EPID 886: Practicum I - Master of Public Health Skills Classroom Sessions 

Introduction

EPID 886 is the first of two required practica. The aim of this course is to provide students with the technical skills necessary to perform a variety of professional functions in a community agency. Through a combination of workshops, seminars, and guest lectures, students will acquire some of the essential public health skills in preparation for their placement in a public health agency (Practicum II). This course is evaluated on a pass/fail basis.

Course Information

EPID 886 is the first of two required practica. Through a combination of workshops, seminars, and guest lectures, students will acquire the some of the essential public health skills in preparation for their placement in a public health agency (Practicum II). Credit weighting for this course is 0.5.

Three term hours, fall, every year. Coordinator: Alison Young, 2nd floor Carruthers Hall,

Prerequisites

Enrolled as a full- or part-time Master of Public Health student.

Objectives

The aim of this course is to provide Master of Public Health students with some of the technical skills necessary to perform a variety of professional functions in a public health organization.

Upon completion of all skill modules, the student will be able to:

Rationale

EPID 886 has been arranged to provide students with public health skills applicable to their coursework as well as their future professional careers. The sessions that make up this course are designed and scheduled to reflect the tasks and expectations the course instructors impart on the students.

Course Format

EPID 886 is designed as a practical, public health skills development course. The method of delivery for this course will be an interactive seminar and workshop series where students will be provided with pertinent skills and asked to apply their learned knowledge within the workshops, their coursework and practicum placements.

Text and Materials

There are no texts required for EPID886.

It is encouraged that each student bring his/her own computer to each session as a significant number of sessions will be computer-based and gaining familiarity with one’s own technology is essential in order to be successful at tasks presented outside of the module sessions.

Please ensure that your computer is equipped with Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Additionally, while not mandatory, it is encouraged that all students install SAS on their computers (available for free from the department of Community Health and Epidemiology) as this program will be used to analyze data and it will be valuable for students to be able to work alongside the instructor to better grasp its purpose and function. Also, having SAS at your disposal during placement may prove beneficial so becoming familiar with the program now, may be an asset.

Assessment

EPID 886 is a pass/fail course. Students will earn a passing grade by attending all of the sessions and actively participating in each workshop. Attendance will be recorded and participation evaluated at each session.

While there are no formal, marked assignments for EPID 886, students may be asked to prepare for upcoming sessions by completing readings, literature searches, interviews etc.

If a student cannot attend one of the skills modules, it is asked that they inform the course coordinator of their absence prior to the session.

Course Policies

It is expected that students will be present at all skills sessions; however, it is understood that this might not always be possible given illness or other unforeseen circumstance. If a session is missed, it is up to the student to gather and understand the missed information in time for the next session as workshops may play and develop on the previous presentation.

If a student misses more than 3 sessions, a failing grade will be administered and the student will have to repeat EPID 886 the following year.

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