A Flexible Model for Experiential Learning

Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) has developed an exemplar practicum program that reflects the changing educational needs and career orientations of MPH students and the diversity of agencies and settings where public health work occurs. A mixed model, introduced 5 years ago, provides several options for students to engage in real world public health.  Students may complete the practicum through a summer internship or one of five practicum courses including Community Health Research, Public Health General, Health Policy, Management and Global Health Justice. The Office of Public Health Practice (OPHP) is the focal point of experiential learning at YSPH and assures that all projects and placements meet established guidelines. A fundamental principle is that the practicum has deliverables of tangible value to the mission of the placement site. A comprehensive review of YSPH internships projects show that most have indeed resulted in tangible improvements to vital public health programs, both nationally and internationally, and served to further important health policy initiatives and applied research. In return, students have gained invaluable exposure to practical public health and leave YSPH prepared to enter the professional workforce. The practicum courses have also proven to be a highly effective means to engage students in a wide variety of public health issues that occur in local and state governmental and non-governmental agencies within Yale’s immediate vicinity, expanding the level of community connectivity and service of YSPH students and faculty. A rigorous evaluation of internships and practicum course projects assures continuous quality improvement of the YSPH experiential learning model. Importantly, this evaluation includes assessing gains in public health competencies whereby practicum preceptors and students rank their performance relative to seven competency domains. The results indicate that the practicum is indeed reinforcing and building student competencies to equip them to enter the field of public health.