Student Practicum as a Bridge to Governmental Public Health Practice: A Survey of Schools and Programs of Public Health

• Published in: Public health reports (1974) 2017-01, Vol.132 (1), p.110-114
• Main Authors: Burke, Emily M., Biberman, Dorothy A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Education; From the Schools and Programs of Public Health; Health care policy; Health education; Inservice training; Professional practice; Public health; Public health education; Public schools; Public services; Schools; Skills; Students; Training; Workforce
• ISSN: 0033-3549; 1468-2877
• DOI: 10.1177/0033354916680610

The student practicum is an essential and required component of accredited public health education that provides students with hands-on experience in public health practice. In a 1999 report from the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health's (ASPPH's) Council of Public Health Practice Coordinators, academic public health practice was defined as "the strategic, organized, and interdisciplinary application of knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary to perform essential public health services and other activities to improve the population's health." As such, schools and programs of public health accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) emphasize the student practice experience, which CEPH describes as a planned, supervised, and evaluated project that should take place in various professional settings and "should include local and state public health agencies to the extent possible and appropriate." Here, Burke and Biberman discuss student practicum as a bridge to governmental public health practice.