How to hire a public health internship

How to hire a public health internship, step by step

Here's a step-by-step public health internship hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a public health internship job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new public health internship
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a public health internship, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A public health internship's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, public health interns from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of public health interns and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Public Health Internship	Description	Hourly rate
   Public Health Internship	Occupational health and safety specialists analyze many types of work environments and work procedures. Specialists inspect workplaces for adherence to regulations on safety, health, and the environment... Show more	$12-26
   Safety Advisor	Safety Advisors are responsible for overseeing a safe workplace environment and ensuring compliance with safety policies and regulations of an organization. Their duties include conducting risk assessments, demonstrating safe operational procedures, conducting site inspection as well as developing health and safety policies... Show more	$16-42
   Safety And Training Coordinator	A safety and training coordinator helps ensure that all employees, subcontractors, and vendors adhere to the safety protocols and safety behaviors. They oversee safety instructor's safety teachings, procedures, and implementation.	$14-29

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Environmental Health
   • EHS
   • Patients
   • Public Health
   • OSHA
   • PowerPoint
   • Risk Assessments
   • Safety Training
   • EPA
   • Mental Health Issues
   • LOTO
   • Data Collection
   • Data Analysis
   • Safety Program

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage busy immunization clinics overseeing the administration of thousands of immunizations per day.
   • Assist in employee training for LOTO, fork truck operation and behavioral base safety program.
   • Provide assistance during internal safety audits, asbestos abatement management, OSHA respirator fitting.
   • Train and educate large groups on job safety awareness and CPR.
   • Familiarize with ISO 14001 and the control systems that support certification standards.
   • Assist in the development of strategies to improve education of TB contacts.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your public health internship job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A public health internship can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, public health interns' average salary in tennessee is 54% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level public health interns 55% less than senior-level public health interns.
   • Certifications. A public health internship with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a public health internship's salary.

   Average public health internship salary

   $37,987yearly

   $18.26 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level public health internship salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

4. Writing a public health internship job description

   A public health internship job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a public health internship job description:

   Public health internship job description example

   El Camino Health is committed to hiring, retaining and growing the best and brightest professionals who will carry our mission and vision forward. We are proud of our reputation in the community: One built on compassion, innovation, collaboration and delivering high-quality care. Come join the team that makes this happen.
   
   Applicants MUST apply for position(s) by submitting a separate application for each individual job posting number they are interested in being considered for.
   FTE
   0.8
   
   Scheduled Bi-Weekly Hours
   64
   
   Work Shift
   Day: 8 hours
   
   Job Description
   To provide high-quality acute mental health services to patients and their family members. The goal of these services is to treat the presenting illness and return the patient to a previous or higher level of functioning within the community under the supervision of a licensed therapist.
   
   QUALIFICATIONS
   Master's degree in Marriage & Family Therapy, Masters in Social Work, Psychology Intern, or Professional Clinical Counselor.
   Current Registration in State of CA as Marriage & Family Therapy Intern, Associate Social Worker, Psychology intern who is eligible for registration as a psychology assistant, or Professional Clinical Counselor intern.
   Prefer clinical experience, including experience in: inpatient psychiatry, cognitive therapy, DBT, group therapy, individual therapy, couples therapy, family therapy, and short-term treatment.
   
   The Physical Requirements and Working Conditions of this job are available. El Camino Health will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with a disability if that will allow them to perform the essential functions of a job unless doing so creates an undue hardship for the hospital, or causes a direct threat to these individuals or others in the workplace which cannot be eliminated by reasonable accommodation.
   
   Sedentary Work - Duties performed mostly while sitting; walking and standing at times. Occasionally lift or carry up to 10 lbs. Uses hands and fingers. - (Physical Requirements-United States of America)
   
   An Equal Opportunity Employer:El Camino Health seeks and values a diverse workforce. The organization is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of qualifications and competencies. El Camino Health prohibits discrimination in employment based on race, ancestry, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, marital status, age, medical condition or any other status protected by law. In addition to state and federal law, El Camino Health also follows all applicable fair and equitable employment policies from the County of Santa Clara.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right public health internship for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your public health internship job on Zippia to find and attract quality public health internship candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with public health internship candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new public health internship

   Once you've found the public health internship candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new public health internship. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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