MPH5274 Public health practicum

Employability skills will help you manage and develop your career, and workplace based practicums are an important way to enhance your employability. As well as allowing you to apply knowledge and skills in a professional environment, practicums also provide insight into organisational communication and culture, professional socialisation, and attitudes and behaviours expected within the workplace setting.

This unit is designed as one of the capstone experiences offered within the Master of Public Health (M6024). The unit aims to provide you with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills you have developed in the Master of Public Health in a workplace setting such as a public health related government, non-government or community-based organisation or institution.
The Public health practicum is undertaken onsite in a placement within an organisation. The placement within the organisation and the type of work or project undertaken will be orientated towards developing your experience and career interests, as well as being relevant to the operational or development needs of the organisation.

Depending on the organisation and placement, you could be involved in public health practice in health protection (communicable disease prevention and control or environmental health investigation), chronic disease prevention, health promotion, health policy, planning or management, or in aspects of public health research and evaluation projects such as in protocol development and establishment of projects, without necessarily undertaking the research project.
Additional training that could improve work readiness such as CV preparation or presentation skills would be identified and undertaken within scope of the unit. This would be reflected in the agreed supervisor/student project plan to guide the placement, the outcomes of the placement, and their assessment.

The Public health practicum will also help develop your profile and networks in the field of public health.