Essay on My Path to Public Health

Growing up with a mother who is a nurse, I have been able to appreciate and understand the importance of public health. She taught me not only how crucial personal health is but also how important community health and prevention is. My mother raised me to have compassion and empathy for others as well. This rooted my interest in careers that can have high beneficial impacts on others’ lives, such as those under the field of public health.

I interviewed my primary care physician Dr. Michelle Class, who is a pediatrician in the private practice of Lori McAuliffe, M.D., P.A. Dr. Class has worked in the field of pediatrics since completing Medical school at The University of Florida and a 3-year residency to become a board certified pediatrician. She offers primary care to children from birth till the age of twenty-one, and provides routine physicals to chart growth and development, well-visits, and professional consultation, diagnosis and treatment for chronic and temporary illness or other health issues. All efforts work toward preventing disease and injury amongst children, the primary goal of all pediatricians in the field of health care. The practice at which she works also allows doctors to utilize epidemiological resources and inform patients about current health trends regarding illness, current school, county regulations updates on health and vaccination deadlines, and basic understanding of childcare, hygiene, and nutrition practices for children and parents. I chose to interview Dr. Class because she is an excellent doctor, who I have been privileged to have over the years. She has personally given me her very best whenever my health was poor, as well as been a wonderful person who truly cares for her patients physical and mental wellbeing. Her passion and dedication to the craft of pediatric medicine are evident in the quality of care and service she

Public health deals with the public, community, and society as a whole. It promotes and protects the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work and play. I believe that the many leadership, teamwork, communication and community skills I have gained through NHS and FBLA, will allow me to excel in the Public Health Field. Which will, in turn, allow me to be the best I can be, enabling me to be a great positive force in my community.

The healthcare sector offers a variety of professional opportunities that include pediatric, geriatrics, public policy and many other areas in which I hope to make a impact towards. I have always been intrigued by medicine and continue to gain more interest in public health. In the future, I desire to combine both medicine and public health by participating in an MD and MPH program. My experiences and education provide me with constant motivation in achieving my goals.

During my undergraduate career at Florida A&M University, I discovered the Public Health graduate school program and I knew this would be a perfect way to make health and diseases, infectious and otherwise, fit into my future plans while expanding my horizons. I have the desire to be one of the movers in the healthcare field, finding answers to the never-ending questions as to why certain diseases are prevalent and others are not. I want to be the person that researches, plans, and executes healthcare programs and policies that will ultimately improve the healthcare field in America. I naturally see myself as a leader and I know that the field of Public Health will help me sharpen my skills as well as bring out the leader that I know I am.

While interacting with current medical students pursuing the MD/MPH dual degree at a UTHSCSA student panel, I realized that obtaining an MPH would align greatly with my interests and career goals, allowing me to expand the scope of my medical education and enhance my critical thinking skills. I enjoy how public health combines various aspects needed to treat disease and improve health outcomes, and I know that integrating the MPH core concepts with my medical degree, will help me to become a well-rounded and better physician who approaches healthcare through both an individual and population-based perspective. An education in public health will provide me with various opportunities ranging from the creation and development of community health projects, to contributing to the modification of current health policies. I will seize the opportunity to work with professionals from all occupations including educators, clinicians, executives, and I will become an advocate and a credible voice for positive change through a better understanding of the healthcare system that is in place

The ARC-PA Accreditation Standards for Physician Assistant Education, 4th Edition, states: “The program curriculum must include instruction in concepts of public health as they relate to the role of the practicing PA.” The annotation further states that “Instruction in concepts of public health includes an appreciation of the public health system and the role of health care providers in the prevention of disease and maintenance of population health. It includes participating in disease surveillance, reporting, and

