725. I have called multiple times and cant seem to figure out where to ask someone about our application status. Please let me know if you find out/call this number!
Yes call that number and when prompted to, dial 9 which is for all other inquiries. You can then ask about the status of your application. They are going to ask for your name and application number. When you call and dial 9 it may send you to voicemail but just call back until you get an operator.
 
During our quarterly PHAP call yesterday, the program mentioned to keep an eye on your USAJobs application. That will reflect if you've been selected to move to the next round.
 
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Hi, I am hard of hearing and wouldn't be able to call regarding my application status. I am unsure if it's worth sending an email since it's not the fastest way to reach them. Hopefully they'll keep sending out emails before April is over!
 
Hi! I called them today, and they were really helpful. The HR department said that if you haven't received an email yet, don't give up hope! They'll be sending out emails until the end of April. The support desk even took my name and checked my application for me. Weirdly enough, they said my application had been referred on April 8th, but I still haven't received the email yet. I hope this helps everyone!
 
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I called HR today and they said we should hear back by the end of the week.
 
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Has anyone gotten a rejection? Or have we all just not heard anything?
 
Has anyone gotten a rejection? Or have we all just not heard anything?

Some people got asked to write a personal statement on April 10th. I don't think anyone has heard anything since then.
 
I called today and HR said that they have over 2,000 applications and that's why it's taking so long. They haven't gotten to all the applications yet but she said we should hear from them soon. She told me they didn't even get to my application yet. So there is some hope.
 
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I called today and HR said that they have over 2,000 applications and that's why it's taking so long. They haven't gotten to all the applications yet but she said we should hear from them soon. She told me they didn't even get to my application yet. So there is some hope.
I also called and HR told me that there were technical issues. How did you get them to check your application? I asked about the status of mine and was told I should hear back in a week.
 
I also called and HR told me that there were technical issues. How did you get them to check your application? I asked about the status of mine and was told I should hear back in a week.
When she looked up my application she said the last notification for it was the email saying that I was eligible based on the assessment from usajob.gov .
 
JUST GOT THE INTERVIEW INVITE EMAIL
I actually cannot breathe right now
 
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I also got the interview invite email! No doodle poll info invite yet though. I submitted my personal statement on the 12th as well.
 
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I got an invite for the interview too!!! *cries in happiness*
 
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Did anyone get a confirmation with their dates and time after scheduling on doodle?
 
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Did anyone get a confirmation with their dates and time after scheduling on doodle?
I haven't scheduled yet. I got the interview invitation, but I haven't gotten the doodle invitation yet. When did you get the doodle?
 
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