5 Transferable Skills For Public Health Students Part 2

5 Transferable Skills For Public Health Students Part 2

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Last week i wrote an article talking about 5 transferable skills for public health students. Today, I am continuing on that thread as it was an article that resonated with many people.

You can check out last week’s article by clicking here. To reiterate, those 5 skills were:

  1. Networking
  2. Needs Assessments
  3. Data Management & Analysis
  4. Report Writing
  5. Collaboration

Here I’ll be talking about another 5 transferable skills that public health students could use to help their career. I will be linking to resources on LinkedIn Learning. If you are a student you should have free access to this through your university, if not, definitely ask them about it and get it free!

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Contents hide
1. Qualitative Skills
2. Presentation Skills
3. Grant Research and Writing
4. Critical Thinking
5. Project Management
Recap

1. Qualitative Skills

If you are more interested in doing public health practice over research then qualitative skills are something you should strengthen on.

Qualitative skills can come in many forms and be utilized for various means. Some of these may be survey development & analysis, focus groups, participant observation, in-depth interviews, and story-telling/taking techniques.

As a public health professional you should aim to bring a strong competency of qualitative skills to all job environments. Depending on the setting you enter you may be the “expert” on the team in

Most graduate programs you’ll have to do a final project and/or practicum where you’ll be able to work on these skills. You will even have projects in classes where you can use these skills.

Although, I would say in real-world there is a lot of collaboration and thought that goes behind all of these qualitative skills.

Here are some resources for Qualitative Skills:



2. Presentation Skills

Presentations, presentations, where do I begin? The dreaded thing for most. Making you queasy and uneasy. I know just how tough presentations can be, especially in front of a decently big room.

The one thing you can do is practice to make you feel more comfortable. Presentations come easier to some and thus its something you have to be self-aware about. The best presenters are the ones that know that every time they present there is something they can improve on. Focus on one thing; whether that be how you sway, looking at the audience, slowing down how you, etc. and make intentional moves to work on it.

Have a friend give you feedback then rinse and repeat.

“Presentations” happen in all types of settings, not just at conferences. It could be talking to teammates, speaking in front of the board, talking at a convention or trying to get someone.

Start thinking of presentations in a broader sense. Though it is important to be able to do a formal presentation, these other forms of presentation are vital. If you are comfortable in more informal settings, it will make you more confident in those more formal settings.

Here are some resources for Presentations:

3. Grant Research and Writing

Not all public health students will take a class where they learn about either grant writing or research. However, even if you don’t end up working in the public health world, having the knowledge of grants – whether research or writing – will be helpful. All industries with non-profits have grant applications for funding. So it’s not exclusive to public health.

When we think of grants we think of grant writing usually. However, grant research which is the process of finding funding sources for your specific non-profit/project can be just as important. Grant writing is just the act of fulling out an application in the hopes of receiving funding.

Both of these are what keeps many non-profits running and doing the great work they do. If you are able to take a grant writing class or have this as a component of your class then do it. Or seek out other ways to get this experience through courses or helping with a grant proposal in your internship or job.

Here are some resources for Grant Research:

Resources for Grant Writing



4. Critical Thinking

Do not underplay the complex amounts of knowledge you have! You know a lot of information that can be applied in many conversations. Not only that, but you will have a different perspectives than most of your job colleagues. This is because you are a young millennial or genZer. This is an advantage and should be viewed as such.

When you think of critical thinking, think of things like:

  • Solving problems using creative and innovative ways
  • Being able to question problems to understand it deeper
  • Assessing situations to take out the important parts – this can be research, a situation or story
  • Organizing your thoughts and articulating them in a concise and coherent manner
  • Flexibility of thought (looking at things from many perspectives)

Critical thinking is an essential skill that you can build by being intentional during your courses. Don’t be passive in classes because you’re teaching yourself to be passive in the working world. Share your thoughts, question statements and use your initiative to make an impact in your career!

Here are some resources for Critical Thinking skills:

5. Project Management

I put project management at the end of this list because though it is an important skill, it is one that is hard to get during your schooling career.

Typically, any project management that you do in your collegiate career is not anywhere as complex as it will be throughout your career. Project management consist of the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements.

The two ways that students usually get this is from:

  1. Event planning and management
  2. Having to manage several big projects (could be through internship, job or class)

If you are given the opportunity to get some real project management experience during your schooling, JUMP AT IT! This will be invaluable for you and will surely set you apart from other graduating students. If you are able to try your hand at a little project management be sure to take it. And be sure to reference it on your resume and in your interview.

Here are some resources for Project Management:



Recap

Here I outlined skills that public health students can use and develop to be able to help their career acumen.

Check out the first part of this series here: 5 Transferable Skills For Public Health Students.

The 10 skills I’ve covered thus far are:

  1. Networking
  2. Needs Assessment
  3. Data Management & Analysis
  4. Report Writing
  5. Collaboration
  6. Qualitative Skills
  7. Presentation Skills
  8. Grant Research and Writing
  9. Critical Thinking
  10. Project Management

Which one or some of these skills have been helpful for you?

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