Can anyone suggest internships/fellowships for public health?

[foreverlearner02]

Looking for entry level stuff. I graduated a year ago with a bachelor's in kinesiology and am looking for some type of research/public health fellowship. Internship is fine..its better than nothing. I've done a community medicine study abroad, am a medical assistant/scribe, and volunteer at a local free community clinic for the underserved. I would love to do some international work but most of these opportunities (ie princeton program, global health corps) seem very competitive.
All suggestions are welcome.. I am flexible with international/national, duration of program, nature of work etc. I should say that I'm looking to gain experience and learn so strictly volunteering (ie americorps) is NOT what I'm looking for.

Also, before you guys yell at me, I have tried to do my own research on this but again, I am finding most opportunities to be very competitive, catered towards ppl with background in public health, or strictly for undergrads.

Thanks in advance!

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[glocal]

You're off to a good start and the experience you have now could be valuable for lots of different positions, but the job search in public health is tough so you might have a lot of work ahead of you. There's a solid guide on the Reddit public health page that you should look into.

Search for opportunities at your local public health department and see if they have internship/entry level job opportunities, and research organizations that do work that interests you and search for opportunities or send an email to their HR/info address. See if the community clinic you volunteer at has any openings for administrative/case management staff. If you're interested in research, look into local universities and hospitals that may be looking for research assistants (clinical, bench, etc). The NIH also has year long fellowships if you have a significant research background. I'd think again about AmeriCorps and Community HealthCorps; these programs are paid, not extremely competitive, and give you significant experience working for nonprofits and healthcare facilities that will develop skills that are attractive to public health departments, nonprofits, and international NGOs. I'd also definitely suggest looking into the Peace Corps if you're looking for international work.

I'd also say take a step back and think about what motivates you to want to do international public health work and what you can bring to the table. International NGOs, foundations, and other orgs aren't just looking for any recent grad to come to their organization; they often want people with skills that they cannot find in their country. You say you're flexible with the nature of work, and that's great, but think about what you're best at and hope to do in the future. Are you a skilled writer? These orgs are always on the look out for more funding, so look into opportunities in grant writing. Do you have any relevant language skills? Look specifically into those regions where you can communicate with local staff. Are you interested in maternal and child health? Humanitarian emergencies? Infectious diseases? Are you doing this to have something unique and sexy for a medical school application? Med schools often see right through international voluntourism and consider it negative. All important questions that you should consider and might help narrow your search.

Good luck and feel free to PM!

 

[foreverlearner02]

You're off to a good start and the experience you have now could be valuable for lots of different positions, but the job search in public health is tough so you might have a lot of work ahead of you. There's a solid guide on the Reddit public health page that you should look into.

Search for opportunities at your local public health department and see if they have internship/entry level job opportunities, and research organizations that do work that interests you and search for opportunities or send an email to their HR/info address. See if the community clinic you volunteer at has any openings for administrative/case management staff. If you're interested in research, look into local universities and hospitals that may be looking for research assistants (clinical, bench, etc). The NIH also has year long fellowships if you have a significant research background. I'd think again about AmeriCorps and Community HealthCorps; these programs are paid, not extremely competitive, and give you significant experience working for nonprofits and healthcare facilities that will develop skills that are attractive to public health departments, nonprofits, and international NGOs. I'd also definitely suggest looking into the Peace Corps if you're looking for international work.

I'd also say take a step back and think about what motivates you to want to do international public health work and what you can bring to the table. International NGOs, foundations, and other orgs aren't just looking for any recent grad to come to their organization; they often want people with skills that they cannot find in their country. You say you're flexible with the nature of work, and that's great, but think about what you're best at and hope to do in the future. Are you a skilled writer? These orgs are always on the look out for more funding, so look into opportunities in grant writing. Do you have any relevant language skills? Look specifically into those regions where you can communicate with local staff. Are you interested in maternal and child health? Humanitarian emergencies? Infectious diseases? Are you doing this to have something unique and sexy for a medical school application? Med schools often see right through international voluntourism and consider it negative. All important questions that you should consider and might help narrow your search.

Good luck and feel free to PM!

Thank you so much! I will look into the various Corps you mentioned.