advice on getting experience in the field of public health?

[jbo0gie]

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hello folks, Im new to SDN though I've been lurking for awhile.. its exciting and very inspiring to read all of your acceptance threads and hearing about where you guys are going! I hope one day in the near future I could do the same about myself 🙂

I would like to ask for some advice from you guys since you're all pros now.. right now I'm stuck trying to figure out HOW to exactly find an agency/employer/project to get experience at. I try looking on craigslist and such but there's not much. so I'm wondering, did you guys personally inquire at various places to see if you can volunteer or intern? or was it by word of mouth or something?? I'm interested in something along the lines of diet and exercise health, preventive work in metabolic syndrome (diabetes, obesity, hypertension) -- was once pre-pharm, then pre-med, then pre-nursing.. lol. now public health, when my roommate mentioned it one day in our conversations and it totally clicked. I'm very interested in the idea of preventive work, vs just treatment when the illness has occurred already. the field is so broad and I guess what MPH's do can be totally ambiguous, so now I'm just really trying to get my feet wet to see JUST what its all about.

a little about me, I'm currently an undergrad senior, with one more semester left, majoring in biology (physiology emphasis) and minoring in asian american studies. as of now, my GPA is 3.57 (hopefully will stay if not go higher 😀) I'm planning to take a year off to get more experience and self confirmation, prepare for the GRE and apply for schools. and schools I'm looking at so far: uc berkeley for sure, and maybe ucla. been playing with the idea of east coast schools but they're all ivy's and seem kinda intimidating, along with the fact that I grew up on the west coast (bay area to be specific) and have been told the east coast is waaaaay different.

so any advice and/or suggestions would be VERY much appreciated, thank you guys in advance and congrats again on your acceptances!

 

[Vayu]

On the east coast, USF has a good program and is in a great location. It is the only accredited school of Public Health in the state.

 

[Stories]

Government and non-profits are a good place to start. Academic positions are a bit tougher to come by just because those positions are given first preference to students.

 

[ucnative]

If you're interested in UCLA, you should shoot an email to this person (email at the bottom of the page):

http://www.ph.ucla.edu/cehd/Yancey.htm

She presented at the prospective student visit day - specifically, she worked with the San Diego Padres to produce a DVD of simple exercises teachers can use with grade-schoolers to get them more active and motivated about health. Neat program, slick DVD. Also, with your Asian American studies minor, you might find UCLA's strong domestic focus appealing, and vice versa.

 

[twogrins]

I am going to apply for MPH program in some universities in California for summer/ fall 10..meanwhile I wish to gain some experience in this field. Please can someone suggest a good way to start??

 

[saloo]

Same here, I am trying to start my MPH by fall '10. I contacted my local public health dept, but they are all going through a hiring freeze. Also i contacted community clinics, wellness centers and I was unable to find something. Any other places that i can try my luck? Also how important is it to go to a accredited school? Do candidates from non accredited school have a tough time getting positions. Also, it this economy, does Public health have a strong job outlook? Sorry for so many questions in one post 😱

 

[Stories]

Same here, I am trying to start my MPH by fall '10. I contacted my local public health dept, but they are all going through a hiring freeze. Also i contacted community clinics, wellness centers and I was unable to find something. Any other places that i can try my luck? Also how important is it to go to a accredited school? Do candidates from non accredited school have a tough time getting positions. Also, it this economy, does Public health have a strong job outlook? Sorry for so many questions in one post 😱

1.) Your university is a good bet for potential internships. Hiring freezes technically shouldn't affect internships since they're generally unpaid. Try pestering them some more.
2.) Accreditation is critical. You will be exempt from many jobs (particularly federal government jobs) and applying to further your education in the future.
3.) PH is just like any other job. It's not going to be rosy in the current economic state. There's no job out there that's not being cut/frozen right now (including teachers, physicians, nurses, etc.). Well, I suppose there's so much turnover in retail that you could always get a job there ::shrugs::

 

[saloo]

Thank you stories for the response. I understand that the job market is down in the slumps right now. I guess i am just paranoid about not finding a position once i graduate 😳

 

[Seci]

How does 2 years working in community health for Peace Corps look for schools of public health?

 

[Stories]

How does 2 years working in community health for Peace Corps look for schools of public health?

Very good.

 

[Glentui]

Hi there,

I was accepted onto the master's in public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. My experience was approx. five years advising the pharmaceutical industry as a management consultant - very much private-sector business experience, not really healthcare in the strict sense at all. So do cast the net widely when looking for jobs.