public health internships

public health internships

The Importance of Public Health Internships

1. Introduction

The perspectives offered are informed by way of a decade of experience by the writer who has supervised more than eighty students since 2000. In the world of academia, there typically is a giant gap between graduates gaining knowledge in public health, marketing, or health promotion, and their landing of the first job within their favored field. During this time, graduates often have a fuzzy grasp of the competencies required such as formative research, target audience identification and segmentation, and the construction and implementation of an evaluation phase. Paid public health advertising internships offer an experience to students to improve fundamental skills learnt in the classroom environment, within the context of a professional setting, within the area of public health advertising and marketing. This allows students to gain knowledge and practical experience in a field where traditionally there are limited entry-level jobs. The author has watched fantastic improvement in the practitioners of his interns over a 10-year period, shown in increased confidence as well as a deep understanding and mastery of principles.

Public health internships are an important component of public health marketing education and training. A different view from that offered in lots of up-to-date articles is equipped in this paper. At existing, examination in the area of public health and mass media is both scant and uncertain. Recently, an complete systematic evaluation of the statements made in public health TV promotional from the UK was published. This found only thirteen percent of the claims to be supported by way of direct evidence, and evidence was not supplied to guide sixty-three percent of claims made. This translates to an uncertain message being dispatched to the public. It is uncertain whether or not video is a suitable medium for public health communication, taking into account the large amount of uncertainty concerning the effectiveness on the health information imparted in this format. This article profiles the use of paid internships in the area of public health advertising and marketing for Masters students studying at an Australian university.

2. Benefits of Public Health Internships

An intern can experience the ‘real world’ in public health through working with a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). Any given community usually has different health issues. Some are village communities still facing third world health problems, some are urban societies facing chronic illness problems, and some are minority groups that can be refugees facing health issues from being displaced from their home country. An NGO usually plays its part in improving the health status of a particular community, and through aligning with an NGO, an intern can understand the various health issues and work with the community to find suitable solutions.

An example is an intern might be involved in a community facing a particular infectious disease and learn the application of proper disease control measures to put a stop to this problem. Another key benefit of the Public Health Internship is the exposure to the ‘real world’. This exposure can serve as a learning process for the individual to learn and understand the cultural practices and societal norms within a community. Understanding these factors is important as it can influence the success of a programme aimed to improve the health of a community.

One of the clear advantages of a Public Health Internship is the opportunity to apply what you have learned in classrooms to real situations. Many public health courses revolve around learning through case studies, but these are still simulated cases. By being exposed to health issues and the theoretical and practical solutions to these problems, the issues within the community can be addressed.

Internships can serve as a significant enhancement to an individual’s learning process. It is through their internship that they can learn and put into practice the theories and models that they learned in classrooms. Public Health Internships are unique when compared to the general internships done in other disciplines. This section will encompass the myriad of benefits that an individual can gain through the internship programme.

3. How to Find Public Health Internship Opportunities

Start with asking yourself what type of work interests you. The unique thing about public health is that it is literally defined by the place in which it is practiced. If you love to travel or have a region that you are particularly drawn to, a global health internship could be the perfect match for you. This can mean anything from studying immigrant health on the US/Mexico border, to conducting HIV prevention research in Kenya, to working on clean water projects in Central Asia. If you are someone that likes to take a hands-on approach to learning, community-based research may be a good fit. This often involves partnering with a specific community or organization to address a public health issue. You can also gain a lot of great experience interning at a government or non-profit organization. One of the great aspects of public health is the wide range of issues that you can address. So whatever your area of interest, an internship exists to meet it. Once you have an idea of what you are looking for, it will be easier to determine the best way to find that opportunity.

4. Tips for a Successful Public Health Internship Experience

3. Set clear goals of what you would like to accomplish during your internship and strive to meet these goals. This can be something as simple as wanting to learn more about a certain position or field or more complicated such as attempting to create a program or system to solve a problem. Ask your supervisor what you can do to work towards these goals, and make sure your supervisors help evaluate your progress.

2. Making connections is a vital aspect of obtaining a job post-graduation and can begin with an internship. Introduce yourself to co-workers and explain your career or academic goals. Networking can also assist in unearthing more about your field of interest by talking to professionals about their line of work. After the internship is over, keep in touch with those you have met and tell them about your progression. You never know when a connection can provide you with a job opportunity.

1. Always arrive at work with a positive attitude and be willing to take on new challenges. It is important to remain positive and open-minded when facing new tasks. Employers and colleagues will take notice if you are enthusiastic and optimistic, which can lead to more responsibilities and more opportunities for networking and learning.

Getting the most out of your internship can be the key to landing a fantastic job after graduation. However, to be successful, you can’t just show up on time, complete the minimum amount of work, and leave when the day is over. The effort you exert, connections you make, and experience you gain all directly correlate with what you put into it. Here are some tips to get the most out of your public health internship:

5. Conclusion

Our research has shown that public health students need opportunities to gain practical experience and exposure to the real-world applications of their field. In an average semester at a public university, a substantial amount of time will be spent in lectures, readings, and maybe even the occasional film. Ideas and theories will be taught and shared, but without a practical platform, the continuity of learning breaks down. Internships provide students with the means to take their accumulated knowledge and apply it in a real-world setting. The experience of learning something new in a classroom then being asked to apply it a few weeks later is quite frustrating. More often than not, information that is not immediately useful is forgotten. The advantage of an internship is that the student is forced to apply new ideas and skills into a project or problem that will have real implications. This not only provides a more solid learning experience but gives students a way of better understanding whether or not their chosen field is really of interest to them.

It is commonplace for people working in public health to refer to being in the right place at the right time. However, luck has nothing to do with preparing ourselves for when opportunities arise. A great deal of commitment and a little strategic planning are involved in laying the foundation for a career in public health. In order to be competitive in this field, relevant experience and skills are a must. The job market is a tough and tight arena, and in order to gain an edge over the competition, the necessity for an internship becomes magnified.