The primary objective of the Practicum project is to afford students opportunity to synthesize and apply their acquired public health knowledge and proficiencies within a real-world context. This endeavor is designed for all students pursuing their professional Masters (MPH) at Ensign Global College, necessitating their engagement in a Practicum project.
The initiation of Practicum projects mandates the endorsement of the respective program head, ensuring alignment with the educational objectives. These projects are diligently executed under the expert guidance of a designated Preceptor situated within the host organization. A paramount facet of this endeavor is the obligation for students to furnish the host organization with an agreed-upon deliverable, mutually decided upon prior to project commencement.
Upon the culmination of the project, a pivotal requirement entails students delivering an articulate and a comprehensive written report, allowing students to effectively convey the depth and breadth of their experiential learning.
Elevating beyond the individual context, the Practicum project serves as a distinctive mechanism through which our faculty evaluates students’ preparedness to transition into the professional sphere of public health. This initiative signifies an essential phase in the assessment of students’ aptitude to graduate and subsequently apply their acquired proficiencies within the practical domain of public health practice.
1. Apply health promotion skills specific to low resource settings to improve the well-being of
communities.
2. Apply tools and concepts beyond the traditional public health scope to innovatively solve health challenges at the district level.
3. Apply standards of professionalism, principle-based practice and ethics in addressing public health issues through public health practice and research
4. Apply entrepreneurial thinking, skills and dimensions through a public health approach to solving community health problems.
5. Demonstrate effective community engagement skills for public health practice, including activities that inform, educate and empower targeted audiences.
The Practicum project serves as a vital component of our MPH program at Ensign Global College. Its primary aim is to afford students the opportunity to bridge their theoretical knowledge and competencies in public health with real-world challenges. Each MPH candidate is obligated to undertake a Practicum project, operating independently. These projects gain approval from our faculty advisor and are conducted under the guidance of a dedicated Preceptor at the host organization.
Students, in collaboration with the host organization, establish clear deliverables to be met by the project's conclusion. Additionally, students are required to present two "products" to faculty advisor, serving as evidence of their proficiency in various competencies—an essential condition for all pursuing the master's degree in public health.
Upon the Practicum's culmination, students are mandated to deliver both an oral presentation and a written report. These assessments contribute significantly to our faculty's evaluation of student readiness for graduation and their ability to effectively practice public health in the real world.
There is no standard approach to identifying a suitable practicum topic and/or a practicum site/agency. Many students locate projects and agencies by learning of agencies where prior students have completed their practicum, via conversations with faculty members, peers, or through internship/job postings.
It is never too early to begin to seek out and develop professional relationships with public health professionals working at public health agencies that may serve as optimal practicum sites in the future. Ultimately, the topic and scope of a student’s practicum should coincide with their educational and career goals.
Each student is encouraged to work with their faculty advisor from the start of their program to discuss their public health interests and goals and how those can lead them to potential practicum sites/projects.
The preceptor must be an employee of the site organization. Students completing a Practicum must
identify, select, and secure a preceptor that:
1. Has demonstrated experience and/or expertise related to the student’s learning objectives. This will be evidenced by the student preceptor’s justification statement and/or preceptor’s CV/resume
(if available).
2. Is not an immediate/first-degree relative and/or does not have a conflict of interest that prevents them from objectively providing feedback on student performance.
3. Is not a current Ensign Global MPH student.
