Student Experiences

The Region V Public Health Training Center (RVPHTC) seeks to advance the skills of the current and future public health workforce to improve population health outcomes. We support students in two types of field experiences taking place across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin: 

  • Field Placements
    • Individual students
    • Projects done with a public health organization located in or serving a medically underserved community
    • Builds organizational capacity to address social determinants of health
  • Collaborative Projects
    • Projects are similar in type and setting as field placement projects
    • Involve individual or groups of students
    • Include faculty involvement

The scope of both field placements and collaborative projects should be substantial enough to take several months to complete. For MPH students at CEPH-accredited institutions, it is possible that these activities could help fulfill their Applied Practice Experience requirement. Either type of experience might also fulfill an internship requirement per their institution’s guidelines.

A $3,500 stipend is included upon acceptance into the program and will be paid in two installments of $1,750.

Interested in learning more? Please check out the FAQs document, recorded information session, and slides from our information session.

Sample Projects
  • Health Education
  • Community Health Assessments
  • Impact of Policy on Health
  • COVID-19 Epidemiology
  • Program Evaluation
  • Client Support; Support Groups
  • Health Communications
  • Grant Writing
  • Needs Assessments
  • Research Projects: Policies, Client Relationships, etc.

 

Applications are currently closed.

Regional Public Health Training Centers Field Placement Program by the numbers: July 2018-July 2023<br />
Building the Capacity of the Future Public Health Workforce<br />
1174 Students Placed: 840 (72%) in medically underserved areas; 299 (26%) at rural sites; 278 (24%) in primary care settings. Contact Hours Logged: 240,501<br />
At the end of the field placement* 96% of the students say the information they learned is relevant to their future career (n=1100); 95% of students believed they met identified learning objectives (n=1100); 94% of students report increased interest in working with vulnerable populations (n=1100); 95% of preceptors agreed their student(s) met learning objectives (n=638)<br />
Number of Students by State: over 40 in Washington, Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York. 30-39 in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, West Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. 20-29 in Puerto Rico, California, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. 10-19 in Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Vermont, Maine. 1-9 in Idaho, North Dakota, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware. 0 in Arkansas. Not included in the above map are placements located in the Federated States of Micronesia (2) and the Republic of Palau (5). Field Placement by Agency Type: Local Health Department (17%), State Health Department (10%), Hospital (7%), Governmental Public Health (3%), Community Based Organizations (23%), Academia (23%), Other (17%).<br />
*Based on the 1100 student and 638 preceptor responses to the Public Health Learning Network Common Metrics Evaluations for field placements completed July 2018 to July 2023 across the 10 Regional Public Health Training Centers. https://phtcn.org/

My field placement experience was incredibly beneficial, providing me with the tools to make a difference and a platform to enact change for the health of my community. It equipped me with invaluable skills, knowledge, and mentorship, further affirming my passion and dedication for the field of public health. Additionally, the placement opened doors for my career, making the job search process easy and helping me acquire my dream career so soon following my graduation. I couldn’t have achieved this without RVPHTC’s financial assistance and training that allowed me to excel in my chosen internship.

Amira, University of Michigan

City of Dearborn Department of Public Health

My field placement…provided me insight on what it is like to collaborate on professional teams and how to critique and adapt evaluation methods with a place-based approach to fit vulnerable populations’ needs. It challenged me to reflect on my leadership style and how to communicate my thoughts effectively in public health settings. As I received mentoring and supervision from public health professionals it reaffirmed what strengths I have as a public health professional student and led me to assess areas of future development. The Region V Public Health Training Center provided meaningful content and information that not only helped me prepare for my applied practice, but connect with other students and understand what experiences we all are navigating as upcoming public health professionals.

Cassandra, University of Minnesota

University of MN Extension Center for Family Development

My field placement with the Indiana Public Health Association was monumental in shaping my professional skills and guiding the future of my public health career. During my internship, I developed strategy, produced valuable deliverables, collaborated with intersectoral partners, and so much more.

Sara, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, Indiana University

Indiana Public Health Association