do these count as experiences in public health?

[jw123]

Hey all, I was just wondering if the followin count as experiences in public health as I plan on applying to a few MPH programs this year
1. working as an EMT
2. working in a free health clinic
3. working for a cardiologist where I really got an interest in public health by seeing really how bad people take care of themselves and how our lifestyles really contribute to a wide range of diseases

sorry if this seems like a dumb question but i wasn't positive if you have to have a specific public health fellowship type thing for it to count as public health experience or if things like this count as well?

I hope that these do count as public health experiences as I plan on basing part of my personal statement on #2 and 3.


thanks to anyone who can help

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[djtiesto14]

I say they do count as I did talk about fairly similar things to your 3 points, and I got accepted.

Good luck.

 

[Kibster]

Yes, Yes and Yes. I think all the three fields apply great. It shows that you have seen different side of the health care system and as long as you can relate your experiences in a thought out essay to what you really want to do, then they will work great.

 

[utph]

Yes, all those should count. I had similar experiences and I was admitted to programs that required experience. Just spin them into public health related experiences in your essay, even if it's technically more medical (like EMT). Anything that inspires you to go into public health should be included, just make sure to explain why!

 

[holabuster]

May I ask, utph and jw123, how you got into your experiences? How did you go about getting to do what you did?

Thanks!

 

[jw123]

hey, well for the EMT experience I just took the class during one summer and first got my license. My school's town has an ambulance service so I applied there an i've been working there for 2 1/2 years or so now. For the cardiovascular research I pretty much just applied for it and talked to my pre-med people at my school about which ones to apply to and what to put in my app. which really helped. The free health clinic is in a town about 15 minutes away from my school and I just emailed the volunteer coordinator and asked if I could volunteer and so I started doing that? Is this what you were looking for? if not let me know or PM me and i can give you details. Personally, I think I got these opportunities by really being proactive about it and I really think I got the research opportunities (I also did neuroscience 1 summer i forgot to put that) based a lot on the volunteer work that I had. I volunteered at a hospital while I was getting my EMT license and I know the cardiovascular place loved that I had done all this volunteer EMT work, along with the community clinic and hospital volunteering so I think thats a big key in getting opportunities like these. Let me know if you want any more information

 

[holabuster]

hey, well for the EMT experience I just took the class during one summer and first got my license. My school's town has an ambulance service so I applied there an i've been working there for 2 1/2 years or so now. For the cardiovascular research I pretty much just applied for it and talked to my pre-med people at my school about which ones to apply to and what to put in my app. which really helped. The free health clinic is in a town about 15 minutes away from my school and I just emailed the volunteer coordinator and asked if I could volunteer and so I started doing that? Is this what you were looking for? if not let me know or PM me and i can give you details. Personally, I think I got these opportunities by really being proactive about it and I really think I got the research opportunities (I also did neuroscience 1 summer i forgot to put that) based a lot on the volunteer work that I had. I volunteered at a hospital while I was getting my EMT license and I know the cardiovascular place loved that I had done all this volunteer EMT work, along with the community clinic and hospital volunteering so I think thats a big key in getting opportunities like these. Let me know if you want any more information

Thanks! That was really helpful!

 

[utph]

May I ask, utph and jw123, how you got into your experiences? How did you go about getting to do what you did?

Thanks!

I don't have that much to add to jw's statement of just showing initiative and searching for these opportunities. I sought out an emt class to take over the summer while I was an undergrad... I searched for volunteer positions in health clinics, etc. or was told about them through connections at my university. I decided I wanted to live abroad for awhile so I researched a lot online how to teach English overseas and finally got a job offer in Paris and later Spain.
Also, I live in the Texas Medical Center, so I've had a wealth of clinical/research opportunities to choose from so I guess I'm lucky in that regard. I'd recommend applying to as many hospitals and medical schools as you can...They are great sources for not only getting clinical and research experience, but also developing mentors and professional connections which will be very valuable later on.

I'm not sure to which specific experiences you were referring..hope that helps!