No Medical Experience

[HansWalker]

I was just wondering if any current student in a school of public health (MPH, Dr.P.H., MD/MPH) could help me out with a few questions I have about the program(s). First, about myself, I currently work for a biotech company in Seattle, and have found myself utterly bored with the research. I have a biology degree, and have extensive research experience in both biotech and academic labs. I am interested in the public health field, more particularly in environmental health. I was hoping someone could advise me on:

1) my chances of getting accepted to a school of public health with no prior experience or medical training

2) the composition of a typical public health school student body (i.e., what % of students have simliar backgrounds to my own)

Thanks for any help you can provide.

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[emanresu]

Just a tip for your admissions essay: Try to avoid language that includes ?bored with research? ? your probability of acceptance should be about zero. Regarding admissions, that?s about all I?m certain of.

Now I?ll speculate a tad. It looks as if you do have training (BS Biology) and prior experience with research methods. These major assets, combined with a decent GRE, will go along way.

Also worth considering is the fact that some programs may restrict your degree options. Take USC (South Carolina) Arnold School of PH, they award MPH and MSPH degrees. The difference being that the MSPH is a science degree (more rigorous, requires a thesis as opposed to a practicum) for the non-professionals. Check out the following link:

http://www.sph.sc.edu/Enhs/ehhsaboutus.asp#

As for the ?typical PH student body,? I really don?t know. That would probably vary by department. I went to USC. SC is not a diverse place. That?s why, although I?ve been accepted to both medical schools, I hope to get in someplace out of state (preferably Yale).

I hope you gain some insight from this. Good luck

 

[HansWalker]

Thank you so much for your response.

An addendum to my "bored with research" comment. I still love science, but in biotech there really isn't much of what you would call intellectual freedom. Most of what I find myself doing is dictated by management, and I often feel like I'm nothing more than a highly-trained monkey.

Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for the opportunities I've been afforded, it allowed me to be published, and I've managed to make a fair amount of money in stock options and other incentives. However, rarely does a day go by when I don't yearn for a career that feels like I'm making a greater difference in my community and to my fellow man. I was pre-med throughout college, and was acepted to a top ten medical school (which I turned down obviously). I had the typical pre-med mentality untiil a physician family member took the time to disclose to me the realities of modern medical practice and his vision of the future of medicine. Let's just say clinical medicine never had the same allure again.

So here I find myself, all ambition and energy, and no direction. I have always been fascinated with ecology, and still remain interested in the "science" underlying medicine. So I figure, what better combination of the two than environmental health. The problem is that I don't kow anyone who is involved in the field. So I ask the question, do my circumstances sound like a good fit in a public health graduate program? Are there students with similar backgrounds in htese schools? My fear is that most public health schools are filled with nurses and physicians, so how will I be able to compete for postions after graduation with individuals with such degrees. Are there public health jobs out there for individuals with such credentials.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

 

[Heal&Teach]

Hans,

Not speaking from a person in school or in envirnmental health (my background is health education), I don't think that you need a mess of experience to apply to public health school - I surely didn't have much of anything. I think that if you show a sincere interest in environmental health & decent GREs, you should be fine. A large number of PH programs are student-friendly (except for places like Harvard that only accept people with terminal degrees), which means that your colleagues, if not fresh out of undergrad, would be within a year of having graduated from college. If you're concerned with the dynamics of your class, question the admissions offices about how many folks have just graduated from college. You'll probably get a response that is indicative of a diverse class coming from a wide array of backgrounds.

In addition, you should look for a program that has the internship opportunities that you'd be interested in. Yes, the job market is competitive. However, if you go in with an idea of what you want to do, and get some work experience via interning and/or work study, you should be okay in terms of finding a job post Master's. Also, you probably won't be competing for the same kind of job as a person with ten years of experience - these folks are most likely pursuing public health degrees part time or are going on to more advanced jobs that integrate their experiences.

The PH degree is just giving you the building blocks for your career, what you do with it is up to you. Make the most of your time and you'll be all right.

Hope this helps.
H&T

 

[Fuerza]

I'm not in public health, but I know many people who are, and as others here have said I don't think you need all that much experience. My friend was accepted into a program with an undergrad degree in history and no experience. All he had was one undergrad course each in biology, chemistry, and math. Just make clear your goals in the admissions essay and you should be ok.

 

[TCB]

Hi,
I am really surprised to hear that you are interested in Public Health. It is so hard to find Public Health graduates and get as much information as you can.
I am doing my bachelor in Biology and intend to get an MPH as soon as I graduate. I've been trying to get some more information because the APHA website is good but not enough . Public Health is not very common for students getting their undergraduate degree. They usually pursue Medical studies, go to Pharmacy School or else.
What you could do is look for different University that offer the MPH and ask for their catalogue or more information on Environmental Studies in Public Health.
I think that would be very helpful.

Hope you find what you want.
Good luck.
Peace