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Placements in global health masters' programmes: what is the student experience?

Placements in global health masters' programmes: what is the student experience?
Placements in global health masters' programmes: what is the student experience?

Background: global health training is increasingly part of public health training in high-income countries, with placements as key components. We sought preliminary evidence of student placement experiences and learning through masters' programmes at the universities of Oxford and Toronto.

Methods: in a mixed-methods design, we drew on existing programme records, student feedback surveys (Oxford only) and semi-structured interviews with graduates.

Results: students participated in practice, informed policy and conducted research across a wide variety of topics, and with a range of different tasks, mostly overseas. Building on existing collaboration- or partnership-facilitated placement setup. Clear communication and face-to-face time with organizational representatives or on-site supervisors helped clarify placement objectives. Flexibility on students' and supervisors' part enabled students to take advantage of urgent public health activities for learning. Students valued the opportunity to make cross-country comparisons, to see first-hand the role of international organizations and to learn concrete skills in project design, questionnaire formulation, qualitative and quantitative analysis and writing up.

Conclusions: placements were valuable to public health professionals in training. We encourage other programmes to share placement experience of their students, field supervisors and host organizations.

Attitude of Health Personnel, Canada, Education, Graduate, Education, Public Health Professional, England, Global Health, Humans, Internship, Nonmedical, Interviews as Topic
1741-3842
329-37
Cole, Donald C.
813eca08-2414-48b6-9818-c7e816de50cf
Plugge, Emma H.
b64d2086-6cf2-4fae-98bf-6aafa3115b35
Jackson, Suzanne F.
31dea3c2-2b33-4005-b405-9f78d0444dfb
Cole, Donald C.
813eca08-2414-48b6-9818-c7e816de50cf
Plugge, Emma H.
b64d2086-6cf2-4fae-98bf-6aafa3115b35
Jackson, Suzanne F.
31dea3c2-2b33-4005-b405-9f78d0444dfb

Cole, Donald C., Plugge, Emma H. and Jackson, Suzanne F. (2013) Placements in global health masters' programmes: what is the student experience? Journal of Public Health, 35 (2), 329-37. (doi:10.1093/pubmed/fds086).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: global health training is increasingly part of public health training in high-income countries, with placements as key components. We sought preliminary evidence of student placement experiences and learning through masters' programmes at the universities of Oxford and Toronto.

Methods: in a mixed-methods design, we drew on existing programme records, student feedback surveys (Oxford only) and semi-structured interviews with graduates.

Results: students participated in practice, informed policy and conducted research across a wide variety of topics, and with a range of different tasks, mostly overseas. Building on existing collaboration- or partnership-facilitated placement setup. Clear communication and face-to-face time with organizational representatives or on-site supervisors helped clarify placement objectives. Flexibility on students' and supervisors' part enabled students to take advantage of urgent public health activities for learning. Students valued the opportunity to make cross-country comparisons, to see first-hand the role of international organizations and to learn concrete skills in project design, questionnaire formulation, qualitative and quantitative analysis and writing up.

Conclusions: placements were valuable to public health professionals in training. We encourage other programmes to share placement experience of their students, field supervisors and host organizations.

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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 17 October 2012
Published date: June 2013
Keywords: Attitude of Health Personnel, Canada, Education, Graduate, Education, Public Health Professional, England, Global Health, Humans, Internship, Nonmedical, Interviews as Topic

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 485259
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/485259
ISSN: 1741-3842
PURE UUID: 28d59a64-2d2f-46ef-a442-3164ae9e79d2
ORCID for Emma H. Plugge: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8359-0071

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Date deposited: 01 Dec 2023 17:50
Last modified: 11 Jul 2024 02:06

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Contributors

Author: Donald C. Cole
Author: Emma H. Plugge ORCID iD
Author: Suzanne F. Jackson

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