This really is a new phase in my life. I have had a rewarding 14 year career in public health (NHS and local authority) which I have been able to fit around 2 children, but I knew that I wanted to achieve more. My passion lies in influencing and shaping the wider public health agenda, working across organisations to improve health and well-being. I am now on the Public Health Specialty Registrar training programme and the MPH is giving me the academic foundations to build my knowledge and experience to take on this next challenge.
CPD has been an ongoing part of my career but it has been many years since I last studied full time. With my new pencil case at the ready, I was so excited on my first day! After the first term I still feel this thrill every time I emerge from the train station – I then turn left to start my day with a decent cup of coffee! We had an interesting introductory week 1, then straight in to one of the bedrocks of public health – epidemiology, statistics and research methods. By the end of day 2 my brain felt full! I don’t think I have ever learned so much in such a short time. The module was well structured with summaries, group work, and a gradual build-up of statistics so that, by the end of it, concepts such as cohort studies and confidence intervals were ingrained into us. The practical epidemiology and statistics module further embedded this learning – and was fun to do!
I have also completed modules on Leadership and Management – looking at organisational culture, Health Economics – exploring cost benefit analysis, and Health Information and Informatics with very practical work on extracting, displaying and analysing information. The first exam and some of the assignments are already behind me, I am certainly showing my children how to focus on homework! The time is flying by, I am enjoying it so much I don’t want it to end, but just as equally I want to start using all of this new knowledge and tools in my Public Health work.
Being the student rep has added an extra dimension to this, gathering the views of fellow students and feeding this back. At my first meeting with the MPH programme team the feedback was taken very seriously and I am confident will be used to continue to build and shape the MPH.
On to term two – so much more to learn!
Written by Rachel Chapman, Student Rep and MPH Student