We as a class were given a variety of health subjects to choose from to undertake a research project that counted as a huge part of our grades. I picked the study of epidemiology to be the area I would focus on extensively for the next three months of that semester. This obviously meant that I had to read and learn a couple of books to get a clear idea of how I was going to present my idea and findings. As I read through some of these books, I really became intrigued. The aspects of global health issues, biostatistics and health policies to name a few really jolted me into considering this area of study as a potential future career choice, as oppose as to just a research project. I was really fascinated as I read and came across the range of issues that public health officials such as epidemiologists had to solve or were in the process of solving in inventive ways. I obtained a crucial but very methodical understanding of the very issues that is being faced in the world of health care today. Ever since this class came and went, I have been highly focused on public health issues through other classes and

However, I am always working hardtop transfer my dream to reality. Since the day my grandmother helped me recovery from an illness, I had always wanted to work in the healthcare field. I told everyone I wanted to be a doctor, without really knowing what a doctor meant beyond the healing aspect. A former student of Engage Chicago told me how she went participated in the health and medicine concentration in order to learn more about medicine. She told me how the visits to a variety of hospitals, from large hospitals to small clinics, as well as the talks from the many different doctors, such as trauma and emergency room doctors, helped expand her understanding of what it mean to be a work in the healthcare field and the options and opportunities that came with it. I hope that by participating in Engage Chicago, I can get a better grasp of what I am truly aiming for when I tell people I want to be a doctor. What kind of environment do doctors work in? How can doctors develop good patient interaction? What are the paths and possible careers that could come out of the healthcare field? The student I talked to mentioned that Engage Chicago sparked her interest in social health policies, and she had immediately switched majors the following year. I would like to use Engage Chicago as a way of both understanding and opening the possibilities of

The curriculum of the Med School encompasses many hands-on practices that are often neglected at other universities. These practices include the following skills: healthy policy, community service and engagement, and evidence based practice. I can build off my current knowledge of public health and can apply the social skills and knowledge I learned from my classmates and professors to connect with my patients and prosper in my career. I can also enrich my undergraduate experience by thoroughly exploring all of D.C.: the populations living in area, the outdoor life, and the social conditions of the people around

From the materials we have used to prepare for the speakers, it is evident that public health work involves deep analysis of problems and teamwork, which are key components of a liberal arts education. All the speakers provided an in-depth look into their topic (i.e., they went past the surface level issues of their topic). For example, when Dr. Chosewood discussed workers’ health, he did not just discuss workplace

From Vicki Kistler’s talk, I learned that Public Health overlaps with a lot of Health Science majors. Some majors that involve Public Health are IT, Pre-med, and undecided (basic science classes). The goal of Public Health is to respond, present, and help people live happy and healthy lives. Public Health also isn’t one major or discipline, it’s a philosophy. Some careers in the Public Health field are adoption, reducing mortality for infants, and being a lawyer who supports the Public Health Law. There are 48 health instructors out of 50 and there also isn’t a Public Health department in every county of Pennsylvania. In Allentown, there are two categories of Public Health: Personal (based on personal aspects/preferences) and Environment

In the recent years, health has significantly become more intertwined with poverty, equity, and development. As a result, the sectors involved have extended beyond medical specialists and now include policy makers, politicians, economists, lawyers, communicators, and activists. Among these groups of people are those working in nongovernmental organizations. In terms of health, these groups carry out numerous functions such as public health advocacy, raising funds, providing direct goods and services, direct engagement with the target population and the implementation of sustainable projects. Accordingly, I believe that a Minor in Nonprofits, Volunteerism, and Philanthropy will enable me to continue pursuing my passion for health while at the

After finishing my Undergraduate, I have seen it wise to purse masters in public health, an area that I have much interest in. Having pursed a Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences, minor in psychology, expanding my knowledge in the field of public health has been my next option. The vast knowledge that I have gained learning and working can help me while pursuing this program. Given the chance I would be able to fulfill my career goals.

One of the most appealing aspects of becoming a public health professional is the wide range of careers available to choose from. My career goals coincide with the range of opportunities; however, ultimately I want to work with an organization similar to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. I want to focus on the social and medical aspects of disease, and examine the disproportionate rates of disease and disability among minorities. I also want to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS that is rapidly destroying so many countries. My passion to help others around me has sparked a desire to work with clinics around the world in order to promote change in the treatment and prevention of devastating diseases like HIV/AIDS.