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Practice Experience (MPH/DrPH)
Practice Experience (MPH/DrPH)
Combining community engagement and public health practice are fundamental components of the educational experience at the Rutgers School of Public Health. Our Master of Public Health (MPH) and Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) students engage in meaningful work where community partners, students, and faculty collaborate to solve and reflect on public health challenges that affect communities throughout N.J., the U.S., and the world.
About the Master of Public Health (MPH) Practice Experience
MPH students are required to fulfill the Practice Experience requirement, which consists of 1) Applied Practice Experience (APE) and 2) Practicum Capstone.
Applied Practice Experience (APE)
The APE (PRAC 0715, 0 credits) is a carefully planned and supervised learning experience. It connects the skills and knowledge acquired in the classroom with the practice of public health. It is a required component of the MPH degree. The APE can provide students with the opportunity to acquire, develop, and improve communication skills, project management skills, and problem-solving skills through the implementation of public health methodologies, principles, and techniques. Moreover, it promotes hands-on public health practice, the exploration of career options, and strengthen a network with other public health professionals.
Practicum Capstone
The Practicum Capstone (PRAC 0716, 0717, 0718; 3 credits) is also a required component of the MPH degree that demonstrates synthesis of foundational and concentration competencies. Students in consultation with a faculty advisor select foundational and concentration-specific competencies appropriate to the student’s educational and professional goals. The Practicum Capstone represents a culminating experience where the student produces a high-quality written product that is appropriate for the student’s educational and professional objectives.
Contact
Office for Community Engagement and Public Health Practice
Rutgers School of Public Health
practice@sph.rutgers.edu
You can find additional information on the MPH Practice Experience on Canvas (need NetID to log in).
About the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) Practice Experience
All Rutgers School of Public Health DrPH students are required to complete an Applied Practice Experience (APE) as part of their DrPH requirements.
Applied Practice Experience (APE)
The APE (PRAC 0730, 3 credits) is a required component of the DrPH degree program and is a carefully planned and supervised practice experience. Students enroll in APE after the DrPH coursework is completed. The DrPH APE connects the skills and knowledge acquired in the classroom with the pragmatic application of the practice of public health. The DrPH APE should provide the student with significant advanced-level practical experience that includes collaborating with practitioners, developing and applying leadership competencies, and contributing to public health.
Contact
Panos Georgopoulus, PhD
Professor
Rutgers School of Public Health
panosg@ccl.rutgers.edu
You can find additional information on the DrPH Practice Experience on Canvas (need NetID to log in).
About the Interprofessional Education (IPE)
The definition of interprofessional education by the World Health Organization (WHO) is "when students from two or more professions learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes.” The IPE aims to prepare students in the health professions, as well as other professions, to engage in interprofessional collaborative practice with the purpose of working toward achieving the Triple Aim of better care for individuals, better health for populations, and lower health care costs.
IPE Requirement
Master of Public Health (MPH) students who matriculated into the Rutgers School of Public Health in Fall 2018 and after must complete an IPE activity. This graduation requirement is mandated by the School's accrediting body, the Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH).
According to CEPH, interprofessional is defined as working with professions outside the professional disciplines of public health. In other words, it is not epidemiologists collaborating with public health policy professionals but epidemiologists collaborating with other professions that have their own distinct identities and specialty knowledge.... It is important for public health professionals to understand the roles, specialty knowledge and skills of relevant professionals and how they contribute to overall public health goals.
MPH students must be able to perform effectively on interprofessional teams.
MPH students fulfill this requirement through the completion of one approved IPE activity. The Rutgers School of Public Health hosts IPE activities in Fall and Spring semesters, and information about other approved IPE activities hosted by other Rutgers Schools will be distributed, as applicable.
It is suggested that MPH students complete their IPE activity during or after completing the core course, PHCO 0513 Public Health Essentials. MPH students will engage in an organized interprofessional activity with defined goals, activities and assessments in order to function more effectively as members of interprofessional teams. IPE activities must be documented and evaluated.
Contact
Marybec Griffin, PhD, MA, MPH
Assistant Professor
Rutgers School of Public Health
mcg197@sph.rutgers.edu