142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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303998
A Decade of Diverse Opportunities: Trend Analysis of Summer Field Experiences at Rollins School of Public Health

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Evelyn Howatt , Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Roger Rochat, M.D. , Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of public Health, Atlanta, GA
Mary Claire Worrell , Hubert Department of Global Health, Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Jeffrey Freeman , Hubert Department of Public Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
The Council on Education for Public Health requires masters of public health candidates to complete at least 200 hours of practical experience (5 weeks full time work) before graduation. Approximately 90% of students in a global academic program at the X School of Public Health (XSPH) participate in a practical experience during their summer semester.  Since 2004 the X Department of Global Health has surveyed students in their second year to learn about activities during these summer field experiences.  We used linear regression analysis to examine trends in practicum experiences from 2004 to 2013.

Since 2004, students attending global programs at XSPH have had practicums with 370 organizations in 86 countries.  The average practicum length has remained constant at nearly 10 weeks.  The number of students with practicums increased 42% in Sub-Saharan Africa, 29% in the Middle East, and 20% in the United States.  In addition, the proportion of students receiving global field experience endowed funding increased 41%, while the average stipend remained the same.  We also examined trends in costs, topics, health, ethics, usefulness of coursework, and impact.  

In conclusion, students attending XSPH have the opportunity to participate in an extremely diverse array of field experiences that are often partially funded by the school.  We use these survey findings to inform current and prospective students of opportunities, costs, etc.  The findings have also informed creation of information sessions, promotional materials, and plans to create a user-friendly website that will allow students to explore past and current summer practicums.

Learning Areas:

Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related education
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines

Learning Objectives:
Describe overall trends in summer field experiences at the X School of Public Health over the last ten years. List 3 actions that have been taken by the X School of Public Health in order to improve student experiences finding summer practicums as a result of the summer field experience survey.

Keyword(s): Public Health Curricula & Competencies, College Students

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a student at the Rollins School of Public Health who has spent a year conducting the summer field experience survey at the school with mentorship from students who conducted the survey in previous years and under the supervision of Roger Rochat, M.D., the Director of Graduate Studies. Among my interests has been learning how to improve the school's practical experiences for future students.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.