THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA and THE MONTANA PUBLIC

THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA and THE MONTANA PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION STUDENT PRACTICUM PROGRAM WHAT IS A PRACTICUM? GAIN A DEEPER • UNDERSTANDINGPUBLIC Explore areas of interest. HEALTH • Observe and learn from leaders in the field. EFFORTS OF PRACTICUM SITES A practicum provides an opportunity for public health students to: • Gain a deeper understanding of the problems, policies, programs, and processes that occur in the practice of public health. • Make a positive impact on the public health efforts of practicum sites. • Practicum sites are a variety of organizations from local and state health departments to national and international nongovernmental agencies. PRACTICUM BENEFITS For the Student: • Apply public health skills in a real‐world setting. • Gain confidence in time management and effective communication. • Enhance teamwork and networking capabilities. For the Public Health Department: • Assistance with projects. • Mentoring and coaching opportunities. • Prepare for accreditation. BACKGROUND LEARNING OBJECTIVES While each practicum will be topic‐driven and hence different, the objectives and format will generally be the same. The learning objectives of the Public Health practicum are aimed at providing students the following opportunities: • Apply and test public health concepts and theories in practice settings; • Implement one or more of the ten essential services of public health; MPHA and Montana Department Of Health and Human Services is now offering a $1000 stipend for MPH students who successfully complete their practicum projects! • Utilize problem‐solving skills to assess and analyze public health issues; • Propose and, to the extent possible, implement effective intervention strategies; • Justify the importance of interdisciplinary teamwork to address public health problems; • Learn to function successfully as a public health professional in a work setting. The University of Montana School of Public and Community Health Sciences requires that Masters of Public Health (MPH) students participate in a 200 hr practicum APPLICATION PROCESS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION project related to public health. To assist in this effort, the Montana Public Health Association (MPHA) has partnered with the University of Montana to create a public • Public health departments first submit project requests to MPHA which then health practicum program. MPH students are matched with local MT public health facilitates public health‐related tasks to be completed by the MPH candidate. At the departments which allows for an opportunity to apply theory learned during MPH project’s conclusion, students are assessed on demonstration of meeting public coursework outside of a typical classroom setting. A goal of the experience is that the project will mutually benefit both student and department in addition to meeting the MPH Capstone requirement. View a listing of practicum topics, summaries, and MPH Candidate’s Practicum testimonials at: http: //health. umt. edu/publichealth/3 current-students/mphcapstones/201630 practicumlist. pdf Current MPH Practicum opportunities are listed at: http: //health. umt. edu/publichealth/3 currentstudents/Practicum%20 Opportunities. php health objectives and competencies in addition to working with site mentors in a For Additional Information Please Contact: professional manner. Lora Wier, MPHA Executive Director lwier@3 rivers. net • MPH student first consult with their academic advisors prior to signing practicum University Of Montana Internship Services: (406) 243 -2815. agreements. • Practicum learning objectives are decided based on the scope of the project. Poster created by Angela Dusko, MPH Candidate