ISSN: 2642-6250
Authors: Suresh K*
What tops the priority chart for recruiters in Public Health in India today? Skills of Field epidemiology, working under local constraints, out-off box innovation, client centric approaches in hospitals management, business attitude and aptitude, presentation and communication. The ancient Indian system of education had an integrated approach to training of head (mind), hand (skills), and heart (human values and ethics). However, most of the present-day MPH courses are designed to expose candidates to 5 core discipline areas of public health-Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Environmental Health, Health Policy and Health Administration and Social and behavioural sciences. It goes without saying that Public Health Management education must fall in line with almost all other disciplines, where there is a conscious effort to align not only with the evolving technology but also business dynamics. Teaching scholars about the feelings of others lays the foundation for strong interpersonal skills that will be invaluable in their professional and personal lives. To address the widening skill-gap, primarily introducing industry exposure and latest trends in the filed epidemiology, vaccinology, national health programs and health facilities management at different levels of the local health system is the need of the time. Secondly the classroom experiences need to evolve from scholars competing for grades to scholars working together learning to form friendships and deal with complex social interactions. For students, it may be a touch difficult to zero in on a skill set that would stand them in good stead. Faculty must know the ground reality and students should be exposed to it directly. Counselling and mentoring play a crucial role here. The newer Public Health recruitment demands have got to enter the syllabus of the mainstream master’s in Public Health courses if any country wants to prepare students for the future that awaits them. In moderns Public Health postgraduate courses whenever a theory is taught, it must be related to something in the real world or from real time data. Even in the exit examinations, theory questions and practical’s must be from the real world. Teaching methodologies must look at going beyond the pedagogical lectures, books, presentations and internet search to designing a curriculum that offers holistic education.
Keywords: Public Health Industry; Syllabus; Skill Gap
