A2X Consulting

Public health is an exciting and growing field these days. Someone interested in public health could someday work in health research, improving public access to health care, infectious disease control, and many more public health related fields. In fact, the types of professions involved in public health are numerous. They include researchers, teachers, social workers, administrators, environmentalists, scientists, attorneys, and journalists.

Public health is a field that is rewarding because it allows you to serve your community and give something back. If you are a student, you may be wondering how to get an internship to enhance your resume and improve your chances of getting a career in public health.

We recently wrote about where to find Public Health internships and here are some more ideas.  

1. Look with the non-profits. Visit their websites first to see if they have any internship opportunities listed. If not, keep persisting. Send them an email or call to ask if there are internships available or if they would be willing to work with you to create your own.
2. Start Local. Every county has a public health or department of health office. Many times they will have internships available in the area for students. If they don’t have internships through their office they might know of public health related internships in the local community.
3. Think about your state. Every state has a department of health. Some states may have more options than others, but state departments of health will often post their internships right on their websites with the application process. However, it still might be a good idea to contact someone at the state level to let them know you are interested and find out if more opportunities exist.
4. Consider going national. An internship at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services would be a great way to learn more about the field of public health. Find internship opportunities here .
5. Check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, the CDC offers internships for students to learn and train in their quest to “protect health and promote quality of life” according to its website. See a list of CDC opportunities here .
6. Consider the World Health Organization. The World Health Organization is the health authority for the United Nations. They offer sought after internships to graduate students here.
7. Interested in cancer and cancer research? Try the National Cancer Institute. Find their internship possibilities here.
8. Want to mix health and journalism? Check out the Kaiser Media Internship which was established in 1994 to give specialized training to young prospective journalists interested in health reporting.

We hope this gives you some useful ideas. Best of luck in your public health internship search!

By Sara Beck. Sara is an MBA student and loves to travel. She blogs at www.sarabeck.wordpress.com.